How much attention are you paying to your shop’s Google reviews? For many owners, the honest answer is not enough. Reviews can feel like a double-edged sword. Five-star reviews are great, but a single harsh one-star review can sting. Either way, being visible and trusted online is no longer optional. A shop that does not exist digitally is at a serious disadvantage.
In episode 26 of Maximum Octane, Kim Hickey talks with Jimmy Lea, product evangelist at Kukui and a leading voice on digital marketing for auto repair. Jimmy explains how Google changed the review landscape, why bad reviews are not the end of the world, how much time to spend gathering reviews, and what to do about unfair ones.
What You Will Learn
- About Google’s changes in the algorithm that modified the entire reviews’ ecosystem
- All reviews are good; bad reviews show we are humans
- How much of our time we should dedicate to getting reviews
- The two buttons every email should have at the end
- Jimmy’s tips to remove Google reviews
How Google Changed the Review Ecosystem
Jimmy opens by explaining how changes in Google’s algorithm reshaped the entire review ecosystem. Google reviews now play a major role in local search results, especially in the map listings customers see when they search for “auto repair near me.” That is a big reason Jimmy recommends focusing review efforts on Google rather than spreading them across many platforms.
Google explains how local results are ranked, including the role of reviews, in its help article on improving your local ranking.
For local businesses, Google’s map results are often the first thing a potential customer sees. Those results typically show a handful of businesses with star ratings, review counts, and photos. Shops with more recent, positive reviews and complete profiles tend to stand out. Google has stated that prominence, which includes reviews and ratings, is one of the factors in local ranking along with relevance and distance. That makes reviews both a trust signal for customers and a visibility factor in search.
Other platforms still matter for some audiences, but concentrating effort on Google gives most shops the biggest return. Once a steady flow of Google reviews is established, shops can expand to other sites if they choose.
All Reviews Are Good Reviews
Around the 7 minute mark, Jimmy makes a point that surprises many owners: all reviews are good. A profile with nothing but perfect five-star reviews can actually look suspicious. A few less-than-perfect reviews show that your shop is real and human. What matters most is how you respond.
A calm, professional reply to a negative review shows future customers that you take concerns seriously. ATI’s You’re Not Ruined! How to Respond to a Negative Review walks through how to do it.
Research on consumer behavior suggests that many people actually trust ratings slightly below a perfect five stars more than flawless ratings, because perfection can look manufactured. A few critical reviews, especially when answered professionally, show that the reviews are real and that the business takes feedback seriously. Responding to negative reviews also gives the shop a chance to share its side, explain what it did to make things right, and invite the customer back.
When responding, keep it brief, thank the customer, avoid arguing details publicly, and offer to continue the conversation offline. Future customers are reading your response as much as the original review.
How Much Time to Spend Getting Reviews
Jimmy discusses how much time shops should dedicate to getting reviews. The answer is not a big campaign every few months. It is a consistent part of the workflow. Asking every satisfied customer, at the right moment, builds a steady stream of fresh reviews. Recent reviews matter to both customers and search engines.
Ideas for building review requests into your process:
- Have advisors ask happy customers at pickup.
- Include a review link in post-service texts and e-mails.
- Track reviews by advisor and celebrate the team’s progress.
- Respond to every review, positive or negative, within a few days.
Timing matters. The best moment to ask for a review is right after a positive experience, such as when a customer thanks the advisor at pickup or replies happily to a follow-up text. Sending a review link while the experience is fresh increases the chance the customer follows through. Many shop management and marketing platforms can automate this request, but a personal ask from the advisor is often the most effective.
It is also important to follow Google’s guidelines. Offering incentives in exchange for reviews or selectively asking only happy customers in certain ways can violate review policies. Simply making it easy for every customer to share their experience is the safest approach.
The Two Buttons Every E-mail Should Have
Jimmy shares a practical tip: every customer e-mail should end with two buttons. While the specifics are best heard in the episode, the principle is to make the next action as easy as possible. Customers are far more likely to leave a review or book an appointment if they can do it with one click.
The broader principle is reducing friction. Every extra step between a customer and an action, such as leaving a review, booking an appointment, or approving work, reduces the chance they will complete it. Clear buttons, short links, and mobile-friendly pages make it easy. Shops can audit their customer communications to find and remove unnecessary steps.
A simple test is to open your own shop’s e-mails and texts on a phone and try to leave a review or book a visit. Count the taps. If the review link sends people to a search page instead of directly to your review form, or the booking link opens a desktop site that is hard to use on a small screen, customers will give up. Fixing those small problems is one of the cheapest marketing improvements a shop can make.
How to Remove Unfair Google Reviews
Around the 30 minute mark, Jimmy shares a technique for getting Google reviews removed. By his own estimate, it has about a 50-50 chance of working, but it can be useful for dealing with trolls or reviews that violate Google’s policies. Google outlines what is not allowed in its prohibited and restricted content policy, and reviews that break those rules can be reported.
Reviews that may qualify for removal include spam, fake reviews, off-topic content, conflicts of interest such as reviews from competitors or former employees, and reviews containing offensive language or personal information. Business owners can flag these reviews through their Google Business Profile. Not every negative review will be removed, even if it feels unfair, so the best defense is a steady stream of genuine positive reviews that outweigh occasional problems.
Know Where Your Marketing Dollars Go
Beyond reviews, Jimmy is passionate about helping owners understand where their marketing money goes and whether it works. Tracking calls, appointments, and new customers back to specific channels helps owners invest in what produces results. Kukui is an ATI partner, and you can see other recommended vendors on ATI’s Partners page.
Many shops spend money on marketing without knowing which channels produce customers. Call tracking numbers, unique landing pages, and asking new customers how they found you all help connect marketing spend to results. With that information, owners can shift budget toward what works and away from what does not. Over time, that discipline turns marketing from an expense into a measurable investment.
Reviews as a Customer Experience Mirror
Reviews are not just a marketing tool. They are free feedback about your customer experience. Reading reviews regularly, both your own and your competitors’, reveals patterns. If several customers mention long wait times, communication gaps, or a particular advisor’s helpfulness, those are signals worth acting on. Sharing positive reviews with the team boosts morale and reinforces the behaviors customers value. Discussing negative reviews openly, without blame, helps the team learn and improve.
Some shops track review themes monthly and set goals around them, such as improving mentions of “fast” or “kept me informed.” That approach connects online reputation directly to daily operations, making reviews a driver of continuous improvement rather than something to worry about.
ATI’s How to Build a Loyal Customer Base offers more ideas on turning good experiences into lasting loyalty.
Your Review Action Plan
- Check your Google Business Profile and make sure hours, services, and photos are current.
- Count how many reviews you received in the last 90 days.
- Set a weekly review goal and assign responsibility for it.
- Reply to every unanswered review this week.
Jimmy returns with more strategies in Seven Proven Marketing Methods. For more on local marketing, listen to Phil Jackson in Thinking Big on Small Auto Repair Shops’ Marketing.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get more Google reviews for my auto repair shop?
Make asking part of every visit. Have service advisors ask satisfied customers at pickup, then follow up with a text or e-mail that includes a direct link to your Google review form. Send the request while the experience is fresh, usually the same day. Track how many reviews come in each week, recognize the team when goals are met, and respond to every review. A steady, consistent process produces far better results than occasional review pushes.
Should I respond to every Google review, including the positive ones?
Yes. Responding to positive reviews shows appreciation and tells future customers that real people are paying attention. A short, personal thank you that mentions the service or the advisor by name works better than a copied template. Responding to negative reviews is even more important, because prospective customers read those replies closely to see how the shop handles problems. Aim to reply within a few days so the conversation still feels current.
Can I get a bad Google review removed?
Only in certain situations. Google may remove reviews that violate its policies, such as spam, fake reviews, off-topic rants, conflicts of interest, offensive language, or posts that share personal information. You can flag those reviews from your Google Business Profile. A review that is simply negative, even if you disagree with it, usually stays up. In those cases, a calm, professional response and a steady flow of genuine new reviews are the most effective answer.
Is it okay to offer customers a discount for leaving a review?
Generally no. Google’s policies prohibit offering incentives in exchange for reviews, and doing so can lead to removed reviews or other problems with your listing. It can also make your reviews look less trustworthy to customers. The safer approach is to ask every customer, make leaving a review as easy as possible with a direct link, and let the quality of the experience do the work.
Do Google reviews help my shop show up in local search?
Reviews are one of the signals Google considers as part of a business’s prominence, along with relevance and distance, when deciding which businesses to show in local results and on the map. Review count, rating, and how recent the reviews are all shape how customers perceive your listing. A complete Business Profile with accurate hours, services, and photos works alongside reviews to help your shop stand out when people search for repair services nearby.
Resources and Links From This Episode
Connect With the Guests
- Jimmy: LinkedIn
