Hundreds of Google reviews aren't protecting your neighborhood.
We scanned the 13 spots within 7 miles of each company's own shop, the area they should own.
of searches near their own shop showed three other companies in Google's top 3. That's 504 of 637 spots.
were beaten near their shop by a competitor with fewer reviews, usually about half as many.
What that means for your business
Reviews still matter, but they aren't what's deciding these searches. Your Business Profile categories, service areas, website pages and distance from the searcher decide who shows up on each street. Those are things you can change.
These 49 were shortlisted from 152 independent companies because their maps looked weak, so they aren't a random sample. Scans: 7 × 7 grid, 10-mile radius, one main search per trade, October 15, 2026. "About half" is the median ratio of the competitor's reviews to the company's own.