A Beginner’s Guide to Building an Online Review Policy

Building an online review policy requires setting transparent rules that ensure reviews come from real customers and accurately represent their experiences.

Follow Core FTC Principles

The Federal Trade Commission outlines basic expectations under Section 5 of the FTC Act for any company that collects or displays customer reviews. These include avoiding requests targeted only at likely positive reviewers and never conditioning incentives on review sentiment. Companies must also avoid discouraging negative feedback and apply the same verification standards to all submissions.

Review platforms should maintain reasonable processes to confirm reviews are genuine rather than fake or manipulated. When technology or threats evolve, these processes need updating. Positive and negative reviews receive equal treatment during moderation, and edits must never alter the original message.

Choose Collection and Verification Methods

Decide between open systems that accept reviews from any visitor and closed systems limited to verified purchasers. Open systems require stronger verification steps because they face higher risks of illegitimate submissions. Document how you confirm reviewer identity and purchase status so the policy remains consistent.

Offer incentives only when they apply equally to all reviews, and disclose any material connections between reviewers and your business. Label incentivized reviews clearly so readers understand the context.

Set Moderation and Display Rules

Define criteria for removing reviews that violate stated policies such as obscenity or harassment. Apply these criteria uniformly and record decisions for accountability. Publish all genuine reviews rather than selectively featuring positive ones.

Display reviews without misleading prominence given to favorable content. Provide clear explanations of how overall ratings are calculated and whether minimum length or format requirements apply. When a reviewer has received compensation or free products, the relationship must appear conspicuously in the published review.

Handle Post-Publication Issues

Establish procedures to investigate reports of suspicious reviews after they appear. Actions may include removal, labeling, or alerts to readers. Maintain records of investigations and outcomes to demonstrate consistent application of the policy.

Respond to customer or business notifications about potentially fake reviews promptly and document the steps taken. This ongoing vigilance helps preserve the integrity of the displayed feedback.

Document and Communicate the Full Policy

Write the policy in plain language that covers collection methods, verification steps, moderation criteria, display practices, and rating calculations. Make the document publicly available on your site so both customers and review requesters understand expectations in advance.

Update the policy whenever processes change and notify users of material revisions. Consistent documentation reduces repeated inquiries and supports fair treatment of all reviews.

Monitor Performance and Adjust

Track the volume and sentiment of reviews across priority platforms. Set up alerts for new mentions and schedule periodic audits of displayed content. Use findings to refine verification or moderation steps while staying aligned with the original policy goals.

Regular review of the policy itself ensures it continues to reflect current practices and regulatory expectations. FTC guide on featuring online customer reviews supplies the foundational principles. Additional practical steps appear in resources from Boast, GatherUp, and BrightLocal.