Latest / The Local Marketing Podcast with Fexingo: Small Business, Google Maps, and Local SEO / How a Laundromat Uses Google Maps Star Ratings to Win Customers
Transcript
- Lucas: So earlier this week I'm looking at a laundromat in Denver called Spin Cycle Clean — nothing fancy, just a coin-op place on South Broadway — and their Google Maps average was 3.2 stars. Which, for a laundromat, is actually pretty typical. Luna: Right, because people mostly review laundromats when something goes wrong — a machine eats their quarters, the place is dirty, that kind of thing. Lucas: Exactly. The owner, a guy named Mike, told me he was getting maybe one review a month, and it was almost always a one-star complaint about a broken dryer. So he decided to try something systematic. He set a goal: get that average to 4.5 within six months. Luna: That's a big jump. What was his plan? Lucas: Three things. First, he started responding to every single negative review within 24 hours — publicly. Not a copy-paste apology. He'd say something like 'Hey Sarah, sorry the number 8 dryer ate your $2. We fixed it that same day. Next time you're in, mention this review and I'll throw in a free dry cycle.' Luna: So he's turning a complaint into an invitation. That's smart. Lucas: Second, he put a small sign above each washing machine: 'Had a good experience? Let us know on Google Maps — show this at the counter for a free dry cycle.' He wasn't buying reviews, exactly — he was prompting happy customers who would have walked out without thinking about it. Luna: And that's totally within Google's guidelines, as long as you're not offering a reward for a positive review specifically. You're just asking for a review, and the reward is for showing it, regardless of star rating. Lucas: That's the nuance. Mike was careful — the sign said 'Let us know how we did.' Not 'Give us five stars.' And the free dry cycle was for showing the review, not for a positive one. That distinction matters. Luna: What was the third thing? Lucas: He cleaned up his Google Business Profile. Updated the hours, added photos of the renovated floor, turned on the 'wheelchair accessible' attribute and 'free Wi-Fi' — things that were true but weren't listed before. He also added the 'COVID-19 safety' attribute even though the pandemic is mostly behind us, because Google still surfaces that for some users. Luna: I've seen data that listings with complete attributes get way more clicks. Like, 30 to 40 percent more. Lucas: Yeah. And the results came faster than he expected. After three months, his average was up to 4.1. After six months, 4.6. But here's the part that really matters — his foot traffic increased by about 30 percent, and he told me his revenue from the wash and fold service doubled. Because when people see a 4.6-star laundromat, they assume it's clean, reliable, worth the trip. Luna: So the star rating itself is almost a trust signal. It's not just about the algorithm — it's about consumer psychology. Lucas: Exactly. And there's a specific algorithmic thing here too. Google Maps' local pack ranking gives significant weight to recency and volume of reviews. A business with 50 reviews, all from the last three months, can outrank a business with 200 reviews that haven't been updated in two years. So Mike's strategy of generating a steady trickle of new reviews — maybe 6 to 10 a month — was really effective. Luna: That makes sense. Google wants to show places that are actively managed. An old but high-rated laundromat might have changed management, gotten dirty, whatever. Fresh reviews signal 'this place is still good.' Lucas: Right. And one more thing Mike did that I think is underused: he used the Google Maps 'Q&A' feature proactively. He seeded it with common questions like 'Do you have a change machine?' and 'Is there parking?' and then answered them himself. That way, when a potential customer opens the listing, they see useful answers right away. Luna: I love that. Most business owners ignore the Q&A section entirely, and then random users answer incorrectly. It's a small fix that can save a lot of confusion. Lucas: So the takeaway for any local business — laundromat, coffee shop, plumber, whatever — is that your star rating isn't fixed. You can move it if you're systematic. Respond to every negative review quickly and generously, prompt happy customers to leave a review in a way that feels natural, and keep your profile complete with updated attributes and photos. Luna: And the best part is, most of these tactics are free. You're just investing time. Lucas: Absolutely. And if this kind of practical marketing conversation is useful to you, the reason we can keep making these episodes without ads is listener support. If you've gotten something out of it, you can toss a few bucks our way at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. No pressure, but it helps us stay independent. Luna: Yeah, it's a small way to keep the content coming. We really appreciate it. Lucas: Anyway, back to the laundromat. Mike told me his next experiment is adding Google Maps 'products' — listing the specific washer models and prices. He thinks that could drive even more traffic from people searching for 'large capacity washer near me.' I'll let you know how it goes. Luna: Please do. I'm curious whether the products feature works for service-based businesses too. Lucas: That's a good question for a future episode. For now, the lesson is: your star rating is a living number. You can improve it with a little strategy.