This page sets out our ethical principles for online reviews, explains how we comply with the EU Omnibus Directive, and shows how Reeview.me sustains itself through review products and local SEO services.
Online reviews are the new word of mouth. They guide local search visibility, shape reputations and influence whether a small business, creator or charity is discovered, trusted or ignored.
At Reeview.me we believe this power deserves care, transparency and respect. These Ethical Principles explain how we approach reviews, what we publish, and the standards that guide every product, article and recommendation on this site.
On this page
1. Why this manifesto on online reviews exists
Reviews sit at the intersection of local SEO, consumer protection and user trust.
It is easy to ask for reviews as if they were an obligation, collect them as if they were just a metric, or treat them as a lever to push people instead of listening to them.
This manifesto exists to:
- define how we work with ethical review management and reputation building;
- align our content and products with current and upcoming regulations, including the EU Omnibus Directive (Directive (EU) 2019/2161) on consumer protection and online reviews;
- protect the people who write and read reviews from pressure, manipulation and noise.
2. Our view of reviews: a shared space, not a transaction
For us, a review is first of all a gift of time and experience, not a favour owed. Reviews help other people choose better and capture a real story that belongs to the person who lived it. We design everything at Reeview.me - from FRAME™, PRISM™ and TOWER™ QR code displays to the way we define our local SEO strategies, is built to support this idea:
- a QR code is a clear, optional invitation to share an honest opinion, not a trap;
- a display is a sign of honest presence, not an obligation to “pay back” the business;
- the act of asking for a review must always leave room for a free “yes”, a free “no” or silence.
3. How we believe reviews should be requested
We help businesses ask for reviews, tips, donations and follows. But how we ask matters.
Our review request flows and QR experiences are designed to be:
- Clear - people must understand exactly what they are being asked to do and where the review will appear.
- Context-aware - the request should follow a real experience, not appear randomly.
- Optional - saying “no” or closing the interaction must always be easy and guilt-free.
- Grateful - a review is something you receive and appreciate, not something you demand.
Whenever we propose scripts, on-table displays or call-to-action templates, we aim for simple, human and respectful asking that feels like a natural extension of the customer journey.
3.1. Plan your review goal ethically
A good review request should be clear, optional and based on a real customer experience. Before designing your review flow, it can help to understand your next visible rating goal.
Use the Google Review Calculator to estimate how many new reviews your business may need to reach the next visible step, then build a review request that stays fair, transparent and respectful.
4. Legal and platform compliance for online reviews (EU Omnibus Directive and beyond)
The review ecosystem is also regulated by law. In the European Union, the EU Omnibus Directive - Directive (EU) 2019/2161 modernises consumer protection rules and introduces specific requirements on the trustworthiness of online reviews.
In this context, Reeview.me is committed to:
- not selling, buying or brokering fake reviews of any kind;
- discouraging any practice that hides, filters or highlights reviews in a way that misleads users;
- encouraging businesses to be transparent about whether and how they verify that reviews come from real customers;
- respecting platform guidelines (for example Google, Meta, TripAdvisor) and applicable consumer protection laws.
Nothing on this site should be interpreted as an invitation to circumvent regulations or platform policies.
Our role is to help businesses earn authentic reviews within a clear legal and ethical framework.
5. Practices Reeview.me refuses to support
To keep the review ecosystem healthier and more transparent, there are lines we do not cross.
We explicitly do not:
- sell, buy or broker fake, paid or artificially generated reviews;
- encourage writing reviews on behalf of other people or impersonating real customers;
- design flows that punish or penalise customers who choose not to leave a review;
- recommend incentives that are conditional on leaving only positive reviews (for example “5 stars in exchange for a discount”);
- use dark patterns that hide the option to decline, close the page or skip the review step.
Where we see tactics that can be easily abused, we prefer to explain the risks, offer safer alternatives or avoid promoting them entirely.
6. Respect for people who read online reviews
In every local SEO and online review strategy there is a third, often forgotten party:
the people who read reviews to make everyday decisions.
They deserve to know, as far as reasonably possible:
- whether reviews are genuine and representative, not artificially filtered;
- whether incentives or campaigns may have influenced the volume and tone of reviews;
- when they are seeing a curated selection instead of the full picture.
Whenever we describe online review strategies, we encourage businesses to:
- avoid suppressing negative feedback solely because it is uncomfortable;
- respond to reviews in a respectful, non-defensive way;
- treat criticism as data to improve, not just as a reputation problem to hide.
A healthy review space protects not only businesses, but especially the people who rely on reviews to choose where to go, what to buy and who to trust.
7. Responsible use of paper and printed review displays
Our FRAME™, PRISM™ and TOWER™ products are designed as durable, reusable A4 displays that turn a single sheet of paper into a long-term review touchpoint. Even so, we believe that responsible use of paper is part of running an ethical, modern business. When using Reeview.me templates and printing review displays, we encourage you to:
- print only the designs you truly need, avoiding unnecessary duplicates or frequent reprints;
- choose recycled or responsibly sourced (for example FSC-certified) paper whenever feasible;
- optimise your QR and copy so that the same display can serve you over time, instead of being disposable;
- recycle or repurpose old materials when you update campaigns or branding.
Our goal is to make offline review signage more efficient, not more wasteful:
fewer, better-designed displays that serve both your customers and the environment.
8. Editorial standards for our content on reviews and local SEO
Whether it is a blog article on local SEO, a guide to online reviews or a product description, we follow a set of editorial standards to keep our content accurate and trustworthy.
8.1. Accuracy and honesty
We base our claims on real platform behaviour, regulations and hands-on experience.
When something is an opinion, hypothesis or experimental approach, we say so explicitly.
We do not promise guaranteed #1 rankings, 100% 5-star reviews or results that no one can realistically guarantee.
8.2. Updates and corrections
- review and update relevant content as soon as reasonably possible;
- remove or rewrite suggestions that are no longer ethical, compliant or safe;
- note important changes in the content itself where appropriate.
We prefer adjusting our guidance over keeping outdated tactics online just because they used to work.
9. How this project is sustained
Reeview.me is sustained by its own products (FRAME™, PRISM™ and TOWER™ QR displays), by local SEO digital services and by a small number of clearly disclosed affiliate links to complementary accessories such as display holders.
We do not sell reviews, we do not run review marketplaces and we do not offer services designed to manipulate ratings or hide genuine feedback. Any commercial activity around Reeview.me has to respect the principles stated in this manifesto.
10. Feedback, concerns and corrections
If you:
- notice an error or outdated recommendation in our content;
- believe a tactic we describe could be misused or conflicts with these principles;
- think something we publish is not aligned with applicable laws or platform policies,
we invite you to let us know. You can reach us here: Contact Reeview.me.
Please include the URL of the page, a brief description of the issue and any useful references such as screenshots or links to official policies. We review all reasonable feedback and, where needed, update or correct our content.
11. Data, privacy and examples
When we share screenshots, case studies or example flows for reviews and local SEO, we:
- anonymise or generalise sensitive details unless we have explicit permission to show them;
- avoid exposing personal data beyond what is strictly necessary to illustrate the scenario;
- encourage all users of our products to respect GDPR and local privacy laws when collecting reviews and contact data.
For more information on how we process personal data, please refer to our Privacy Policy.
12. Our commitment and an invitation
We do not believe in a world without reviews. We believe in a world where reviews feel like a conversation between people, not a scoreboard to game.
Reeview.me exists to:
- make the act of asking for a review more respectful and intentional;
- help businesses earn genuine, freely given reviews that improve local SEO and trust;
- protect the people who read those reviews when making decisions.
How we ask, defines the kind of world we lead people into.
13. Frequently Asked Questions
No. Reeview.me does not sell, buy or broker fake or paid reviews. Our products and services are designed to help businesses earn genuine, freely given feedback from real customers, in line with consumer protection laws and major platform policies.
We align our advice and tools with the EU Omnibus Directive by discouraging misleading practices, promoting transparency on how reviews are collected and encouraging businesses to verify reviews where possible and avoid hiding negative feedback.
Reeview.me is sustained through its own products (FRAME™, PRISM™ and TOWER™ QR displays), local SEO services, and a few clearly disclosed affiliate links to complementary accessories. We do not sell reviews, run review marketplaces, or offer services that manipulate or hide genuine feedback.