Find the trigger first – usually a specific event or campaign – then respond professionally to the substantive complaints, report policy violations, and accelerate authentic positive reviews to rebalance the recent set.

Report them – most platforms explicitly prohibit reviews from competitors – escalate legally where defamation clearly applies, and post measured responses that give future readers context.

Recent review activity tells Google and the AI engines that a business is active and current, and a steady flow dilutes the weight of any single negative. Consistent velocity beats occasional bursts.

Employee reviews bleed into customer perception because Glassdoor often ranks for the company name, the content gets amplified socially, and the AI engines fold employer signals into consumer-facing answers.

Give them simple scripts and post-transaction prompts, use on-site signage and direct links, and drill the compliance line: ask honestly, never filter for happy customers, never offer incentives.

Report them through the platform’s false-content process, escalate legally under defamation law where it clearly applies, and post a factual response that contextualizes the claim without amplifying it.

Reviews are now a primary trust signal that renders in the Knowledge Panel, Maps, and AI summaries. Rating, velocity, sentiment, and how you respond all feed how Google and the AI engines describe you.

Prompt all customers after the transaction with no sentiment filtering, avoid the incentives platforms prohibit, use direct platform links, and never solicit only from the customers you expect to be happy.

Respond calmly and factually, offer to resolve offline where appropriate, and report reviews that break platform rules. The response is for future readers, not the original reviewer.

Yes, within limits. Work the BBB resolution process, which can lift a complaint, respond professionally on the profile, and build authoritative competing pages so the BBB result is not the dominant branded answer.