There are a variety of ways to make sure you’re contacting good businesses vs bad businesses when you want something done, like a tree removed from your yard or electrical work done at your home.
Here is a simple method, that involves reviewing Google Reviews.
Note: When reviewing the Google Reviews of a business, make sure you follow the steps below. If you don’t follow these steps, you may get caught dealing with a bad business who is posing as a good business, that actually has a bad reputation and not a good one.
Checking Google Reviews (the right way)
If you want to get a better idea if a business is good or not:
- Find their Google business profile
- Look to see how many reviews they have. If they have more than 40 and they are all 4.5 stars (and above), it is possible they have paid for fake reviews
- If they have more than 100 reviews, and have an overall ‘5 star rating’, this is very suspect. Don’t trust this. Do more research into the business
- If however, they only have 13 – 40 reviews, these reviews are probably hard-earned and legit
- If they have an overall star rating of less than 4.2, consider if this business is good or not
- Read some of the actual reviews and the replies from the business
- If a business does not reply to any reviews, this too is somewhat suspect. [Personally, I always only choose businesses that take the time to thank people, including thanking them for writing a review. It’s a good sign that the business is kind, paying attention, active, respectful and potentially nice people to do business with.]
Also, just because a business has 13 – 40 reviews and a star rating of 4.2 or higher, don’t simply trust this business.
- View their website
- View their Facebook page
If their website does not look great and if they have not been posting on Facebook in a while, be cautious.
Be aware of 'Review Gating'
‘Review Gating’ is a common tactic and you need to be aware of it:
Software like GoHighLevel (GHL) allows a business to set up what is called ‘review gating’. How it works:
- A customer receives an email or a txt message asking them to write a review. It directs them to a private feedback form. It asks them to rate their experience.
- If they select 4 or 5 stars, the automation redirects them to the Google Business Profile (GBP) review link.
- If however, the customer chooses 1 to 3 stars, the customer is sent to an internal feedback form, preventing their negative review from being published on Google.
If you want to write a review about a business, search their business name in Google to find their Google Business Profile. Then write your review directly in it. That way, you know there is no ‘review gating’ occurring.
Update 1/05/26: Google has cracked down on Review Gating tactics and many other tactics some businesses have been using to ‘game the system’. Read about the Google Business Profile Reviews Policy 2026 Changes here.
Side note: What to do if your business gets spam reviews that are hurting your rating?
If your business is getting ‘negative spam reviews’, read this blog post. It will tell you what to do.
Spammy negative reviews are from people who have never been a customer of a specific business. ‘Negative Spam Reviews’ are part of what is called a ‘negative SEO’. ‘Negative SEO‘ activities are meant to (and can) sabotage your business.
Note: We check the Google Business Profile for our SEO clients each month. If we see any reviews that appear to be ‘spam reviews’, we report them to our clients. If our clients confirm they are indeed ‘spam reviews’ we work to help get them reported and removed.