Introduction 

Google ratings are today’s word-of-mouth—visible, sortable, unforgiving. A dip from 4.4 to 4.1 can sink click-through by 19 % (BrightLocal, 2025). Sustaining 4.5+ is equal parts process and psychology. 

1 Engineer Review Volume, Not Pleas 

Set an “RVR” (Review Velocity Requirement) = 2 % of monthly footfall. For a 3,000-cover restaurant that’s 60 new reviews/month. Automate SMS + QR prompts; manual begging won’t scale. 

2 Reply Blueprint: The 3 × 3 Rule 

• Within 3 hours for negatives, 24 hours for positives. 

• 3-part structure: Thank →Specific detail →Next step. 

• Max 3 sentences—Google truncates after 409 characters. 

3 Negative Review Triage 

Score	Action	Owner
3★	Polite probe	ORM exec
2★	Offline call in <6 h	Duty manager
1★	GM callback + goodwill voucher	Brand head

Turn 30 % of haters into advocates; track re-rating rates. 

4 The “Micro-Moment” Photo Hack 

Google prioritises businesses that add fresh photos weekly. Schedule 1 photo/day upload from shoot backlog—algorithmic freshness without new shoots. 

5 Cross-Platform Echo 

Sync Zomato & Swiggy replies into your GMB knowledge panel via schema markup—signals consistency, boosts E-E-A-T. 

Conclusion & CTA 

Ratings don’t manage themselves—but Picaro’s ReviewOS can. Book a 15-day ORM trial and watch your stars climb.