May 19, 2025 • 11 mins
Reviews can make or break your local rankings, build trust with potential patients, and drive more people through your doors. But here’s the catch: if you’re not careful about how you get those reviews, Google could remove them—or worse—wipe out your entire review history.
So today, we’re going to talk about how to get more Google reviews the right way and the best practices to make sure they actually stick around. Let’s get into it.
Episode webpage & blog post: https://propelyourcompany.com/mistake-that-gets-google-reviews-deleted/
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome back to the Clinic Marketing Podcast.
I'm your host, darci Sullivanfrom Propel Marketing and Design
.
Today we're diving into acritical topic for every local
business, and that is yourGoogle reviews.
Reviews can make or break yourlocal ranking.
(00:20):
Building trust with potentialpatients will drive more people
through your doors.
But here's the catch If you'renot careful about how you get
those reviews, google couldremove them or, even worse, wipe
out your entire review history.
So today we're going to talkabout how to get more Google
(00:44):
reviews the right way, with thebest practices to make sure they
actually stick around.
All right, let's get into it.
First, let's talk about whyGoogle reviews are so important.
When someone searches for aservice like chiropractor near
(01:05):
me or acupuncturist in Cleveland, google often shows the local
pack for those top three maplistings.
And guess what plays a big rolein determining who shows up
there.
If you guessed Google reviews,you are right.
(01:25):
But it's not just about havinga high star rating, although
that certainly can help.
Google also looks at thequality of reviews, how recent
the reviews are, the keywordspeople use in the reviews and
the overall engagement yourbusiness listing receives.
(01:49):
So if you want to rank higherin local search and attract more
patients.
Getting a steady stream ofpositive, authentic reviews is
key.
Now here's where things can goterribly wrong.
There are certain things thatGoogle does not allow when it
(02:10):
comes to reviews, and one of thebiggest no-no's in the eyes of
Google is something calledreview gating.
Review gating is when you onlyask happy customers or patients
to leave a Google review and youredirect unhappy ones to a
(02:31):
private feedback forum.
It might seem like a smart wayto protect your reputation, but
it's actually a direct violationof Google's guidelines.
In fact, in the show notes onthe webpage associated with this
episode, we will include a linkto Google's guidelines, along
(02:54):
with other helpful resources.
If Google suspects you're doingthis, they can penalize you,
and I don't mean a little slapon the wrist, I mean wiping out
every single review you've evercollected, crashing your local
rankings overnight and making itincredibly difficult to recover
(03:17):
, even over the course of monthsor years.
And the worst part, mostbusinesses don't even realize
they're breaking these rules.
Let me paint the picture of whatreview gating might look like
in a business, without namingany names or using real-life
examples.
It might be that you're using atool or sending out an email
(03:42):
that says something like how wasyour visit today?
Thumbs up or thumbs down.
If someone clicks the thumbs upbutton, they're taken to Google
to leave a review, and if theyclick the thumbs down button,
they're taken to a privatefeedback forum.
Seems innocent enough, right,but here's the problem You're
(04:05):
filtering who gets to leave apublic review and, according to
Google, that's manipulation.
So even if you're using softwareor an automation that includes
this feature by default, it isyour responsibility to turn that
(04:25):
setting off.
Okay, I'm going to repeat thatone more time because it's so
important.
Even though this seems innocentenough, there is a problem.
You are filtering out who getsto leave a public review and,
according to Google, that isconsidered manipulation.
So, even if you are using asoftware or an automation which
(04:49):
I know a lot of people do youwant to make sure that that does
not include this feature bydefault?
And if it does, it is yourresponsibility to turn that
setting off.
So if you are using a softwareor an automation system to
collect reviews, please makesure that they are not going
(05:12):
about this in a review gatingmethod.
Okay, now that we've coveredwhat not to do, let's focus on
what you should be doing.
You should be asking everypatient for a review, whether
the experience was good, bad orsomewhere in between.
You should give everyone theopportunity to leave a review.
(05:34):
This shows Google that yourreview process is authentic,
it's unbiased and it increasesyour chances of getting more
feedback overall.
The reality is most people whohad a good experience simply
won't think to leave a reviewunless you ask.
So ask and make it easy.
(05:55):
Don't expect patients to gohunting for your Google listing.
Give them a direct link thattakes them straight to the
review page.
You can include this link inpost appointment emails, text
messages, your website or evenprinted materials.
The easier you make it, themore likely it is that somebody
(06:16):
is going to follow through andleave a review.
I know it might be tempting tosay, leave us a review and get a
$10 gift card or some othertype of incentive, but this is
another big violation ofGoogle's terms.
You cannot offer gifts,discounts or rewards in exchange
(06:40):
for reviews.
It needs to be completelyvoluntary, no strings attached.
You can, however, let peopleknow that reviews help your
business and you appreciate them.
Just do not cross that line ofgiving incentives.
Let's chat about responding toreviews.
(07:01):
Responding to reviews showsthat you value feedback and are
encouraging interaction withyour audience.
Plus, it helps build trust withpotential patients who are
checking you out online.
Thank patients for positivereviews and show empathy when
(07:22):
someone leaves a less thanstellar one.
Now to be very clear if somebodyleaves an extremely bad review
that is inappropriate, do notengage with it.
We are not talking about fakereviews, false reviews or
absolutely horrible reviews thatdo not reflect your business.
(07:45):
Those should be reported andnot interacted with.
But if somebody leaves you afour-star positive review, make
sure that you're stillinteracting with it.
So you want to interact withthe reviews in a way that shows
that you care with the reviews,in a way that shows that you
(08:05):
care.
You also want to use approvedtools carefully.
There are plenty of tools outthere that help automate the
review process Text message,follow-ups, email sequences, etc
.
These can be extremely helpful.
But again, you want to makesure that they are asking for
(08:26):
reviews in the correct way andnot filtering out people based
on their response to howsatisfactory they are with your
business.
Remember, convenience is great,but compliance is essential.
So let's start to wrap this upAsk all patients for reviews,
(08:50):
not just the happy ones.
Make the process quick and easywith direct links for them to
leave reviews.
Avoid incentives or rewards.
Respond to reviews and useautomation tools that play by
Google's rules.
Google reviews are one of themost powerful tools in your
(09:12):
local SEO toolbox, but only ifyou handle them the right way.
So if you've been filteringfeedback, offering rewards or
relying on outdated tools, now'sthe time to change course.
Protect your reputation,protect your rankings and build
a trustworthy review strategythat works in your favor.
(09:35):
Thanks for listening to today'sepisode.
Welcome back to the Clinic Marketing Podcast.
I'm your host, darci Sullivanfrom Propel Marketing and Design
.
Today we're diving into acritical topic for every local
business, and that is yourGoogle reviews.
Reviews can make or break yourlocal ranking.
(00:20):
Building trust with potentialpatients will drive more people
through your doors.
But here's the catch If you'renot careful about how you get
those reviews, google couldremove them or, even worse, wipe
out your entire review history.
So today we're going to talkabout how to get more Google
(00:44):
reviews the right way, with thebest practices to make sure they
actually stick around.
All right, let's get into it.
First, let's talk about whyGoogle reviews are so important.
When someone searches for aservice like chiropractor near
(01:05):
me or acupuncturist in Cleveland, google often shows the local
pack for those top three maplistings.
And guess what plays a big rolein determining who shows up
there.
If you guessed Google reviews,you are right.
(01:25):
But it's not just about havinga high star rating, although
that certainly can help.
Google also looks at thequality of reviews, how recent
the reviews are, the keywordspeople use in the reviews and
the overall engagement yourbusiness listing receives.
(01:49):
So if you want to rank higherin local search and attract more
patients.
Getting a steady stream ofpositive, authentic reviews is
key.
Now here's where things can goterribly wrong.
There are certain things thatGoogle does not allow when it
(02:10):
comes to reviews, and one of thebiggest no-no's in the eyes of
Google is something calledreview gating.
Review gating is when you onlyask happy customers or patients
to leave a Google review and youredirect unhappy ones to a
(02:31):
private feedback forum.
It might seem like a smart wayto protect your reputation, but
it's actually a direct violationof Google's guidelines.
In fact, in the show notes onthe webpage associated with this
episode, we will include a linkto Google's guidelines, along
(02:54):
with other helpful resources.
If Google suspects you're doingthis, they can penalize you,
and I don't mean a little slapon the wrist, I mean wiping out
every single review you've evercollected, crashing your local
rankings overnight and making itincredibly difficult to recover
(03:17):
, even over the course of monthsor years.
And the worst part, mostbusinesses don't even realize
they're breaking these rules.
Let me paint the picture of whatreview gating might look like
in a business, without namingany names or using real-life
examples.
It might be that you're using atool or sending out an email
(03:42):
that says something like how wasyour visit today?
Thumbs up or thumbs down.
If someone clicks the thumbs upbutton, they're taken to Google
to leave a review, and if theyclick the thumbs down button,
they're taken to a privatefeedback forum.
Seems innocent enough, right,but here's the problem You're
(04:05):
filtering who gets to leave apublic review and, according to
Google, that's manipulation.
So even if you're using softwareor an automation that includes
this feature by default, it isyour responsibility to turn that
(04:25):
setting off.
Okay, I'm going to repeat thatone more time because it's so
important.
Even though this seems innocentenough, there is a problem.
You are filtering out who getsto leave a public review and,
according to Google, that isconsidered manipulation.
So, even if you are using asoftware or an automation which
(04:49):
I know a lot of people do youwant to make sure that that does
not include this feature bydefault?
And if it does, it is yourresponsibility to turn that
setting off.
So if you are using a softwareor an automation system to
collect reviews, please makesure that they are not going
(05:12):
about this in a review gatingmethod.
Okay, now that we've coveredwhat not to do, let's focus on
what you should be doing.
You should be asking everypatient for a review, whether
the experience was good, bad orsomewhere in between.
You should give everyone theopportunity to leave a review.
(05:34):
This shows Google that yourreview process is authentic,
it's unbiased and it increasesyour chances of getting more
feedback overall.
The reality is most people whohad a good experience simply
won't think to leave a reviewunless you ask.
So ask and make it easy.
(05:55):
Don't expect patients to gohunting for your Google listing.
Give them a direct link thattakes them straight to the
review page.
You can include this link inpost appointment emails, text
messages, your website or evenprinted materials.
The easier you make it, themore likely it is that somebody
(06:16):
is going to follow through andleave a review.
I know it might be tempting tosay, leave us a review and get a
$10 gift card or some othertype of incentive, but this is
another big violation ofGoogle's terms.
You cannot offer gifts,discounts or rewards in exchange
(06:40):
for reviews.
It needs to be completelyvoluntary, no strings attached.
You can, however, let peopleknow that reviews help your
business and you appreciate them.
Just do not cross that line ofgiving incentives.
Let's chat about responding toreviews.
(07:01):
Responding to reviews showsthat you value feedback and are
encouraging interaction withyour audience.
Plus, it helps build trust withpotential patients who are
checking you out online.
Thank patients for positivereviews and show empathy when
(07:22):
someone leaves a less thanstellar one.
Now to be very clear if somebodyleaves an extremely bad review
that is inappropriate, do notengage with it.
We are not talking about fakereviews, false reviews or
absolutely horrible reviews thatdo not reflect your business.
(07:45):
Those should be reported andnot interacted with.
But if somebody leaves you afour-star positive review, make
sure that you're stillinteracting with it.
So you want to interact withthe reviews in a way that shows
that you care with the reviews,in a way that shows that you
(08:05):
care.
You also want to use approvedtools carefully.
There are plenty of tools outthere that help automate the
review process Text message,follow-ups, email sequences, etc
.
These can be extremely helpful.
But again, you want to makesure that they are asking for
(08:26):
reviews in the correct way andnot filtering out people based
on their response to howsatisfactory they are with your
business.
Remember, convenience is great,but compliance is essential.
So let's start to wrap this upAsk all patients for reviews,
(08:50):
not just the happy ones.
Make the process quick and easywith direct links for them to
leave reviews.
Avoid incentives or rewards.
Respond to reviews and useautomation tools that play by
Google's rules.
Google reviews are one of themost powerful tools in your
(09:12):
local SEO toolbox, but only ifyou handle them the right way.
So if you've been filteringfeedback, offering rewards or
relying on outdated tools, now'sthe time to change course.
Protect your reputation,protect your rankings and build
a trustworthy review strategythat works in your favor.
(09:35):
Thanks for listening to today'sepisode.
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