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The Review Makers Blog

Insights on Reviews,
Reputation & Growth

Expert strategies on online reviews, reputation management, local SEO, and AI search — to help your business get found and chosen.

Latest Articles

Industry Guides HIPAA-compliant review responses — the 11-word rule every healthcare practice gets wrong

HIPAA-compliant review responses — the 11-word rule every healthcare practice gets wrong

HHS has fined practices for replying 'thanks for visiting!' to a positive Google review. HIPAA's reach into review respo...

📅 May 8, 2026📖 5 minRead →
Industry Guides Yelp's algorithm filtered 73% of our test reviews — here's what triggered the recommendation engine

The complete Shopify reviews playbook for 2026 — rich snippets, AI Overviews & the Shop Recommended badge

Shopify product reviews are no longer just trust signals on your PDP. They now feed Google rich snippets, AI Overviews, ...

📅 May 4, 2026📖 5 minRead →
Local SEO Google Business Profile in 2026 — the 9 fields most local businesses leave blank, and what each one is worth

Google Business Profile in 2026 — the 9 fields most local businesses leave blank, and what each one is worth

Most GBP listings are 60–70% complete. The 9 fields businesses skip are the ones that actually influence local pack ra...

📅 May 3, 2026📖 5 minRead →
Case Studies Salt Lake City service businesses get 31% fewer Google reviews than the national average — here's the real reason

Salt Lake City service businesses get 31% fewer Google reviews than the national average — here's the real reason

We benchmarked 380 Salt Lake service businesses against national averages. The review-volume gap is bigger than any othe...

📅 April 30, 2026📖 4 minRead →
AI & GEO We asked ChatGPT 100 'best dentist near me' questions across 25 US cities — only 12% of practices got cited. Here's the pattern

We asked ChatGPT 100 'best dentist near me' questions across 25 US cities — only 12% of practices got cited. Here's the pattern

Most dental practices are invisible inside ChatGPT and Google AI answers — even when they dominate Google Maps. Our 10...

📅 April 28, 2026📖 6 minRead →
Industry Guides Booking.com's 2026 review algorithm change — 4 review patterns that lift property score by 0.3★

Booking.com's 2026 review algorithm change — 4 review patterns that lift property score by 0.3★

Booking.com quietly adjusted how property scores are calculated in early 2026. We tracked 18 properties through the tran...

📅 April 22, 2026📖 4 minRead →
Local SEO The local citation audit nobody runs — 200 small businesses, 73% had inconsistent NAP across the top 8 directories

The local citation audit nobody runs — 200 small businesses, 73% had inconsistent NAP across the top 8 directories

Inconsistent name, address and phone data across directories is the most overlooked local-SEO drag. We audited 200 small...

📅 April 18, 2026📖 4 minRead →
Industry Guides The 17-platform review audit — how Google, Yelp, Trustpilot, G2 and 13 others surface AI citations in 2026

The 17-platform review audit — how Google, Yelp, Trustpilot, G2 and 13 others surface AI citations in 2026

Not every review platform delivers the same downstream signal. We audited 17 platforms — Google, Yelp, Trustpilot, G2,...

📅 April 15, 2026📖 4 minRead →
Content Marketing The death of the 'top 10' listicle — how comparison content is replacing it in 2026

The death of the 'top 10' listicle — how comparison content is replacing it in 2026

The 'top 10 X tools' listicle dominated SEO for a decade. In 2026 AI engines preferentially cite comparison content, not...

📅 April 10, 2026📖 5 minRead →

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