How to write a good restaurant or business review
This is one EXCELENT example of what NOT to do when righting a restaurant or business review!
That is, avoid excessive capitalization and punctuation and check your spelling.
These are some of the tips offered by Google when it comes to writing a strong review. Last week, the search engine giant launched a City Expert program inviting Google+ users to post reviews of local businesses and restaurants in exchange for free swag and access to exclusive events in their city.
To become a local expert, users must contribute a minimum of 50 “high quality reviews” and five monthly posts in order to maintain their status.
Here are a few tips from Google on how to write a good review which can likewise be applied to other user-generated review sites:
-Be as specific as you can when writing a review. Highlight what makes the place special such as a signature dish, perhaps, and try to share something novel or new.
“...reviews should reveal the unique experiences that places offer.”
-Keep it real, says Google, by being authentic. Explain why you liked or disliked a place with accurate details, and include both positive and negative aspects of your visit.
-Be respectful when writing a negative review and make sure criticism is constructive for the business owners who use feedback to improve their offerings.
-Refrain from using the platform to air out personal commentary on matters of public debate, policy or politics as “there are other forums that are more suited to those kinds of conversations,” says Google. Instead, limit the review to your firsthand experience.
-Sometimes brevity is most powerful. The ideal length for a review is a paragraph, for instance. Avoid excessive capitalization and refrain from going exclamation mark-happy. Use good grammar, check spelling and avoid profanity. Writing with style will also attract more readers.
To start, the Google City Experts program is being offered in US cities such as Austin, Chicago, New York Phoenix, Portland, Raleigh-Durham and San Francisco, as well as UK cities including Bristol, Edinburgh, London and Manchester. It's also being rolled out in Sydney, Australia and Tokyo and Osaka in Japan.
vs/cm
