For most local businesses: Google 70% / Facebook 20% / Yelp 10%. Exceptions: restaurants + salons raise Yelp's share, B2B + pro services lower Facebook's share, industries with big vertical platforms (Houzz, HomeAdvisor, Zillow) need a 4th allocation. Don't split evenly — weight by where your customers actually search.
Why You Need a Strategy (Not Just "Ask Everywhere")
Most businesses, when they finally get serious about reviews, make the same mistake: they send every customer to Google AND Facebook AND Yelp. This looks like "being thorough." It's actually:
- Review fatigue — customers get 3 asks for the same service, stop responding to any
- Platform friction — customer opens Google (no account), bails. Tries Facebook (no Facebook app installed), bails. Never gets to Yelp.
- Diluted velocity — your 20 reviews/month split 3 ways = 6-7 per platform. Not enough on any to meaningfully move rankings.
The right strategy is concentrate first, diversify second. Win your primary platform, then add secondary. Here's how to decide.
The 3 Questions That Set Your Strategy
Before you allocate, answer these:
Answer honestly. Most business owners guess wrong about where their customers find them — they assume Google when the reality is 60% Facebook (or vice versa). If you have a CRM with lead source tracking, pull the data. If not, survey your last 50 new customers: "How did you hear about us?"
The Default Weighting (Adjust From Here)
For a typical local service business in the US:
| Platform | Default allocation | When to increase | When to decrease |
|---|---|---|---|
| 70% | Always — this is your local SEO engine | Almost never | |
| 20% | Strong Facebook group / active page / older customers | B2B services, urban professional services | |
| Yelp | 10% | Restaurant / salon / CA or NY metro / food-adjacent | B2B, home services outside major metros |
| Industry-specific | 0-30% | HomeAdvisor, Angi, Houzz, Zillow, Avvo for pros | Most retail + service |
Industry-Specific Weightings
The defaults flex heavily by industry. Here's a realistic breakdown:
| Industry | Yelp | Vertical | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Restaurant / Bar | 50% | 15% | 30% | 5% (OpenTable, TripAdvisor) |
| Salon / Spa | 55% | 20% | 25% | 0% |
| Home services (HVAC, plumbing, electrical) | 75% | 15% | 5% | 5% (HomeAdvisor, Angi, Thumbtack) |
| Appliance repair | 80% | 15% | 5% | 0% |
| Home improvement / remodel | 60% | 10% | 5% | 25% (Houzz) |
| Real estate / LO | 50% | 15% | 5% | 30% (Zillow, Realtor.com, Google-indexed pro profiles) |
| Professional services (law, CPA) | 60% | 5% | 5% | 30% (Avvo, BBB, Google Scholar-adjacent) |
| Lawn care / pool / pest | 75% | 20% | 5% | 0% |
| House cleaning | 70% | 20% | 10% | 0% |
| Restoration (water/fire/mold) | 70% | 5% | 5% | 20% (insurance-network directories) |
| Auto repair | 80% | 10% | 10% | 0% |
Adjust by Customer Demographic
Same industry, different customer base → different allocation. Examples:
- Pediatric dental (parents 28-45) — shifts Facebook up: moms research pediatric providers in Facebook groups. Allocation: Google 60% / Facebook 35% / Yelp 5%.
- Cosmetic dental (professionals 35-55) — shifts Google up: these customers Google extensively. Allocation: Google 75% / Facebook 10% / Yelp 15%.
- Senior-focused home services — Facebook rises again: seniors are Facebook's most active demographic. Allocation: Google 60% / Facebook 30% / Yelp 10%.
- Urban millennials (Brooklyn, Austin, SF) — Yelp rises: app-first culture. Allocation: Google 55% / Facebook 15% / Yelp 30%.
The "Concentrate First" Rule
Before you diversify, get your primary platform to a defensible position. Here's the threshold math:
| Current review count | Strategy |
|---|---|
| Under 25 Google reviews | Send 100% of asks to Google. You need volume to rank. Forget Facebook + Yelp. |
| 25-100 Google reviews | 80% Google, 20% to secondary. Start building your second rail. |
| 100-250 Google reviews | Default weighting applies. Diversify for resilience. |
| 250+ Google reviews | Full weighting + add vertical platforms if your industry has them. |
The #1 mistake: a business with 14 Google reviews sending 1/3 of its asks to Facebook + 1/3 to Yelp. Net result: 14 reviews split 3 ways = no meaningful presence on any platform. Concentrate until you've won one.
Vertical Platforms — When They Matter
Specialized review sites can outrank Google for specific industries. Know yours:
- Home improvement: Houzz reviews often rank higher than Google for "remodel" searches. Essential for remodelers.
- HVAC / plumbing / home services: Angi (formerly Angie's List), HomeAdvisor, Thumbtack. Some customers start their search there.
- Real estate + LOs: Zillow Premier Agent reviews, Realtor.com profiles, BuysideRealty. LOs specifically need Zillow + Experience.com.
- Law: Avvo, Super Lawyers, Martindale-Hubbell, state bar profiles. Avvo reviews often outrank Google for "[city] [practice area] lawyer."
- CPA / accounting: BBB, Intuit ProAdvisor directory, state CPA society profiles.
- Doctors / dentists: Healthgrades, Vitals, RealSelf (cosmetic), WebMD. Google My Business is the foundation; vertical platforms layer on.
- Restaurants: OpenTable, Resy, Tripadvisor. Plus Google + Yelp at high weights.
How to Actually Allocate (In Practice)
Allocation happens at the review-ask-routing step. Options:
Method 1: Round-Robin
If your allocation is Google 70 / Facebook 20 / Yelp 10: every 10 customers, 7 get sent to Google, 2 to Facebook, 1 to Yelp. Simple, predictable, works.
Method 2: Customer-Signal-Based
Route based on customer behavior:
- Customer email ends in
@facebookaccounts / they've engaged on your Facebook page → Facebook - Customer is on iPhone + has Yelp app detected in user-agent → Yelp
- Everyone else → Google default
Smarter but requires CRM integration + user-agent parsing. Usually only worth it at 200+ reviews/month scale.
Method 3: Self-Selection
Send one SMS with 3 side-by-side QR codes / links: "Pick your favorite." The customer chooses. Works well for in-person / card handouts. Less control over allocation, but higher conversion because friction = zero.
Measure What Actually Drives Business
Volume alone doesn't matter. Track which platform drives new leads. Methods:
- Ask new customers the exact source: "How did you find us?" Track this religiously for 90 days.
- Unique tracking phone numbers per platform in listings (CallRail, CallTrackingMetrics, ~$30/mo)
- UTM parameters on website links — every platform gets a unique UTM (e.g.,
?utm_source=google_reviews), then track which UTM drives conversions - Google Analytics referral data — imperfect but free signal
The output: rebalance your allocation quarterly based on which platform actually drives leads, not which has the most reviews.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I ever send the same customer to two platforms?
Yes — for 5-star customers who've engaged deeply (several referrals, multi-year, high LTV). Send one ask to Google initially. If they complete it, follow up 30 days later with a Facebook ask. Never send both asks the same week.
What about BBB / Better Business Bureau?
BBB is a throwback with limited influence in 2026 except for certain industries (moving, restoration, debt consolidation, contractors in some states). Don't prioritize it unless your industry does. Complaints to BBB still matter — monitor + respond, but don't drive reviews there.
Should I be on Nextdoor?
For hyperlocal service businesses (home services, pet care, personal training), yes — Nextdoor recommendations carry weight within a 1-2 mile radius. It's a different beast (community posts, not reviews), but worth engaging.
My industry has 12 vertical platforms — do I need to be on all of them?
No. Pick the 2-3 that actually show up on page 1 of Google for your category + city. The rest are noise. The rule: if a platform doesn't rank for your keyword in your metro, it doesn't matter — reviews there are invisible.
How often should I rebalance my allocation?
Quarterly. What works in Q1 may shift by Q3 as platforms change algorithms. Review your actual lead-source data + review-velocity-by-platform, adjust weights, keep going.
Summary: Your 5-Minute Allocation Framework
- Survey your last 50 customers: "How did you find us?"
- Google your category + city — note which platforms show on page 1
- Set default weighting: Google 70% / Facebook 20% / Yelp 10%
- Adjust for industry + demographic (use the tables above)
- If under 25 Google reviews — concentrate 100% there first
- Add vertical platforms if your industry has dominant ones
- Measure with unique phone numbers or UTMs
- Rebalance quarterly