How long until a new listing does anything
Expect the first quarter to look like nothing is happening. Consumers consult an average of six review sites and 74 percent want reviews from the last three months, so a new entry has to be present, consistent and recent across several sources before it changes an answer. That is a three month floor, not a sales excuse.
Why nothing happens in week two
A new listing starts as a single unsupported statement. Nothing else in the world yet agrees with it, so no system that checks agreement has anything to check against. That is not a delay in processing, it is the absence of the thing being measured.
What changes it is repetition across independent places. Consumers consult an average of six review sites, and 45 percent used an AI tool to find a local business in 2026 against 6 percent a year earlier. Both compare sources. Until several sources say the same thing, there is nothing to compare.
The second component is recency. 74 percent of consumers want reviews from the last three months and 44 percent look at the last month, so a listing with no recent activity reads as dormant even when it is complete and correct.
The three month floor, counted
Put the two together and the floor is arithmetic rather than opinion. At 3 reviews a month, the three month window holds 9, which is the first point at which a profile looks lived in. At 1 a month it holds 3, which reads as thin.
Add the sources. Spreading 3 reviews a month across 3 platforms gives each 1 a month and 3 in the window. Reaching the point where all three look active therefore takes those same three months, and no purchase shortens it.
So the honest expectation is: month 1 nothing measurable, month 2 the first enquiries that mention the source, month 3 a profile that reads as current, and from month 4 a rate you can judge. A six month minimum term exists because the first three months are the ramp and only the second three are the measurement.
| Month | What is visible | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nothing measurable | Fix identity and hours, start counting |
| 2 | First enquiries mentioning the source | Keep the review rate steady |
| 3 | Profile reads as current | Check all sources agree |
| 4 to 6 | A rate that can be judged | Compare against your break even |
What to do while waiting
Use the ramp to fix what will be compared: the identity block, the opening hours, the same name and address everywhere. Those are the parts that decide whether the accumulation counts, and they are cheapest to correct before anyone is looking.
And start counting enquiries in month one, by how they arrived. Without that count the six months end in an argument about impressions rather than a decision about renewal.
Questions and answers
Can I speed it up?
Why three months?
Is a two month trial fair?
What should I measure in month one?
Sources
- BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 The six site average, recency expectations and AI use
- Seer Interactive, AI traffic conversion study Measured closing rates by source, for judging the result once it arrives
