The short answer
Across 89 searches, the median contractor in Google's map pack top 3 had 61 Google reviews. The middle half had between 33 and 100. The least-reviewed business in each top 3 had a median of 33, so about 35 reviews gets you into contention and 60 is a solid target for most trades. That is nearly double what it takes in Hamilton.
That target moves a lot depending on your trade and where you want to rank, and reviews are only part of how Google picks the top 3. The sections below break it down.
1. The number depends on your trade
Roofing stands apart: the median top-3 roofer had 122 reviews, and a quarter had more than 240. Landscaping and kitchen renovation came next at about 75. At the other end, excavation contractors needed about 22 and concrete and ICF contractors about 27, so specialist trades can still break in with a modest review count.
Google reviews in the map pack top 3, by trade Dot = median · line = middle half of top-3 businesses
Roofers122 91–240
Landscaping & hardscaping77 54–115
Kitchen renovation75 52–103
Foundation & waterproofing67 42–113
General contractors62 41–102
Renovation contractors62 41–100
Basement finishing59 45–89
Custom home builders36 28–65
Concrete & ICF27 13–56
Excavation22 12–34
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Searches for Toronto itself, such as "roofer Toronto", were the most competitive: the median top-3 contractor had 100 reviews. Mississauga came next at 75. In Oakville, Scarborough and Brampton it was between 44 and 48. A contractor building their reviews can win those communities well before downtown searches.
Google reviews in the map pack top 3, by city Dot = median · line = middle half of top-3 businesses
Toronto100 56–174
Mississauga75 37–110
North York63 31–93
Etobicoke63 28–102
Vaughan62 32–98
Markham50 17–72
Brampton48 33–83
Scarborough46 37–98
Oakville44 36–91
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3. The most reviews doesn't guarantee the top spot
On Google Maps, we looked at the top 20 businesses for each search. The business with the most reviews made the top 3 only 18% of the time. Across all 1,603 listings, position and review count were only weakly related. And 6% of the businesses in the map pack top 3 had fewer than 10 reviews.
Google's own guidance says local results are "mainly based on relevance, distance, and popularity", and that how well-known a business is depends partly on "how many reviews you have". So reviews help, but a nearby, well-matched business with fewer reviews can still outrank a busier competitor across town.
4. What the top 3 have that others don't
Comparing the Google Maps top 3 with the businesses below them shows small but consistent differences. The biggest gap was photos, not reviews. (The Google Maps app orders businesses differently from the map pack in search results, so its top-3 review median is lower than the 61 above.)
Google Maps listings by position, median per business (82 searches)| Position | Reviews | Photos | Profile claimed | Has a website |
|---|
| Top 3 | 32 | 54 | 97% | 93% |
|---|
| 4th to 10th | 28 | 43 | 95% | 90% |
|---|
| 11th to 20th | 19 | 29 | 92% | 85% |
|---|
Top-3 businesses had a median of 54 photos on their profile, against 29 for those ranked 11th to 20th. They were also slightly more likely to have claimed their profile and linked a website, and only 1% had no reviews at all, against 9% of those ranked 11th to 20th. These are differences between groups, not proof of cause, but every one is something a contractor controls.
5. A 4.5 rating is the practical floor
The median rating in the map pack top 3 was 5.0, and only 1% of top-3 businesses were rated below 4.5. Nearly every business in these results was rated close to 5 stars, so a lower rating stands out.
6. Toronto vs Hamilton vs Niagara
We have now run the same searches in three regions. The GTA bar is about 1.7 times Hamilton's and twice Niagara's. Even with searches for Toronto itself left out, the GTA median was 58.
Google reviews in the map pack top 3, by region Dot = median · line = middle half · October 2026
Toronto & the GTA61 33–100
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Google showed a map pack on 99% of these searches and an AI Overview on 17%. Climbing the map pack takes time in the GTA. Buying your way in isn't cheap either: our GTA contractor search costs study found the average Google Ads click for these searches costs about US$13.
What GTA contractors can do
- Set a target for your trade and city. Use the charts above. For most trades, about 60 reviews puts you in range. Roofers and anyone targeting Toronto itself should plan for 100 or more.
- Ask every customer, every time. A steady stream keeps your reviews recent, which a one-time push can't. Our review guide has the scripts and the routine.
- Add photos regularly. Top-3 profiles had about twice as many photos as those ranked 11th to 20th. Post finished projects with the community name in the description.
- Start where you can win. Oakville, Scarborough and Brampton need less than half the reviews of Toronto itself. A page for each city you serve helps Google match you to those searches.
- Complete and claim your profile. Categories, services, service area, hours and a website link. If you're not appearing at all, start with why your business isn't on Google Maps.
Want to know where you stand? See our contractor SEO for Toronto page, or run your homepage through our free website check.
How we did it
Searches. 10 trades × 9 cities = 90 searches, such as "roofer Mississauga", each run as if from the centre of that city. The trades were general contractors, custom home builders, renovation contractors, roofers, concrete and ICF, foundation repair and waterproofing, excavation, landscaping and hardscaping, kitchen renovation and basement finishing. The cities were Toronto, North York, Etobicoke, Scarborough, Mississauga, Brampton, Vaughan, Markham and Oakville.
What we recorded. From Google's search results: the map pack (the three businesses shown with a map), with each business's review count and rating. From Google Maps: the top 20 businesses for the same search, with reviews, rating, photo count, whether the profile was claimed and whether it linked a website.
When. All data was collected on October 25, 2026, through DataForSEO's search APIs. One search ("foundation repair Vaughan") failed to return results, so the map pack figures are based on 89 searches and 264 map-pack spots, held by 206 different businesses.
Limits. Map rankings change with the searcher's exact location, the time and the wording. Google's map pack and the Google Maps app also order businesses differently: only 24% of map-pack businesses were also in the Maps app's top 3 for the same search. Treat the numbers as a benchmark, not a guarantee.
Our interest. BuilderBuzz sells SEO and local search services to construction companies. We report totals only and do not name or rank any company.
Using this data. The results by trade and city are free to reuse under CC BY 4.0. Please credit "BuilderBuzz, GTA Google Reviews Benchmark 2026" and link to this page.
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