What Google reviews do well
Reviews appear on Google Maps until their authors remove them.[2] As a business, you reply to them publicly.[1] For many practices and local businesses this is the route by which people find them anyway. Mocha does not replace it, and you do not need a Mocha account for it.
Where the limits are
The table below sets side by side what Google describes in its help and what Mocha does for reviews from your own form.
| Topic | Google reviews | Mocha (form) |
|---|---|---|
| Consent to display on your website | In the Google help pages on reviews that we checked, no consent of the authors for reuse is described.[1] | Consent per review with wording, version and time, withdrawal possible |
| Deletion | You can report any review, and only violations of Google's policies are removed.[3] | You approve every review, and on withdrawal it disappears from the widgets |
| Changes by authors | Authors can edit or remove text and rating at any time.[2] | If someone withdraws consent, Mocha takes the review out of all widgets |
| Selection and order | The Places API returns at most five reviews, sorted by relevance.[5] | You decide which reviews appear in widgets |
| Names | Authors are named, and Google requires attribution.[6] | Name display in four levels |
Asking for reviews
Google allows you to ask for reviews of genuine experiences, but prohibits incentives such as discounts and asking selectively for positive reviews.[4] For your Mocha form, your own rules and your own care apply: invite patients, clients and customers to leave a review, without anything in return and without selecting by satisfaction.
How Mocha complements Google
Mocha imports Google reviews, at most five per request, because Google returns no more through its interface.[5] Imported reviews have no consent through Mocha. The dashboard points this out, and the name rule of your space applies to them as well. In addition, you collect your own reviews with consent through the form.