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Reviews, rankings and AI answers, explained plainly
Plain guides to getting reviews removed, asking customers for new ones, and being recommended by Google and AI assistants.
BBB reviews and complaints: what business owners should know
The difference between a BBB review and a BBB complaint, how the letter rating is worked out, and how to respond to each.
Reviews for auto repair shops: winning trust before the first call
How auto repair shops can get more reviews, answer complaints about price and repeat repairs, and report reviews from people who were never customers.
Online reviews for dental practices: getting more and replying safely
How dentists can ask every patient for a review, reply without breaking patient privacy rules, and deal with a fake or unfair review.
Online reviews for law firms: asking, replying and staying within the rules
How law firms can ask clients for reviews, why a reply must never reveal anything about a client, and what to do about a review from a non-client.
Restaurant reviews: how to get more and handle the bad ones
How restaurants can ask every guest for a review, where to put the QR code, how to reply to complaints, and what to do about fake reviews.
Tripadvisor reviews: a guide for hotels, restaurants and tours
How to ask guests for Tripadvisor reviews within the rules, write a management response, and report a review that breaks the guidelines.
Trustpilot for business: invitations, replies and flagging
How Trustpilot's review invitations work, how to reply, what you can flag, and what its plans change. A plain guide for business owners.
Yelp reviews for business owners: what you can and cannot do
Yelp does not let businesses ask for reviews and hides some reviews by design. What the rules are, how to respond, and how to report a review.
Asking customers for reviews: what each platform allows
Google lets you ask every customer for a review. Yelp does not. No platform allows paying for reviews or asking only happy customers. The rules, by platform.
How AI assistants choose which local business to recommend
What is known, and what is not, about how ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini pick businesses to recommend, and the steps a local business can take.
How to get a fake Google review removed
Google removes reviews that break its content rules, not reviews that are merely negative. Here is how to report one, check its status and appeal.
How to reply to a negative review
A reply to a bad review is written for the next customer, not the reviewer. A five-part method, what to leave out, and examples you can adapt.