Online reviews

Reviews do two jobs at once. For people, they are social proof: a stranger's account of what it was like to buy from you. For search engines, the number, recency and content of reviews are part of how prominent a business looks, which feeds into local SEO. The first job usually matters more.

A review profile is not a score to maximise. A perfect rating from a handful of reviews often looks less believable than a high average from many, with a few honest complaints answered calmly.

How it works

Customers leave reviews on the platform they already use, most often a Google Business Profile, but also map apps, booking platforms and industry sites. Each platform shows an average rating, a count and the text, and lets the business reply publicly. Platforms run filters to remove reviews they judge fake or against their policies, and sometimes catch genuine ones too.

Platform rules matter. Google prohibits offering incentives for reviews and asking only happy customers to leave them, a practice known as review gating. Buying or writing fake reviews breaks platform policies everywhere and consumer-protection laws in many countries.

Platforms decide what counts. Google shows the average rating and the number of reviews, lets readers sort by newest and may hold back or remove reviews its systems flag, including some that are genuine, and new reviews can take time to appear. Your reply is public and in practice permanent, and it is read by future customers far more than by the reviewer, so it should be short, factual and polite. It should never confirm private details, such as a patient's treatment or a guest's room number.

Example

A small hotel adds a short message to its checkout email asking every guest for a Google review, with a direct link. It replies to each review within a few days, thanking guests and explaining what changed after a complaint about breakfast hours. Within a season it has many more recent reviews, and new guests mention the replies when they book.

One guest leaves a one-star review about a dirty room on dates when the hotel has no booking under that name. The hotel reports it through its profile as a possible fake and posts a brief reply saying it cannot find the stay and inviting the guest to get in touch. Google declines to remove it, but the reply shows other readers that the hotel takes complaints seriously, and the review soon sits under newer, more representative ones.

Why it matters for your business

Reviews are often the deciding factor between a few similar businesses in the same results, so a steady flow of genuine ones can lift enquiries without any spending. Negative reviews hurt, but they are also information about what to fix. The risk lies in shortcuts: fake or incentivised reviews can lead to removal, suspension or legal trouble that costs far more than slow growth. Specialist platforms matter too: patients may check health directories and travellers booking sites, so a strong Google rating does not cover every channel.

Common mistakes

• Asking for reviews in a burst and then stopping, so the most recent review is months old.
• Replying to criticism defensively or revealing private customer details in a reply.
• Offering discounts or gifts in exchange for reviews, which breaks platform rules.
• Posting reviews from staff, family or friends posing as customers.

Questions people ask

Can I delete a bad review on Google?

No, a business cannot delete reviews itself. You can report a review that breaks Google's policies, for example spam, a conflict of interest or offensive content, and Google decides whether to remove it. For a genuine negative review, a calm, specific public reply usually helps more than any attempt to remove it.

How do I get more Google reviews?

Ask every customer, at the moment they are most satisfied, with a direct link to your review form, which you can get from your Business Profile. Keep the request personal and short. Do not offer rewards and do not filter who you ask, as both break Google's rules.

Do online reviews affect rankings?

Yes, for local results. Google says review count and rating factor into local ranking as part of prominence, alongside relevance and distance. Reviews are one factor among several, and their bigger effect is on whether searchers choose you once they see your listing next to competitors.