Do Reviews Matter or Not? We Scraped 19,000 Local Listings to Find Out
Everyone uses Google to find local services. You search "plumber in Miami" or "roof repair in Boston" and get a list of results with star ratings and review counts. Most people decide who to call in less than 10 seconds.
People decide fast, with 50% of users clicking a result in under 9 seconds. This snap judgment relies on reviews, which influence 93% of consumers. To be chosen, businesses typically need a star rating above 4 stars, as a complete, well-reviewed profile is seen as 2.7 times more reputable.
We wanted to understand what these numbers actually mean. So we used Hexomatic to scrape 19,044 listings across 10 common home service categories in 10 major U.S. cities. We pulled ratings, review counts, and other public data for every listing.
Here’s what we found.
High review count doesn’t always mean high quality
We saw plenty of businesses with thousands of reviews and ratings below 4.0. These are usually large, high-volume operators. They’re visible, and they get work. But that doesn't mean people love them.
On the flip side, many smaller businesses had perfect 5.0 scores with only 20 to 30 reviews. That’s easy to maintain when you're new or operating at a small scale. Fewer customers means fewer chances to disappoint. It doesn’t always show the full picture.
What does stand out? The 782 businesses in our dataset with 100+ reviews and a perfect 5.0 rating. That level of consistency with volume is hard to fake. It’s a clear sign of strong service delivery, follow-up, and operations.
Some industries perform better than others
Here’s how each category ranked by average review count and star rating:
Plumbers and HVAC pros dominate in visibility, with the highest number of reviews. But garage door repair and roofing companies hold the top average ratings. General contractors lag in both volume and exposure — despite having decent scores.
Website presence correlates with business performance
We also tracked which listings had a business website linked.
Businesses with websites averaged 4.70 stars and 226 reviews
Those without websites averaged 4.48 stars and just 18 reviews
The difference isn’t just about having a URL. It’s a signal. Businesses with websites are usually more developed. They have real branding, systems, and likely better marketing and follow-up. That translates to more visibility, more reviews, and slightly better trust signals.
Big names don’t always win
Chains and national brands show up often, especially in plumbing and appliance repair. But they’re not at the top of the ratings list.
3 businesses had 500+ reviews and a rating below 4.0 (underperformers with visibility).
919 businesses had 500+ reviews total.
558 businesses had 1,000+ reviews.
879 businesses had 500+ reviews and maintained a 4.5+ rating — that’s not luck, that’s consistency.
3171 businesses had more than 100 reviews.
By contrast, small local providers dominate the 5.0 territory. They aren’t household names. But they consistently deliver.
Done using Hexomatic
We scraped public Google Maps listings using Hexomatic. Each of the 100 searches — things like “Electrician Los Angeles” or “Pest Control Phoenix” — returned about 190 businesses. Here's a quick snapshot from the process:
Categories Included
Plumber
Electrician
HVAC
General Contractor
Handyman
Appliance Repair
Pest Control
Pool Service
Roof Repair
Garage Door Repair
Cities Covered
New York
Miami
Chicago
Austin
Los Angeles
Phoenix
Seattle
Denver
Atlanta
Boston
Each category-city combo gave us a unique slice of the market. Combined, it paints a broad picture of how home service businesses are rated across the country.
What this means for you
This wasn’t a deep, complex study. It was a quick scrape of public data — literally took 2 minutes to set up. But even that revealed a lot.
Now imagine doing this for your own industry, in your city or state, or against your real competitors. Add in website scraping, price and offered services analysis, business categorization — and you’ll start seeing patterns that most people miss.
You won’t always get what you want on the first try. You’ll need iterations. But the upside is clear.
Want to benchmark your rating against your top competitors? Do it.
Want to spot underperforming categories in your city or state? Do it.
Want to find gaps between demand and offer in specific ZIP codes or neighborhoods? Do it.
Want to understand which businesses dominate trust — and why? Do it.
We only scratched the surface. But even this simple version shows how much insight is sitting in plain sight on Google Maps — if you know how to pull it.
Want the insights but don’t want to mess with scraping tools?
We offer a managed service. Just tell us exactly what you want to collect — we’ll handle the rest.
No setup. No learning curve. Just clean, useful data delivered to you.
👉 Book a call to brief the scope.