What is review management? (and Google reputation management)

What does review management include?

Six jobs, done every week or so:

How do I get more reviews?

Ask every customer, soon after the visit, with a link that opens your Google review form. Send one reminder, then stop. Our step-by-step guide to sending your Google review link covers text, email, invoices and QR codes, and how to get more Google reviews covers timing by industry.

Google's policy forbids incentives for reviews and asking only the customers you expect to be happy. Ask everyone the same way.

How do I monitor my reviews?

Turn on review notifications in your Google Business Profile and check any other site your customers use, such as Facebook, Yelp or a trade directory. One missed one-star review can sit unanswered for weeks if no one is looking.

Monitoring by hand works for one location on one or two sites. Past that, software that pulls every site into one feed with alerts saves the checking.

How should I reply to reviews?

Reply to every review, briefly and politely. Thank people by name, mention something real, and take any complaint offline with a phone number or email.

On Google, select Read reviews in your Business Profile, then Reply next to the review. Google's help page says your business must be verified, the reviewer is notified when you reply, and you can edit or delete a reply later. Replies are checked before they appear, which Google says usually takes up to 10 minutes.

Our guide on how to respond to Google reviews has templates for every star rating.

Can I get bad reviews removed?

Only if they break Google's rules, such as spam, fake reviews or offensive content. A fair negative review stays. Google says not to report a review just because you disagree with it, and that it doesn't get involved in disputes between businesses and customers.

1. In your Business Profile, select Read reviews, then the report option next to the review.
2. Choose the reason that fits and send the report.
3. Track it in Google's Reviews Management Tool. Google says evaluation typically takes several days.
4. If Google finds no violation, you can send one appeal from the same tool.

Should I show reviews on my website?

Yes, if they're real and current. A review widget shows your latest reviews on your website and updates itself, so you don't copy and paste. Put them near the point where people decide: your service pages, booking page or contact form.

What should I track?

• New reviews this month, compared with the top three competitors in your local map results.
• Your star rating, and whether it's rising or falling.
• Reply rate: the share of reviews you've answered.
• What reviews mention: the same complaint twice is a problem to fix, not a review to argue with.

What is Google reputation management?

Google reputation management is review management focused on what people see about you on Google: your star rating, review count, recent reviews and your replies in your Business Profile, plus the rest of your profile and search results. For a local business, it's mostly the six jobs above, done on Google first.

It isn't about hiding criticism. No legitimate service can remove honest negative reviews or buy positive ones, and Google's policy bans paid and incentivised reviews. Be wary of anyone who promises either. Our complete guide to Google reviews covers the rules in more depth.

Should I do it myself, use software or pay someone?

Most owners start by hand and move to software when they miss reviews or forget to ask. Paying someone mostly buys time and consistency.

How much does review management cost?

Doing it yourself is free. Software for a single local business usually costs $75 to $200 a month, according to our comparison of 15 review management tools' prices; enterprise platforms are quoted and cost more. Reputation management agencies are a different product, quoted from hundreds to thousands a month; our reputation management cost guide compares the two.

Flexi Local's review software costs $97 a month for Reviews (requests, AI replies, widgets and monitoring) and $197 a month for Reviews + Leads, or £79 and £159 in the UK, with a 14-day free trial (card needed; cancel before day 14 and you pay nothing). If you'd rather hand it over, the Local Growth plan ($497 a month per location, £399 in the UK) has every review replied to for you. Our review management page shows how each option works, and pricing lists every plan.