Happy customers praise trust more than warmth: 30.2% of five-star Google reviews use the word "recommend" and 20.6% say "professional", while 11% say "friendly". In five-star reviews of roofers, 44.1% say "recommend".
Analysis of 87,332 five-star Google reviews of 9,091 US local businesses · Google reviews, September 2026
Key Findings
- 1.30.2% of five-star Google reviews use the word "recommend", nearly three times the 11% that use "friendly".
- 2.20.6% of five-star Google reviews call the business "professional", against 7.4% that say "knowledgeable" and 5.6% that say "helpful".
- 3.44.1% of five-star Google reviews of roofers use the word "recommend", the highest of 12 local business categories, against 10.8% for restaurants.
- 4.21.1% of five-star Google reviews of dentists call the practice "friendly", six times the 3.5% of five-star reviews of lawyers.
- 5.13.1% of five-star Google reviews mention price or cost, against 34.5% of one-star Google reviews.
Summary
A roofer finishes a job on time, cleans up the yard and explains the invoice line by line. The homeowner's five-star review does not say the crew was friendly. It says they were professional, and ends: "I would recommend them to anyone."
The words in five-star reviews are a free survey of what customers value. They show which parts of the service people notice enough to write about, and they are the same words future customers look for when they skim a profile. For a business owner, they are also ready-made copy: the language that persuades the next customer, written by the last one.
What customers value most is trust. 30.2% of five-star Google reviews use "recommend" and 20.6% say "professional", while 11% use "friendly", about one five-star review in nine. The balance shifts by trade: customers call their dentist friendly, and their roofer or lawyer someone to recommend.
What we measured
On September 23, 2026 we analysed 87,332 five-star Google reviews written in English with text, from 9,091 US local businesses in 18 categories, out of 130,269 Google reviews of those businesses. We checked each review for a list of common words and topics, such as "recommend", "professional", "friendly" and mentions of price, and compared the results with one-star reviews of the same businesses. For 12 categories we broke down the three main words by type of business.
A review counts as using a word when the word, or a form of it such as "recommended", appears in its text. "Friendly" does not count when it appears inside another word, such as "unfriendly". Shares are the percentage of reviews that use each word at least once.
Five-star reviews talk about recommendation and professionalism
"Great" is almost as common at 30.1%, and "professional" follows at 20.6%. "Friendly" appears in 11%, alongside "amazing" (10.9%), "fast" or "quick" (10.8%) and mentions of the staff (10.7%). "Knowledgeable" (7.4%), "helpful" (5.6%) and "honest" (4.7%) come further down.
Source: Suff Digital analysis of 87,332 five-star Google reviews of 9,091 US local businesses · Google reviews, September 2026
| Word or topic | Five-star reviews | One-star reviews |
|---|---|---|
| Recommend | 30.2% | 12.9% |
| Great | 30.1% | 4.1% |
| Professional | 20.6% | 4.9% |
| Thank | 13.5% | 2.7% |
| Price or cost | 13.1% | 34.5% |
| Friendly | 11% | 1.5% |
| Amazing | 10.9% | 0.8% |
| Fast or quick | 10.8% | 2.9% |
| Staff | 10.7% | 6.3% |
| Knowledgeable | 7.4% | 0.3% |
| Clean | 5.7% | 2.9% |
| Helpful | 5.6% | 0.9% |
| Honest | 4.7% | 2.8% |
A recommendation is the strongest thing a customer can say: they are putting their own name behind the business. That it leads five-star reviews shows what happy customers most want to pass on. "Recommend" also shows up in 12.9% of one-star reviews, usually as "would not recommend", while "amazing", "knowledgeable" and "friendly" almost never appear in bad reviews.
The words change by trade
Customers praise different things in different businesses. "Friendly" is most common in five-star reviews of dentists at 21.1%, then veterinarians at 15.4% and gyms at 14%, places customers visit again and again, where the people behind the desk matter. "Recommend" leads for roofers at 44.1%, real estate agents at 42.6% and lawyers at 41.8%, and "friendly" appears in 3.5% of five-star reviews of lawyers.
Source: Suff Digital analysis of 87,332 five-star Google reviews of 9,091 US local businesses · Google reviews, September 2026
| Category | "Friendly" | "Recommend" | "Professional" |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dentists | 21.1% | 27.5% | 21.4% |
| Veterinarians | 15.4% | 19.2% | 10.1% |
| Gyms | 14% | 18.9% | 4.8% |
| Pest control companies | 13.6% | 25.6% | 27.1% |
| Movers | 13.5% | 38.3% | 32.2% |
| Restaurants | 13.4% | 10.8% | 1.1% |
| Plumbers | 10% | 31.8% | 29.7% |
| Hair salons | 10% | 22.5% | 11.2% |
| Daycares | 8.2% | 28.8% | 5.9% |
| Roofers | 5.9% | 44.1% | 32.2% |
| Real estate agents | 4.5% | 42.6% | 28.4% |
| Lawyers | 3.5% | 41.8% | 26.6% |
The pattern follows what is at stake. A roof, a house sale or a legal case is a big, rare decision, and the customer's highest praise is a recommendation to others facing the same choice. "Professional" peaks in the trades too, at 32.2% for movers and roofers and 29.7% for plumbers. Restaurants are the outlier: 10.8% of their five-star reviews say "recommend" and 1.1% say "professional", because a good meal is described in other words entirely.
Price comes up in good reviews too
13.1% of five-star reviews mention price or cost, against 34.5% of one-star reviews. In a five-star review, price is usually praise for a fair quote or no surprises on the bill; in a one-star review, it is the complaint.
That makes price the one topic that can swing a review either way. The businesses that earn price mentions in five-star reviews are the ones that set clear expectations: a written quote, an explained invoice, a call before any extra charge.
What this means for local businesses
Read your own five-star reviews and note the words that repeat. Those are your strengths, in your customers' language. Use the same words on your website, in your Google Business Profile description and in your ads, where they match what future customers care about.
Match your message to your trade. If you are a roofer, lawyer or real estate agent, lead with professionalism and customer recommendations; if you run a dental practice, vet clinic or gym, show the people customers will meet. When you ask for reviews, a simple prompt helps, such as "What would you tell a friend about us?", because it invites the recommendation language that leads five-star reviews.
Reply to five-star reviews by picking up on what the customer praised, which reinforces those words on your profile. Our local seo packages include turning review language into website and profile copy for local businesses.
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<p style="font:14px/1.5 system-ui,sans-serif">Source: <a href="https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/words-in-five-star-google-reviews">"Friendly" Appears in 11% of Five-Star Google Reviews vs 30.2% for "Recommend" - Suff Digital</a></p>
Cite this study
Suff Digital. (2026). "Friendly" Appears in 11% of Five-Star Google Reviews vs 30.2% for "Recommend". https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/words-in-five-star-google-reviews
"Friendly" Appears in 11% of Five-Star Google Reviews vs 30.2% for "Recommend" - Suff Digital - https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/words-in-five-star-google-reviews
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