Information · Reviews and reputation

Earn honest reviews and answer them with care.

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.

← All information topicsChoose a guide ↓
The operating sequence

  1. Finished job

  2. Fair request

  3. Customer's own words

  4. Careful reply

  5. Permission to reuse

Where to start

Choose the question you need to answer first.

01

Ask for more reviews

Start here if you want a steady flow of honest reviews and need wording you can send by text or email.

02

Reply to a review

Start here if a review is waiting for a reply and you are unsure what you can safely say in public.

03

Deal with an unfair review

Start here if a review looks fake, describes a different business, or includes someone's private information.

04

Check the federal rules

Start here for a plain summary of the FTC rule on fake reviews, paid reviews, and hiding negative reviews.

The complete collection

Practical help with reviews and testimonials.

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.
01

Asking for reviews

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.

02

Replying to reviews

How to reply to good and bad reviews in public, with sample replies, privacy rules, and advice on AI-drafted replies.

03

Negative and suspected false reviews

How to tell ordinary criticism from reviews that break the rules, report them to Google or Yelp, handle review extortion, and avoid penalties.

04

Review privacy and customer data

Share only the customer details your review tools need, keep them out of public replies, and know what to do if something goes wrong.

05

Review site rules compared

A plain comparison of what Google, Yelp, Tripadvisor, BBB, Nextdoor, Houzz, and other review sites allow when you ask for reviews.

06

Testimonials and case studies

Use customer quotes, photos, and project stories on your website with written permission, accurate claims, and a way to take them down.

07

Monitoring reviews and escalation

Check every review site on a schedule, decide who handles what, and know which reviews go straight to the owner.

08

The FTC review rule explained

A plain summary of the FTC's Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule: fake reviews, paid reviews, staff reviews, and hiding negative reviews.

Three habits

Earn, respond, and reuse with permission.

01

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.

02

Respond

Reply calmly and briefly. Never confirm private details about a customer in public, even when the review is unfair.

03

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

Reviews also appear on your Google profile and in local search.

01

Google profile reviews and responses

The Google-specific steps for reading, replying to, and reporting reviews on your Business Profile.

02

Local SEO

How reviews fit with your website, directory listings, and other local signals customers and search engines see.

Questions business owners ask

Protect trust before chasing volume.

01What 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.

02Can 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.

03Can 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.

Keep reviews honest

Set up a review process with clear rules and owners.

Start the conversation