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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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Most Businesses Are Underusing Their Best Reviews

August 18, 2025 by Edward Silha

Cartoon-style illustration contrasting a dusty, neglected Google reviews badge on a dull website with a vibrant, well-organized review section displaying multiple five-star ratingsYou work hard for good reviews. You earn them one customer at a time. They land on your Google Business profile for everyone to see. And then… you stick a link in your footer and call it a day.

That’s the problem. Too many businesses treat reviews like a checkbox. As long as the score looks good on Google, they think the job is done. Meanwhile, the most convincing words about your business are locked away where only searchers will see them. If a potential customer lands on your website from anywhere else — a referral link, a marketing email, a direct type-in — those reviews are invisible. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Blog, SEO, WebDev Tagged With: customer engagement, customer testimonials, customer trust, customview, CustomView plugin, google business reviews, Google Reviews, local seo, online reputation, review display, social proof, trust signals, website design, 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
(312) 715-7806

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