Guides
Guides: Google reviews, Business Profile and AI search
In-depth guides, tested on real Google Business Profiles, with Google's official sources cited.
Reputation
- Fake Google reviews: the law, the risks of buying reviews, and what to doBuying or posting fake Google reviews is banned by the FTC rule in the US and the DMCC Act in the UK. Penalties, Google's rules, red flags and next steps.Read
- Google reviews not showing? Why it happens and what to doA Google review isn't showing up or disappeared? Moderation, spam filters, conflicts of interest, profile restrictions: the real causes and what you can do.Read
- How to find your Google reviews: on your Business Profile and the ones you wroteSee your Business Profile reviews, sort them by newest, get alerts and export them, or find every review you've written on Google Maps. Step by step.Read
- How to remove a Google review (and when you can't)Businesses can't delete Google reviews. You can report one, appeal once, or file a legal request if it's unlawful. Here are Google's official steps.Read
- Online reputation management for small businesses: a practical guideOnline reputation management means tracking and shaping what people find about your business online: Google, reviews, social media, press. A step-by-step guide.Read
Google Business Profile
- Google Business Profile categories: how to pick primary and secondaryPrimary vs secondary categories, how many to add, how to choose, and what happens when you change one: Google's rules and what the ranking data shows.Read
- Google Business Profile optimization: the complete 2026 checklistCategories, description, hours, attributes, services, photos, posts and reviews: what actually moves your Google Business Profile, and the myths to drop.Read
- Google Business Profile posts: types, rules, real impact and examplesUpdates, offers and events: how to post on your Google Business Profile, how long posts stay up, whether they help ranking, and what to post by industry.Read
- Google Business Profile suspended? Why it happens and how to fix itWhy Google suspends or disables Business Profiles, how to appeal with the official tool, which documents to send, how long it takes, and how to avoid it.Read
- How to rank higher on Google Maps: what the local SEO data really showsRelevance, distance, prominence: how Google ranks businesses on Maps, what the major ranking studies actually measure, and what to fix first, lever by lever.Read
Get more reviews
- Google Review NFC Cards: How They Work, What They Cost, and Whether You Need OneGoogle review cards and NFC tap stands explained: how they work on iPhone and Android, prices, red flags, and an honest comparison with a free QR code.Read
- How to Get More Google Reviews (and Ask Without Breaking the Rules)How to ask for Google reviews: when to ask, where (in person, text, email, QR, NFC), the official review link, and what Google and the FTC prohibit.Read
- How to leave a Google review on a computer, Android or iPhoneLeave a Google review in two minutes on desktop, Android or iPhone, with or without Gmail. Plus how to edit, delete, or change the name on your review.Read
Display reviews
Reviews and AI
- How to make your customer reviews visible in ChatGPT and AI searchChatGPT, Perplexity and Claude read raw HTML, so a JavaScript reviews widget hides your reviews from them. A 2-minute test and the settings to fix.Read
- Local business AI search: how to show up in ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AILocal pack, AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Perplexity: where AI tools get their information about local businesses, and what owners can actually do about it.Read
- Review schema and Google star ratings: what's actually eligible in 2026Reviews you show about your own business, even through a Google reviews widget, can't earn stars in Google results. Here's what still qualifies, and why.Read
Respond to reviews
- How to Respond to Google Reviews: Steps, Timing and ExamplesHow to respond to Google reviews from your Business Profile: Google's official steps, how fast to reply, what to say, what to avoid, and using AI safely.Read
- How to Respond to Negative Reviews (15 Templates, Fake Reviews Included)How to reply to bad Google reviews and fake reviews: a 5-step method, 15 response templates by situation, and when Google will actually remove a review.Read