The short answer
Across 59 searches, the median contractor in Google's map pack top 3 had 35 Google reviews. The middle half had between 19 and 78. The least-reviewed business in each top 3 had a median of 19, so roughly 20 reviews is the entry point and 35 is a solid target for most trades.
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
Landscaping & hardscaping needed the most: a median of 63 reviews in the top 3. Excavation needed the fewest, at 15. Trades with lots of smaller jobs, like landscaping and concrete, likely collect reviews faster, which raises the bar for everyone in them.
Google reviews in the map pack top 3, by trade Dot = median · line = middle half of top-3 businesses
Landscaping & hardscaping63 34–96
Concrete & ICF47 27–99
Foundation & waterproofing43 18–87
Kitchen renovation40 27–68
Renovation contractors39 25–46
Basement finishing35 18–70
Custom home builders33 23–45
Roofers32 23–191
General contractors28 12–65
Excavation15 5–23
050100150200
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 19% of the time. Across all 1,115 listings, position and review count were only weakly related. And 10% 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 a little differently from the map pack in search results, so its top-3 review median is lower than the 35 above.)
Top-3 businesses had a median of 51 photos on their profile, against 26 for those ranked 11th to 20th. They were also slightly more likely to have claimed their profile and linked a website. 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 4% 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. Replying to every review, including the bad ones, also shows buyers how you handle problems.
6. Hamilton vs Niagara
We ran the same type of search in five Niagara towns for our Niagara AI Visibility Study. There, the median map-pack contractor had 29 reviews (middle half 12–64). Across Hamilton and Burlington it was 35 (19–78). The bar is somewhat higher here, mostly because of searches for Hamilton itself: leave those out and the median drops to 33. In the GTA, the same measure was 61: see our GTA Google Reviews Benchmark.
Google also showed a map pack on 98% of these searches, but an AI Overview on only 15%. For local contractor searches, the map pack is still the main feature on the page.
What Hamilton contractors can do
- Set a target for your trade and community. Use the charts above. For most trades, about 35 reviews puts you in range; aim higher if you want Hamilton itself.
- 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. Stoney Creek, Ancaster, Dundas and Waterdown need fewer reviews than Hamilton itself. A page for each community 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 Hamilton or Burlington pages, or run your homepage through our free website check.
How we did it
Searches. 10 trades × 6 communities = 60 searches, such as "roofer Stoney Creek", each run as if from the centre of that community. 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 communities were Hamilton, Stoney Creek, Ancaster, Dundas, Waterdown and Burlington.
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 ("kitchen renovation Dundas") failed to return results, so the map pack figures are based on 59 searches and 172 map-pack spots, held by 122 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 45% 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 community are free to reuse under CC BY 4.0. Please credit "BuilderBuzz, Hamilton Google Reviews Benchmark 2026" and link to this page.
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