Reviews, replies and local search
Practical guides for businesses that would rather spend their time doing the work than working out how Google feels about them.
How to Respond to a Negative Google Review About Price
A review that complains about price stings differently than other complaints. Here's how to reply without arguing, discounting, or sounding defensive.
5 November 2026 · 6 min read
Responding
How to respond to positive Google reviews
The five star reviews are the easy ones to ignore. A short, specific reply turns each one into a small piece of proof that a real person runs the place.
4 November 2026 · 6 min read
RespondingGoogle review response templates for negative reviews
Templates for the bad reviews every business eventually gets, and the editing that stops them sounding like templates.
4 November 2026 · 6 min read
RespondingShould you reply to every Google review?
Yes, nearly always. Why replying to every review is worth it, the handful of exceptions, and how to make it a habit you can actually keep.
4 November 2026 · 6 min read
Getting reviewsHow to get more Google reviews without breaking Google's rules
Google is clear about what it does not allow: incentives, review gating and fake reviews. Everything else is fair game, and it works.
4 November 2026 · 6 min read
Managing reviewsHow to remove or report a fake Google review
You cannot delete a Google review yourself. You can report one that breaks Google's policies. Here is how that process works and how to handle the wait.
4 November 2026 · 6 min read
Getting reviewsReview request text message templates
Text messages get read. Here are short review request templates for different trades, and the consent and opt-out basics to get right first.
4 November 2026 · 5 min read
Managing reviewsHow long Google reviews take to show up, and why some disappear
A customer says they left a review and you cannot see it. Or a review you had for months has gone. The usual explanations, and what you can do.
4 November 2026 · 5 min read
Local SEOHow reviews affect local search ranking
Google says local results come down to relevance, distance and prominence. Reviews sit inside prominence. Here is what that means in practice.
4 November 2026 · 5 min read
Managing reviewsReview management for multi-location businesses
Each location has its own Google profile and its own reviews. How to keep standards consistent across all of them without one person doing it all.
4 November 2026 · 5 min read
RespondingAI review replies: what is good, and what to avoid
AI can take the grind out of replying to reviews. It can also make things up. An honest look at where it helps and the rules that keep it safe.
4 November 2026 · 5 min read
RespondingHow to respond to a bad review
You are not writing to the angry customer. You are writing to everyone who reads it afterwards — which changes what a good reply looks like.
2 September 2026 · 7 min read
Getting reviewsHow to ask for Google reviews without breaking the rules
Asking is allowed. Paying for it and only asking happy customers are not. Where the line sits, and what to actually send.
2 September 2026 · 6 min read
Local SEOWhy your business is not showing up in the Google map pack
The three businesses on the map get the calls. What actually drives which three, and the parts you can change this week.
2 September 2026 · 6 min read
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