# Reviews and Reputation for Local Businesses > Plain-language guides for asking for reviews, replying, handling unfair reviews, following review-site and FTC rules, and using testimonials. Canonical: https://vassalmarketing.com/information/reviews-reputation/ **Maintained by Vassal Marketing** ยท Last updated on September 26, 2026 Reviewed at least quarterly and whenever a platform or rule it cites changes. General information, not legal or professional advice. Check rules that affect your business with a qualified professional. Reviews help customers decide whether to call you. This collection explains how to ask for reviews fairly, reply without sharing private details, handle unfair reviews, and use customer praise in your marketing without breaking platform rules or the law. ## Where to start - [Ask for more reviews](https://vassalmarketing.com/information/reviews-reputation/responsible-review-requests.md): Start here if you want a steady flow of honest reviews and need wording you can send by text or email. - [Reply to a review](https://vassalmarketing.com/information/reviews-reputation/responding-to-customer-reviews.md): Start here if a review is waiting for a reply and you are unsure what you can safely say in public. - [Deal with an unfair review](https://vassalmarketing.com/information/reviews-reputation/negative-and-false-reviews.md): Start here if a review looks fake, describes a different business, or includes someone's private information. - [Check the federal rules](https://vassalmarketing.com/information/reviews-reputation/ftc-review-rule-explained.md): Start here for a plain summary of the FTC rule on fake reviews, paid reviews, and hiding negative reviews. ## Reviews and reputation guides Each guide explains what to do and why, walks through an example, and separates what you can do yourself from what to ask your provider or staff to handle. - [Responsible Review Requests for Local Businesses](https://vassalmarketing.com/information/reviews-reputation/responsible-review-requests.md): How to ask every customer for an honest review by text or email, with sample wording, texting consent basics, and the rules that differ by review site. - [Responding to Customer Reviews Without Exposing Private Information](https://vassalmarketing.com/information/reviews-reputation/responding-to-customer-reviews.md): How to reply to good and bad reviews in public, with sample replies, privacy rules, and advice on AI-drafted replies. - [Handling Negative and Suspected False Reviews](https://vassalmarketing.com/information/reviews-reputation/negative-and-false-reviews.md): How to tell ordinary criticism from reviews that break the rules, report them to Google or Yelp, handle review extortion, and avoid penalties. - [Review Privacy and Customer Data for Local Businesses](https://vassalmarketing.com/information/reviews-reputation/review-privacy-and-customer-data.md): Share only the customer details your review tools need, keep them out of public replies, and know what to do if something goes wrong. - [Review Site Rules Compared: Google, Yelp, Facebook, and More](https://vassalmarketing.com/information/reviews-reputation/review-platform-policy-operations.md): A plain comparison of what Google, Yelp, Tripadvisor, BBB, Nextdoor, Houzz, and other review sites allow when you ask for reviews. - [Customer Proof and Case Studies for Local Businesses](https://vassalmarketing.com/information/reviews-reputation/customer-proof-and-case-studies.md): Use customer quotes, photos, and project stories on your website with written permission, accurate claims, and a way to take them down. - [Reputation Monitoring and Escalation for Local Businesses](https://vassalmarketing.com/information/reviews-reputation/reputation-monitoring-and-escalation.md): Check every review site on a schedule, decide who handles what, and know which reviews go straight to the owner. - [The FTC Rule on Fake Reviews and Testimonials, Explained](https://vassalmarketing.com/information/reviews-reputation/ftc-review-rule-explained.md): A plain summary of the FTC's Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule: fake reviews, paid reviews, staff reviews, and hiding negative reviews. ## Earn, respond, and reuse with permission - Earn: Ask real customers for honest reviews. Do not pay for praise, write reviews yourself, or ask only the customers you expect to be happy. - Respond: Reply calmly and briefly. Never confirm private details about a customer in public, even when the review is unfair. - Reuse with permission: Get a customer's written OK before putting their words, name, or photos in your own marketing, and keep what you show accurate. ## Related guidance - [Google profile reviews and responses](https://vassalmarketing.com/information/google-business-profile/reviews-and-responses.md): The Google-specific steps for reading, replying to, and reporting reviews on your Business Profile. - [Local SEO](https://vassalmarketing.com/information/local-seo.md): How reviews fit with your website, directory listings, and other local signals customers and search engines see. ## Questions business owners ask ### What does reputation management actually involve? Asking customers for honest reviews, replying to reviews, reporting reviews that break a site's rules, protecting customer privacy, and using customer praise in marketing with permission. It does not mean writing fake reviews or paying to remove real ones. ### Can I offer a discount for a review? Many review sites, including Google, do not allow rewards for reviews at all. Federal rules also prohibit rewards that depend on the review being positive or negative. Check the review site's current rules before offering anything connected to a review. ### Can anyone guarantee a higher rating or remove a bad review? No. Customers decide what they write, and each review site decides what stays up. A provider can run a fair process and report reviews that break the rules, but cannot promise a rating or a removal.