The importance of customer reviews is undeniable. More than 80% of customers decide whether to buy a product or contact a business based on what past customers say about their experience. In 2025, customer reviews are no longer just a trust signal; they are a core driver of visibility, conversions, and local rankings.

Reviews influence how your business appears in Google Search, Google Maps, and the Local Pack. This impact is even stronger when your business has a properly set up Google Business Profile and a fully completed profile.

Review volume has become one of the most decisive factors for visibility in today’s digital marketplace. The online ecosystem has grown extremely crowded over the last decade, and competition continues to intensify. For businesses and app developers with limited marketing budgets, standing out has become increasingly difficult. With more than 1.5 million apps in the Google Play Store and over 1 million in the Apple Store, gaining exposure for a product is a serious challenge.

Among all growth signals, ratings and reviews can help the most. A strong review volume sends powerful signals to both users and platform algorithms, directly influencing discoverability, trust, and ranking. The more authentic reviews a product has, the higher its chances of being noticed, clicked, and ultimately chosen over competitors.

There are basically five sources that stem from social proof. These include experts, celebrities, users, the wisdom of crowds and peers. People tend to evaluate the quality and their likeness of a product based on these sources. Social proofs are action triggers. They help consumers to take action even when they have not experienced a product or service for themselves. Several social proof examples abound. Here are 46 great examples of social proofs and each of these social proofs falls into one of the five categories mentioned above.