Guides · Hiring and compliance
How to Read Google Ratings When Choosing a Tradie
By Faiz Azizan · Updated Thu Oct 22
Read the rating together with the review count. Of the 1,505 flooring businesses NSW Flooring lists, 1,240 (82%) are rated 4.5 or higher on Google, so a high rating alone separates very little. Weigh how many reviews sit behind it, and check the licence separately.
What the directory's data shows
NSW Flooring compiled 1,505 flooring businesses from Google Maps, retrieved 22 October 2026. These figures describe the listings we collected, not every flooring business in NSW, and they are recomputed from the data each time the site is built.
How ratings are spread
| Google rating | Businesses | Share of listed |
|---|---|---|
| 5.0 | 859 | 57% |
| 4.5 to 4.9 | 381 | 25% |
| 4.0 to 4.4 | 156 | 10% |
| 3.0 to 3.9 | 100 | 7% |
| 2.1 to 2.9 | 9 | 1% |
Most listed businesses sit at the top of the scale. 859 (57%) are rated exactly 5.0. A scale where most businesses score 4.5 or more cannot rank them by rating alone.
How many reviews sit behind the rating
| Review count | Businesses | Share of listed |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 9 reviews | 726 | 48% |
| 10 to 49 reviews | 528 | 35% |
| 50 to 199 reviews | 225 | 15% |
| 200 or more reviews | 26 | 2% |
The median business has 10 reviews, and 726 (48%) have fewer than 10. A rating built on fewer than 10 reviews moves a lot when one more review arrives.
Perfect ratings and thin evidence
| Review count | Businesses rated exactly 5.0 | Share of that band |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 9 reviews | 510 | 70% |
| 10 to 49 reviews | 270 | 51% |
| 50 to 199 reviews | 73 | 32% |
| 200 or more reviews | 6 | 23% |
Perfect scores are most common where there are fewest reviews: 510 of the businesses rated 5.0 have fewer than 10 reviews. That pattern is arithmetic, not a judgement. It is easier to hold 5.0 across three reviews than across three hundred.
Why the count matters
Small samples move easily
Take a business with three 5-star reviews, rated 5.0. One 1-star review makes the average (15 + 1) divided by 4, which is 4.0. Now take a business with 300 reviews averaging 4.7. One 1-star review makes it (1,410 + 1) divided by 301, which is still 4.7 when rounded. The first rating is fragile and the second is not. This is our own arithmetic, not a published rule.
Why lists here sort by review count first
NSW Flooring sorts every list by number of Google reviews first and rating second, so a handful of 5-star reviews does not outrank a long record. It is a sorting choice, not a quality score, and it favours older and busier businesses.
Median comparisons on each profile
Every profile page compares a business with the others in its region that have the same confirmed service: its review rank, and whether its reviews and rating sit above or below the median. Use that comparison rather than the raw number. A rating of 4.8 can be below the median in a region where the median is 5.0.
A simple way to read a listing
Step 1: the review count
Fewer than 10 reviews is thin evidence either way. Treat the rating as a hint, not a result.
Step 2: the rating in context
Compare the rating with the region's median, which each profile page shows. Do not compare a rating from one region with a rating from another without checking both medians.
Step 3: the recent reviews
Open the business on Google Maps and read the most recent reviews for the type of job you want, such as epoxy, sanding or tiling. A review about a different service tells you little about yours.
Step 4: how the business responds
Check whether the business replies to complaints, and how. A reply shows how problems get handled, which a star count does not.
What a rating does not tell you
Licence and insurance
A Google rating does not tell you whether a contractor holds the right licence or carries insurance. Check licences with checking a flooring contractor's licence and learn which trades need one in the NSW flooring licence guide. For work over $20,000, NSW sources require Home Building Compensation cover before a deposit is paid.
Fit for your job
A business can be excellent at carpet and unproven at epoxy. NSW Flooring's service labels come only from the business name and Google category, so a "confirmed" service is not a verified skill.
The age of the reviews
A rating is an average over the whole history. A business that has changed owner or staff can have a rating that no longer matches today's work. NSW Flooring does not verify ratings or reviews: they belong to Google and its users.
Using ratings with the other checks
Put the rating next to the other checks, not in place of them: a current licence, a written quote with the preparation and product named, a deposit within the legal limit, and the contract terms. The full list is in the contractor hiring checklist.
See the data
Browse Western Sydney flooring businesses, Newcastle & Hunter flooring businesses and South West Sydney flooring businesses, each listing review counts beside ratings. Read the sourcing rules behind these listings.
Quick answers
Is a 5.0 rating good?
It can be, but check the review count. 510 of the businesses we list have a 5.0 with fewer than 10 reviews.
Do you remove bad ratings?
Businesses rated 2.0 or lower are not listed, a rule described in the methodology. Ratings between 2.1 and 3.9 are listed and shown as they are.
Should I ignore businesses with few reviews?
No, but ask for more evidence: recent work you can see, references and a written quote. A new business can be good. It simply has less public history.
Can I trust the review count?
It is Google's count as retrieved on 22 October 2026. It will have moved since, which is why each profile shows the retrieval date.
References
- NSW Flooring directory data (Google Maps, retrieved) (Own data)
- Service NSW: Check a builder or tradesperson licence (Official)
- NSW Government: Contracts for residential building work (Official)
Prices and intervals quoted from supplier or contractor pages are indicative and are labelled as such in the text. This guide is general information, not advice: see the disclaimer.