# Google reviews: why old reviews carry less ranking weight | Illia BizTech

> Whitespark

Source: https://illia-biztech.de/en/forum/unsere-alten-funf-sterne-bewertungen-liegen-jahre-zuruck-neue-kommen-bei-unserer-fahrschule-in-dresden-kaum-noch-rein

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# Our driving school in Dresden has dozens of old five-star reviews, hardly any new ones come in now

Despite a strong average rating, the driving school is slipping in Maps behind younger profiles with fewer but more recent reviews.

* ##### Asked by  
DistantCircuit974
* ##### Asked on  
October 1, 2026

We have run a driving school in the Löbtau district of Dresden for over twelve years, and from the early days we built up more than forty five-star reviews. In the last two years maybe three new ones came in, most learners simply forget once they have passed their test.

Our average is still 4.8\. Even so, we are slowly slipping in the map view behind two younger driving schools with far fewer reviews but more recent ones. Does the old pile of reviews eventually count for less?

#### Answers

![Portrait of Illia Belichenko, technical specialist at Illia BizTech](/_ipx/f_webp,q_75/https://cms.illia-biztech.de/uploads/small_Illia_Belichenko_author_81f88864f0.png)

##### Illia Belichenko · Founder & Technical Lead

✓ Accepted answer October 1, 2026 

Yes, at least in part. A review profile is judged on count and average, and separately on how recent the reviews are and how evenly they arrive over time.

Whitespark's annual local search ranking factors report, published 6 November 2025 from a survey of 47 local search practitioners, lists 'recency of reviews' as its own factor at number eleven. A steady inflow of reviews without long gaps counts as a further, separate factor at number fourteen. Both are counted apart from the plain review count and the star average, and the weight is real, though not dominant.

For a driving school with a predictable stream of learners, it pays to ask for a short review right after each passed test. Hoping the learner remembers on their own rarely brings in much. Building that ask straight into the follow-up after the appointment is something [Illia BizTech](https://illia-biztech.de/en/webdesign-dresden) does routinely, for driving schools and other Dresden businesses alike.

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**Topics** 
* Google reviews
* Local ranking

A Dresden driving school with many old five-star reviews is losing ground in Maps to younger profiles with fewer, more recent reviews. Review count alone no longer seems to be enough.

An industry report surveying 47 practitioners names review recency and a steady inflow as their own, separately weighted ranking factors. Collecting new reviews becomes an ongoing task, and a one-off effort is not enough.