Reviews are so important to the ecosystem of small businesses. It’s how so many of us decide which places we’re going to patronize. If something has a bunch of negative reviews, we’re probably less likely to go, especially if there are higher-rated options nearby. But the review game is a tricky one. You hope that your work is good enough to warrant a bunch of organic positive reviews, but it can be hard if there is no incentive. Sure, there might be career reviewers who will slap a star rating on anything they come across, but that’s not most people. 

So sometimes business owners have to get creative in thinking of ways to generate good reviews. They might also have a tactic to try and stop, or at least explain bad reviews. Often businesses will respond to negative feedback to try and squash whatever beef might be bubbling up. All to say it’s a complicated issue.