Agency service and decision guide
We build compliant review-request, response, escalation, and insight workflows that protect customer trust without fake feedback, review gating, intimidation, or risky shortcuts.
Ready to discuss your situation?
Start with a non-confidential summary and the affected channels.
Request reviews fairly
Use a consistent process that invites genuine customers to share an honest experience. Do not ask only happy customers to post publicly while routing unhappy customers elsewhere. Disclose material connections and follow each platform's current rules before using incentives.
A safe response structure
- Acknowledge the experience without admitting facts you have not verified.
- State the relevant standard or the action you can take.
- Invite a private channel using a non-sensitive reference method.
- Keep the answer short, calm, and free of customer details.
- Avoid repeated public debate; document the case and resolve it offline.
When to report a review
Report content when it appears to violate a documented platform policy—for example, fake engagement, impersonation, prohibited personal information, or unrelated content. Preserve the URL and evidence. Google states that a review is not eligible for removal simply because a business dislikes or disagrees with it.
Compliance guardrails
The FTC's Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule went into effect on October 21, 2024 and addresses fake or false reviews, certain sentiment-conditioned incentives, undisclosed insider reviews, deceptive review sites, certain review suppression, and fake social influence indicators. Obtain legal advice for your circumstances; this guide is not legal advice.
Measure the program
Track response time, resolution rate, issue categories, authentic review volume, distribution across locations, and changes made to the customer experience. Do not reward teams solely for star ratings, which can encourage manipulation. Link recurring problems into the reputation strategy.
Frequently asked questions
Can a business pay for positive reviews?
Businesses should not buy fake reviews or condition compensation on positive sentiment. Review incentives and disclosures are governed by platform policies and, in the United States, FTC rules and guidance.
Can I remove a negative Google review?
You can report a review, but Google says only reviews that violate its policies are eligible for removal; disagreement or dislike is not enough.
Should every review receive a response?
Not necessarily. Prioritize useful, privacy-safe responses. Repetitive, abusive, or high-risk situations may require reporting, documentation, or specialist escalation instead.
Get a scoped recommendation.
We will identify the right starting assessment and explain what can—and cannot—be controlled.