Velocity matters because Google's local algorithm reads it as freshness. A profile that just got a new review reads as active. A profile with no new reviews in 90 days reads as stale. The interesting question is not whether the signal exists but where it plateaus and how fast it decays.
The Setup
240 profiles were stratified across the five velocity buckets (48 per bucket). All profiles started with the same conditions: no new reviews in the trailing 90 days, star average between 4.2 and 4.7, total review count between 35 and 180. Profiles were rank-tracked weekly on a 5x5 grid centred on the business address. The push period ran from week 1 to week 8. The decay observation period ran from week 9 to week 20. Reviews were acquired through standard post-service request flows with no incentive offers.
240 profiles. 5 velocity buckets. 8-week push. 12-week decay window. Weekly grid rank tracking the whole way.
The Lift Curve by Bucket
Lift compounds for the first six weeks in every bucket and then begins to plateau. The shape of the curve is similar across buckets. The magnitude scales with velocity but with clear diminishing returns past three new reviews per week.
- 1 review per week bucket: average +0.7 position lift by week 8
- 2 reviews per week bucket: average +1.3 position lift by week 8
- 3 reviews per week bucket: average +1.9 position lift by week 8
- 5 reviews per week bucket: average +2.4 position lift by week 8 (marginal lift dropping)
- 8 reviews per week bucket: average +2.6 position lift by week 8 (statistical tie with the 5 bucket)
Where the Plateau Sits
Marginal lift fell sharply between the 3-per-week and 5-per-week buckets. The jump from 3 to 5 returned only +0.5 additional positions. The jump from 5 to 8 returned +0.2. Past 5 per week the cohort showed no statistically significant additional lift.
- Marginal lift per extra weekly review (1 to 2): +0.6 positions
- Marginal lift per extra weekly review (2 to 3): +0.6 positions
- Marginal lift per extra weekly review (3 to 5): +0.25 positions per added review
- Marginal lift per extra weekly review (5 to 8): +0.07 positions per added review
- Practical plateau: 5 new reviews per week
Marginal lift falls off a cliff between 3 and 5 reviews per week. Past 5 per week we measured no statistically significant additional rank gain.
The Decay Curve After the Push Ends
We deliberately stopped the push at week 8 to measure decay. The result was the second most useful number in the study. Profiles that acquired reviews aggressively and then stopped did not just plateau. They lost positions on a predictable curve.
- Weeks 9 to 12: profiles held 90% of their gains across all buckets
- Weeks 13 to 16: average drift of -0.5 positions across all buckets
- Weeks 17 to 20: average drift of -1.2 positions across all buckets
- By week 20, the 1-per-week bucket had lost 80% of its peak lift; the 5-per-week bucket had lost 50%
- Implication: velocity must be sustained, not pulsed. A push without a maintenance plan returns to baseline in 12 to 16 weeks
Safe Pace and Spike Risk
We watched closely for spike-related profile penalties. We did not see any. Every bucket received reviews through legitimate post-service requests. No bucket had reviews removed at a rate above baseline. The 8-per-week bucket had a slightly higher Google-side filter rate (3.2% of requested reviews never appeared on the profile) compared to the 1-per-week bucket (1.1%), but no profile suspensions or warnings.
The conclusion: there is no observed velocity penalty in our data when reviews come from legitimate post-service requests at any of the tested rates. The plateau is an algorithmic indifference, not a penalty.
What the Curve Means for a Real Plan
The cheapest and most durable position in the cohort was the 2-to-3-per-week sustained bucket. It delivered most of the lift of the higher buckets, decayed slower because it was easier to maintain past the push, and stayed inside the comfortable side of the filter rate.
The right plan for most local businesses is two to three new reviews per week, every week, forever. Not a quarterly push. Not a one-time blitz. The decay curve makes pulse strategies look productive in the short term and stupid in the medium term.
