Why Google doesn’t rank businesses based on quality (and what it does rank instead)

The real reason competitors with worse service often show up above you

What Google sees as “confidence” in your business

How reviews impact rankings (and why consistency matters more than spikes)

Whether one bad review can actually hurt your business

How to respond to negative reviews without making things worse

The truth about how many Google reviews are “enough”

Why recency beats quantity when it comes to rankings

How to build a simple, repeatable review system that works on autopilot

Google reads momentum, not perfection

One bad review won’t tank your ranking—but ignoring it can

A 4.5-star business with real responses builds more trust than a silent 5-star profile

Reviews don’t make sales—they remove doubt (and doubt kills conversions)

Stop waiting for reviews to magically happen—build a system

Ask every customer, every time, the same way

Respond to every review using service and location keywords

Focus on steady, consistent reviews instead of big spikes

Prioritize recency over total review count

This episode was created for you—and if it resonated, don’t keep it to yourself.

Download the episode, leave a review, and share it with another business owner who needs a smarter way to grow. My goal this year is to double this community, and every download helps make that happen.

Want to take the next step?
Visit www.elisesharpless.com for resources, updates, and ways we can work together to grow your brand with intention—not guesswork.

Growing a business takes grit, determination, and a mindset that won’t quit. That’s why I show up here every single week—so you don’t have to figure it out alone.

Thanks for listening to Beyond Your Brand.
See you next week.