The Pub Social Media Audit: How to Score Your Own Digital Presence in 15 Minutes

By Tom Fairhall | Pub Post Pro | April 2026

Most pub landlords have a rough sense of whether their social media is good or not. They know the Facebook page has not been updated since Christmas. They know their Google rating is pretty solid but they could not tell you how many reviews they have. They know their website probably needs work. What they do not have is a number — a score that tells them how their pub compares to the industry, where they are losing points, and which specific things to fix first. This audit gives you that number. The scoring framework below is a simplified version of the 7-pillar digital health assessment we have used to audit 884 pubs across 23 independent brewery estates. The full professional assessment covers 100 points across seven pillars. The version here is designed to be completed in 15 minutes using only your phone or laptop, with nothing you cannot check yourself. Work through each section. Add up your points. Then compare yourself to the industry average of 53 out of 100 — and to the handful of pubs doing this properly.

Before You Start: What You Will Need

A phone or laptop with internet access

Access to your Facebook page and Instagram account (if you have one)

Your Google Business Profile login, or just a Google search for your pub's name

Five minutes per section

You do not need any specialist tools. You do not need to know how to read analytics dashboards. Everything in this audit can be checked with a Google search and a few page visits.

Section 1

Google Rating

0-15 pts

Section 2

Review Volume

0-15 pts

Section 3

Social Media Presence

0-15 pts

Section 4

Posting Frequency

0-15 pts

Section 5

Website Quality

0-15 pts

Section 6

Review Responses

0-15 pts

Six sections, 90 points total — the full professional audit adds a seventh pillar, mobile responsiveness, folded into Section 5 here

Section 1: Google Rating and Reviews (0-15 points)

Your Google Business Profile is the most important piece of digital infrastructure your pub has. It is what powers Maps results, local search rankings, and the information panel that appears when someone Googles your pub name. Step 1: Open Google and search for your pub name. Look at the result that appears on the right-hand side (on desktop) or at the top of the results (on mobile). Note your star rating and your review count. Step 2: Score your star rating.

Star Rating	Points
4.5 stars or above	13
4.0 to 4.4 stars	10
3.5 to 3.9 stars	7
3.0 to 3.4 stars	5
Below 3.0 stars	3
No rating / no listing	0

Step 3: Add points for review volume.

Review Count	Bonus Points
100 or more reviews	+2
50 to 99 reviews	+1
Under 50 reviews	+0

Your Section 1 Score: ___ / 15 Industry benchmark: The average reputation score across 884 pubs is 11.93 out of 15 (79.5%). A score of 12 or 13 is the norm. If you score below 10, reputation damage is your most urgent problem.

Section 2: Review Volume (0-15 points)

Review count matters separately from star rating. A pub with a 4.8-star average based on 8 reviews is not more visible on Google than a pub with a 4.3-star average based on 400 reviews. Volume drives search placement. Look at the review count you noted in Section 1.

Number of Google Reviews	Score
200 or more	13
100 to 199	10
50 to 99	7
20 to 49	5
10 to 19	3
Under 10	1
Zero reviews	0

Your Section 2 Score: ___ / 15 Industry benchmark: The average volume score across 884 pubs is 10.68 out of 15 (71.2%). 54.2% of pubs score the maximum 13, meaning they have 100 or more reviews. If your review count is below 50, actively asking satisfied customers to leave a review should be your first marketing priority — it costs nothing and directly affects your visibility on Maps.

Section 3: Social Media Presence (0-15 points)

This section assesses which platforms you are on and whether your profiles are complete and accurate. Check each of the following:

Platform	Status	Points
Google Business Profile — verified and complete	Yes / No	3
Facebook business page — exists and has correct details	Yes / No	3
Facebook page — has been posted on in the last 30 days	Yes / No	1
Instagram account — exists for the pub	Yes / No	2
Instagram — has been posted on in the last 30 days	Yes / No	1
Website — exists and is accessible on mobile	Yes / No	3
Website — shows current menu or current offers	Yes / No	2

Your Section 3 Score: ___ / 15 Industry benchmark: The average presence score across 884 pubs is 9.40 out of 15 (62.7%). 80.9% of pubs score exactly 10 — meaning they have the basics in place but not a complete, active profile suite. Only 7 pubs in 884 score 13, and all are from Harvey's Brewery. If you score 13 or 14 here, you are genuinely ahead of the industry.

Section 4: Posting Frequency and Engagement (0-15 points)

This is where most pubs lose the most points. Having profiles is not the same as using them. Check your most recent Facebook post. How long ago was it?

Last Post Date	Points
Within the last 7 days	10
8 to 14 days ago	7
15 to 30 days ago	5
1 to 3 months ago	3
More than 3 months ago	1
No posts ever	0

Additional points:

Activity	Points
Posted on Facebook AND Instagram in the last 14 days	+3
Posted on Facebook AND Instagram in the last 14 days AND replied to a comment	+2

Maximum for this section is 15. Cap your total at 15. Your Section 4 Score: ___ / 15 Industry benchmark: This is the catastrophic pillar. The average engagement score across 884 pubs is just 3.02 out of 15 — roughly 20% of the maximum. The vast majority of pubs have not posted in weeks or months. If you are posting at least once a week on Facebook, you are already ahead of most of the industry. If you are posting twice a week across two platforms, you are in the top tier.

Section 5: Website Quality (0-15 points)

Pull up your pub's website on your phone (not your laptop). Most of your customers are finding you on a mobile device, and the experience on mobile is what matters. Score the following:

Question	Yes	No
Does the website load in under 5 seconds?	3	0
Is the text readable without zooming in?	3	0
Is your phone number clickable (tap to call)?	2	0
Does the site have a menu or food offering visible?	3	0
Are opening hours clearly shown?	2	0
Is there a booking system or contact form?	2	0

Your Section 5 Score: ___ / 15 Industry benchmark: The average website score across 884 pubs is 9.01 out of 15 (60.1%). If you score 12 or above here, your website is better than most. If you score below 6 — particularly on the mobile test — your website may be actively deterring customers who check it on their phones and leave. Note: 40.9% is the average score for mobile responsiveness (the responsive pillar in our full audit). Most pub websites are not properly optimised for mobile, despite the majority of pub-related searches happening on phones.

Section 6: Review Responses and Content Freshness (0-15 points)

The final section covers two related signals that Google and potential customers both read: whether you respond to reviews, and whether your digital presence has been maintained recently. Check your Google reviews. Have you responded to any reviews in the last 30 days?

Review Response Activity	Points
Responded to most reviews (positive and negative)	8
Responded to some reviews (mainly negative)	5
Responded to a few reviews only	3
Never responded to reviews	0

Check your Google Business Profile. When were your photos last updated?

Photo Recency	Points
At least one photo uploaded in the last 3 months	4
Photos exist but last updated more than 3 months ago	2
No photos on the listing	0

Does your website or social media reflect any 2026 content? (current menu, 2026 events, recent post)

Content Freshness	Points
Yes — content clearly from 2026	3
Some 2026 content but also clearly outdated sections	1
No recent content visible	0

Your Section 6 Score: ___ / 15 Industry benchmark: Content scores average 3.07 out of 15 across 884 pubs — one of the two lowest-scoring pillars. Review response rates are variable, but most pubs either do not respond at all or respond inconsistently. If you are responding to reviews regularly and keeping your GBP photos current, you are already doing more than most.

Your Total Score

Section	Your Score	Maximum
1. Google Rating		15
2. Review Volume		15
3. Social Media Presence		15
4. Posting Frequency		15
5. Website Quality		15
6. Review Responses and Content		15
Total		90

Note: This simplified audit covers 6 of the 7 pillars from the full PubPostPro assessment, with the mobile responsiveness pillar folded into Section 5. The maximum here is 90 rather than the full 105.

How to Read Your Score

Score	What It Means
75-90	Excellent. You are in the top 1% of pub digital health. Maintain it.
60-74	Strong. You have a solid presence and are posting consistently. Focus on volume and engagement to push higher.
45-59	Average. This is where most pubs sit. Your profiles exist but engagement is low. Pick one platform and post more consistently.
30-44	Below average. You have significant gaps — likely in engagement and presence. Start with GBP and Facebook and build from there.
Under 30	Critical. Your pub is largely invisible online. Start with the Google Business Profile today.

The industry average from our full 884-pub audit is 53 out of 100 on the complete scale. On this simplified 90-point version, a score of around 45-50 reflects the industry norm. If you are above 60, you are ahead of the vast majority of pubs in the country. If you are below 40, there is significant work to do.

Add up your six section scores and find the band — the industry average of 45-50 sits right in the middle, in the Average band

The Three Things to Fix First

Whatever your score, the data from 884 pubs consistently points to the same three highest-impact improvements: 1. Get your Google Business Profile complete and current. Verified listing, correct opening hours, at least 10 photos, responding to recent reviews. This is the highest-return 30-minute investment in your pub's digital presence. 2. Post on Facebook at least once a week. It does not need to be polished. A photo of tonight's specials, a reminder about the quiz, a photo of the team on a busy Saturday. One post per week, consistently, will push you above the industry average on the engagement pillar. 3. Ask for Google reviews actively. The 54.2% of pubs at maximum review volume did not get there by accident. They asked. A small card on the table, a line at the end of a receipt, a verbal mention to satisfied customers — these habits compound over months into a review profile that genuinely affects search placement. Nothing here requires technical skill, an agency, or a marketing budget. The gap between the average pub and a well-performing pub is almost entirely made up of consistency and habit, not capability.

Want the Full Professional Audit?

The simplified checklist above gives you a directional score. The full PubPostPro digital health assessment covers all 7 pillars across 100 points, benchmarks your pub against 884 others in the dataset, and produces a detailed report identifying exactly where you are losing points and what to prioritise. We have already scored 884 pubs across 23 independent brewery estates. We know where the gaps are and what improvement looks like. Get your pub's full digital health score — or read the 80/20 Report to understand how the industry currently stands.

Further Reading:

The Complete Guide to Pub Social Media Strategy

The 80/20 Report: UK Pub Digital Health

The Pub Landlord's Social Media Guide for 2026

Tom Fairhall is the founder of Pub Post Pro, a done-for-you social media service for independent pubs across the UK.

The Pub Social Media Audit: How to Score Your Own Digital Presence in 15 Minutes