Even though my marketing career has focused strongly on social media, it doesn’t mean my personal social channels are anything special. I have under 800 Instagram followers and my TikTok account never goes viral. But there is a platform of mine (besides brentreser.com, of course) that packs some social clout.

Five years ago this summer I wrote about my newfound motivation to write Google Reviews. I noted that I was already writing online reviews via my blog and that I might as well repurpose some of that work for Google Reviews. At the time, I had written just 10 reviews.

This month I surpassed 200.

Over these past five years, I have made a conscientious effort to write detailed, thoughtful Google Reviews of the restaurants, hotels, coffee stands, and attractions I have visited. I exert a lot of energy, add numerous photos, and write with decency. My plan is to never tear a business to pieces, thus the reason why probably 90% of my reviews are positive with ratings of three stars or above given out to most. I just assume skip writing a Google Review about a lackluster experience rather than torching the restaurant or hotel responsible for it.

Okay, back to that somewhat arrogant claim I made about clout. Because I have written so many reviews with such thorough analysis, my entries are prioritized by Google. The best way to explain this is that if I have written a review about “Business A,” that review will show up at the top on “Business A’s” Google business profile when Most relevant is selected.

I receive text messages from people who say they were researching certain restaurants only to see my review show up at the top. When my family went to 1898 Public House for our anniversary dinner, we all got a good laugh when my mom, sister-in-law, and even my wife had to admit that when they did their routine online restaurant scan, my review was the first one they saw. It even informed their ordering decisions that night!

I am part of the Google Review local guide program and currently hold Level 7 status (Level 10 is the highest). So even though I can’t create a TikTok that anyone cares about, at least I am doing okay with Google. 😂

I am currently a Level 7 local guide our of 10 levels.

Who knows what my standing will be with Google in another five years but I have no plans of ceasing my reviews. For community businesses that depend on honest Google Reviews, hopefully that is a good thing. Don’t Blink.