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Chicago-based Forward Technologies delivers IT support and cyber security to businesses in the Chicago area and nationwide.

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What Google Reviews Say About Your Business (and How to Make Them Work for You)

August 13, 2025 by Edward Silha

Cartoon-style illustration of a woman holding a yellow shopping bag while browsing Google reviews on her laptop, with multiple five-star ratings visible on the screen.Your reputation is already online, whether you manage it or not. For most people, it starts with a quick search. They see your name, your location, and your Google Business rating. Those stars tell a story before you get a chance to speak. They shape perception instantly.

A five-star average signals reliability. A handful of recent positive reviews makes you look active and engaged. A string of old or unanswered complaints creates doubt. People trust other people, and reviews give them a shortcut to deciding whether you are worth their time. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Blog, SEO, WebDev Tagged With: business credibility, credibility, customer feedback, customer trust, customview, CustomView plugin, google business reviews, Google Reviews, local seo, online reputation, review display, website conversions, wordpress plugins

Why Google Business Reviews Still Matter in 2025 (Even if You Think They Don’t)

August 4, 2025 by Edward Silha

Cartoon illustration of a man viewing a Google Business listing with star ratings and map details for a local cafe on a digital screenSome business owners have moved on. They chase TikTok trends, pay for placements in curated directories, and ask customers to leave reviews on niche platforms most people have never heard of. Yelp gets love from restaurants. TripAdvisor still holds sway for travel. But somehow, Google gets treated like old news. It’s useful for maps, sure, but often overlooked when it comes to customer reviews.

That’s a mistake.

Google remains the first stop for almost everyone. If someone hears about your business and wants to know if it’s legit, they’re not opening Yelp. They’re typing your name into Google. Right there in the sidebar, your star rating is the first signal of trust or trouble. It shows up before your bio, before your website, before anything else. Those stars, pulled from real users with verified accounts, carry more weight than most people realize. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Blog, SEO, WebDev Tagged With: business visibility, customer feedback, CustomView plugin, Google Reviews, local seo, online reputation, review display, wordpress plugins

The Problem with Google Reviews: They’re Powerful, But You Don’t Control the Presentation

July 30, 2025 by Edward Silha

A frustrated business owner staring at a cluttered, ugly “Google Reviews” widget on their website. The reviews are real, but the box looks clunky and out of place. Owner looks annoyed, maybe arms crossed.When someone searches for your business, Google shows them everything—your name, your hours, your map location, and, maybe most importantly, your reviews. Those little yellow stars carry real weight. One bad review can plant a seed of doubt. A string of five-star ratings can tip a visitor into becoming a customer. People trust what other people say. And Google, for better or worse, has become the place where those opinions live.

The problem isn’t with the reviews themselves. It’s with how little control you have over them once they’re out in the wild. You can respond to a bad review. You can thank someone for a glowing one. But when it comes time to showcase your hard-earned reputation on your own website, Google gives you almost nothing to work with. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Blog, SEO, WebDev Tagged With: customer feedback, customer trust, customview, Google Business, google business reviews, google maps reviews, Google Reviews, local seo, online reputation, review display plugin, review plugins, review widgets, small business marketing, small business tools, social proof, wordpress development, wordpress plugins

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Forward Technologies
747 N LaSalle
STE 500B
Chicago, IL 60654
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