High 5 Reviews

08/01/2025

Google added a new AI feature, and it may affect your sales.

It doesn't seem to work on every business, yet. But it worked on a few that I tried today.

Search for a business and then type the word "reviews" at the end.

Google will read all the reviews for that business, across the internet (not just Google reviews), and type up a detailed summary. There is even an "AI deep dive" mode.

Did Google turn on this feature for your company? If so, what did it say?

Do you have reviews on sites you didn't know about? Are old customer complaints still showing up?

Potential customers may use this feature to research a company before making a purchase. What will they find? How will you compare to your competitors?

I'm a reputation management specialist. If you want help ensuring your online reviews (Google, BBB, Facebook, Reddit, etc.) attract your ideal customers, contact me for a free consultation.

High 5 Reviews

06/18/2025

Great online reviews can be easily shared on social media. This is a simple way to create social media content that motivates your ideal customer.

This image shows a review that was earned on one platform and shared to another platform to achieve cross-platform marketing. The business owner is getting positive exposure on multiple platforms with a single customer interaction.

To learn more about using online reviews to grow your business, check out High 5 Reviews

"Service technician David did a great job. He was very professional and helpful. I highly recommend these guys." from Clay

Meet our team of serving greater from our office in .

06/06/2025

It's only halfway through the year, and this small business has already earned more 5-star reviews than it did last year (and 63% more reviews than in the combined nine years prior to signing up for our reputation management service).

All the reviews are:
✅ all 5 stars
✅ all from real customers
✅ all unpaid (no incentives or prizes)
✅ on more than one review platform.

We help your business stand out from the competition on Google Maps, the Better Business Bureau (BBB), Facebook, and other key platforms.

Our feedback and review system works great, helps improve sales conversions, and requires virtually no effort from your staff.

04/25/2025

Here's a quick list of people who can post a review about your business (whether you like it or not):

1. Your current customers (obviously)
2. Your past customers (even from the distant past)
3. Nearly anyone else who has a professional interaction with you (including non customers)

Let's look at #3. This could include:

✅ People who call your business on the phone. Even if it's just for a moment. If you're rude, they can tell the world. If you're polite, they can brag about you online.

✅ People who receive your professional advice for free. (They can repay you with a nice review, like the one featured in this post)

✅ People who see your branded vehicle on the road. Are you an aggressive driver? That might show up in your reviews.

✅ People who receive a price quote and think it's too high. If you have a "take it or leave it attitude," that might come back to bite you.

But, according to the rules at Google and other platforms, #3 does not include:

🚫 Your employees, even the ones you fire (we can help remove those)
🚫 Friends and family
People who didn't like the way your outdoor signage blinks (yes, I've seen that one)
🚫 People in your business networking group who are just trying to bolster your business image

Yes, you can receive a review from nearly ANYONE.

So be nice, drive nice, and serve those around you with care.

10/17/2024

This should go without saying, "Don't pay people to write fake reviews."

But there are actually people/companies that make money writing fake online reviews for products and services. And they must be getting plenty of clients because the Federal Trade Commission is trying to stop it.

The FTC announced a rule to combat fake and by prohibiting their sale or purchase.

“Fake reviews not only waste people’s time and money, but also pollute the marketplace and divert business away from honest competitors,” said FTC Chair Lina M. Khan.

This applies to both positive and negative reviews: The rule prohibits businesses from providing compensation or incentives for reviews in regard to positive or negative sentiment.

It also bans reviews from employees and other insiders who don't disclose their connection with the brand, including the staffers' relatives.

This new rule also seems to regulate clever blog articles that companies publish, such as "The 5 best cyber security software," that include their own product on the list. (This is great for SEO, but it may now be illegal if mishandled.)

One thing that affects reputation management is ...

"The final rule also bars a business from misrepresenting that the reviews on a review portion of its website represent all or most of the reviews submitted when reviews have been suppressed based upon their ratings or negative sentiment."

Just to be clear, the reputation management service provided by High 5 Reviews has never and will never pay people for fake reviews, and we have never encouraged businesses to incentivize the posting of online reviews. Do a great job for your customers, ask for a review (the right way), and you can quickly stand out from the competition.

Are you having trouble getting as many great 5-star reviews as your competitors? Contact High 5 Reviews for a free consultation.

07/11/2024

If you get an unfair review on Google (or another platform), you can report it. It might even be removed. Here is a list of reasons Google might consider a review to violate its policies.

1. Off topic: Review doesn’t pertain to an experience at or with this business

2. Spam: Review is from a bot, a fake account, or contains ads and promotions

3. Conflict of interest: Review is from someone affiliated with the business or a competitor’s business

4. Profanity: Review contains swear words, has sexually explicit language, or details graphic violence

5. Bullying or harassment: Review personally attacks a specific individual

6. Discrimination or hate speech: Review has harmful language about an individual or group based on identity

7. Personal information: Review contains personal information, such as an address or phone number

8. Not helpful: Review doesn’t help people decide whether to go to this place

If you report an unfair review, Google might remove it. But to be honest, many times they don't.

If you get stuck with a bad review, don't worry, there are other options.

📞 Contact High 5 Reviews™. We have a couple more strategies we could employ to get a good outcome. We can even get lawyers involved.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Get a ton of good reviews to burry that bad one. This will protect your average star rating and give potential customers a better impression of your company. If you've had trouble getting good reviews, contact High 5 Reviews™. You can hand over the entire process to us. We consistently get better results for our clients than they get on their own.

06/19/2024

Online reviews are powerful. They turn your customers into members of your marketing team. And you may be surprised at the amazing things people say about your company, with authenticity and passion.

This review lines up perfectly with #5 in our company's core values:
Serving our community with cheerfulness – going above and beyond to exceed expectations. We want our customers to be happy when we leave. We want our work to be a good experience for you. We want to solve your problems while being really nice guys. And we want you to feel like you got a great value.

Deb, on Google, wrote:

"The owner Ron was very personal and incredible to work with. He made me feel like family right away. As if our needs were to be taken care of just like he would, if it were one of his family. So grateful for his kindness as we worked through so many details. The crew that came out and worked so sweet and were the smileyest bunch of guys I’d ever met! Excellent work. I wish I could rate 10 out of five here. They went above and beyond."

in near

08/25/2023

Should you post your good reviews on social media? YES!
If your customers leave online reviews, that means they want the world to know what a great job you do. Your clients are actually making advertising content on your behalf!

It's also important to cross-promote your good reviews. If you get a review on Better Business Bureau, post it on Facebook, Twitter, and Google Maps. If you just leave it on BBB, only people who go to the BBB website will see it. But if you spread it around, everyone will know how great your products and services are.

And remember, at High 5 Reviews, we say, "It's not bragging if it's true!"

Another great review on the Better Business Bureau!

[Tony] and his team were excellent to work with in designing and building my new garage. Everyone was friendly, professional, knowledgeable, dependable and most importantly, kept their word start to finish, and for this earned my trust. I have a building of exceptional quality that exceeded my expectations and I look forward to working with [Tony] and his team again on future projects.
- Chris in Springfield MO

BBB Springfield

07/21/2023

If your business was a contestant on a dating show, hoping to be picked by your ideal customer, would you win? Is your biz the most attractive option among the competition – or does it have spinach in its teeth (metaphorically speaking)? In this example, online business directories like Google Maps are the matchmakers that deliver customers to your door. And one thing causes success or heartbreak. Learn more:

https://high5.reviews/online-reviews-blog/attract-or-repel-customers-online/

If your business was a contestant on a dating show, hoping to be picked by your ideal customer, would you win? Is your biz the most attractive option among the competition – or does it have spinach in its teeth (metaphorically speaking)? In this example, online business directories like Google Map...

04/21/2023

When I need to hire a local business, I could ask my friends for recommendations. But it’s often more helpful to look online, because I can see recommendations and feedback from hundreds or even thousands of people – in the form of online reviews.
So if you run a business, you need to know the ‘7 key factors’ consumers look at when evaluating your online reviews.

- Matthew Henderson, reputation management specialist.

Read more:

It can be difficult to motivate customers to leave your company an online review. Is it ethical to reward customers with a gift card or discount in exchange for an online reviews?

03/08/2023

I recently had some car trouble. This left me wondering which company I might call to come to my rescue. No matter your industry, let me quickly explain why this scenario matters to you and your business. How you follow this advance could either attract or repel potential customers.

https://high5.reviews/online-reviews-blog/attract-customers-without-paid-ads-or-seo/

It can be difficult to motivate customers to leave your company an online review. Is it ethical to reward customers with a gift card or discount in exchange for an online reviews?