Review Velocity.

Review velocity is the rate at which new reviews are added to your Google Business Profile. A profile with five reviews from this month outranks one with twenty reviews from 2022, all else equal — Google reads steady velocity as "this business is alive and active."

Aim for at least one new Google review per month. Two or three is better. The way to get them is unglamorous: ask. After a job is done, send a short text or email with a direct link to your GBP review form. Most happy customers will leave a review when asked; almost none do unprompted.

Variations in review wording, length, and reviewer profiles help too — a bunch of identical 5-star one-liners look manufactured.