4.5 stars is the new 4.0.
What 2026 research says about how customers find and choose a local business and what Montreal businesses should do about it.
Reviews
97% of consumers read online reviews when choosing a local business.
41% now always read reviews when looking for a business — up from 29% a year earlier.
The bar moved in one year
Customers expect higher ratings than they did in 2025.
Will only use a business rated 4.5★ or higher: 17% (2025) → 31% (2026)
Will only use a business rated 4★ or higher: 55% (2025) → 68% (2026)
47% won't use a business with fewer than 20 reviews. Only 9% would choose one with five or fewer.
Freshness and replies
Old reviews and silent owners cost customers.
74% look for reviews written in the last three months.
89% expect business owners to respond to reviews.
19% expect a reply the same day — up from 6% in 2025.
50% are put off by generic, templated replies.
Where people look
Google still leads, but AI tools are now the #3 source of local recommendations.
Share of consumers using each platform for local business reviews and recommendations. People use an average of six.
Google: 83% (2025) → 71% (2026)
AI tools like ChatGPT: 6% (2025) → 45% (2026)
Apple Maps: 14% (2025) → 27% (2026)
Here in Québec
52% of Québec internet users have used a generative AI tool like ChatGPT, Gemini or Copilot — up from 33% a year earlier.
NETendances 2025, Académie de la transformation numérique, Université Laval
After the reviews
54% of consumers visit the business's website after reading positive reviews. Most keep researching before they book or buy.
What to do this quarter
A local visibility checklist.
Ask every customer for a review, every week. Steady requests keep reviews recent. Never pay or offer rewards for reviews.
Get past 20 reviews and aim for 4.5★ on Google, then build up Facebook, Apple Maps and the sites your customers use.
Reply to every review within a day, in your own words — positive and negative.
Keep your name, address, phone and hours identical on every listing. Maps, directories and AI tools all rely on it.
Make your website answer what reviews don't: services, areas served, process and pricing, in French and English.
Local visibility isn't one fix. It's reviews, listings, maps and your website working together.
Compiled by Davnoot Agency
davnoot.com · SEO & PPC, Montreal
Sources
BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 (1,002 US adults, published Feb 2026) — brightlocal.com/research/local-consumer-review-survey
Académie de la transformation numérique (Université Laval), NETendances 2025: Intelligence artificielle générative (993 Québec internet users, Oct 2025)
All figures are US consumer data except where marked Québec.
