In this article7 sections · 5 min
How to choose which sites to look after
Start with a simple test of your own. Search for your business name, and then for your trade and your town, the way a new customer would. Note which review sites appear on the first page. Then ask your last ten customers how they found you and what they checked. The sites that show up in both answers are the ones that matter, and everything else can wait.
The ones nearly every business needs
1. Google
Your Business Profile’s reviews appear beside your listing in Google Search and Maps, which is where most customers meet you first. Google also says that more reviews and positive ratings can help local ranking; see do Google reviews affect your local ranking?. If you look after only one site, make it this one.
2. Facebook
Facebook recommendations sit on your business page and are seen by customers who follow or check you there, especially in local and community-driven trades. They work as a yes-or-no recommendation rather than a star rating. See Facebook and TripAdvisor review removal.
The ones that depend on your country
3. Trustpilot
An open review platform anyone can post on, and a default reference in the UK and for online businesses everywhere. Its profiles often rank for a company’s own name. See Trustpilot review removal.
4. Yelp
Most important in the United States, especially for restaurants, home services and local trades. Its recommendation software decides which reviews are shown, and it asks businesses not to request reviews at all. See Yelp review removal, and why Yelp is different.
5. ProductReview.com.au
A major independent review site in Australia, covering products and services. If you trade in Australia and it appears for your name, it deserves attention. Our review removal in Australia page covers the local platforms.
6. HomeStars
A Canadian site for home services and trades, read by homeowners choosing a contractor. Our review removal in Canada page covers it alongside the other Canadian platforms.
The ones that depend on your trade
7. TripAdvisor
The reference for hotels, restaurants, attractions and travel businesses, read by visitors deciding where to stay and eat. See our review removal for hotels and restaurants page.
8. Booking.com and Expedia
For accommodation, the reviews on booking platforms are often what a guest reads at the moment of booking. They are usually tied to a completed stay, which changes what can and cannot be challenged.
9. Checkatrade and TrustATrader
UK directories of tradespeople where homeowners look for plumbers, electricians, builders and roofers, with reviews attached to each listing. See review removal for plumbers, roofers and HVAC.
10. Angi and Houzz
In the United States, Angi is widely used to find home-service contractors and Houzz for home design and renovation. Reviews there are read by homeowners comparing firms for larger jobs.
11. Healthgrades and RateMDs
Doctor and clinic review sites, Healthgrades mainly in the US and RateMDs in Canada and the US. Patients check them before booking, and healthcare privacy rules shape how a practice can reply. See review removal for dentists and clinics.
12. Avvo
A US directory of lawyers with client reviews, read by people choosing legal help. See review removal for law firms.
13. Zillow
In the US, agent profiles on Zillow carry client reviews that buyers and sellers read when choosing a realtor. See review removal for estate agents and realtors.
14. DealerRater and Cars.com
Car dealership review sites in the US, read by buyers before they visit a showroom. See review removal for car dealers and garages.
The one that affects who joins you
15. Glassdoor
Employer reviews by current and former staff, read by the people you want to hire. It does not cost you customers directly, but it shapes who applies. See Glassdoor review removal.
And the places that are not review sites, but act like them
Reddit threads, local Facebook groups, forums and complaint sites are not review platforms, but a thread about your business can rank for your name and be read like a review. Some that violate policy can be removed; others can only be answered or pushed down. See push down negative search results. Increasingly, AI assistants summarize all of the above when a customer asks for a recommendation, which is why the sites in this list matter even to customers who never visit them.
How many should you look after?
- Every businessGoogle, and Facebook if you have a page.
- Plus your country’s main siteTrustpilot in the UK, Yelp in the US, ProductReview in Australia, HomeStars for Canadian trades.
- Plus your trade’s sitethe one your customers name when you ask how they chose you.
- Plus Glassdoorif you are hiring.
For most small businesses that is three to five sites, which is manageable: claim each profile, keep the details right, reply to every review, and ask every customer for an honest review on the one or two that matter most. If you would rather not watch them all yourself, a monitoring service sends you every new review from each, and the free audit looks at every platform your business appears on.
About this guide
Written by the Erase Trax review team: specialists in review policy, working with businesses in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and the United Arab Emirates. Each guide is written against the platforms’ own published policies. Last reviewed .
- We never need your login
- We never buy, write or incentivize reviews
- The platform makes the final decision
