Reviews on industry sites and the BBB
Beyond Google, Facebook and Yelp, the review sites that matter are the ones customers in your trade actually check, such as Houzz or Angi for home services, and the Better Business Bureau for bigger purchases. Claim your profile, keep it accurate, and respond to every review and complaint. BBB asks businesses to answer complaints within 10 to 15 days.
The short version
- Find the one or two sites customers in your trade really use. Ask a few customers where they looked.
- Claim those profiles and make your details match everywhere else.
- BBB handles both reviews and complaints. Respond to complaints within BBB’s 10 to 15 day window.
- Each site has its own rules on asking for reviews. Read them before you start.
- Don’t chase every site. A few, kept up well, beat many left to drift.
Which industry review sites should I care about?
It depends on your trade. A few examples of how industries split:
| Trade | Sites customers often check |
|---|---|
| Home improvement and contractors | Houzz, Angi, BBB |
| Restaurants, hotels and attractions | Tripadvisor, Yelp |
| Online stores and service companies | Trustpilot |
| Bigger purchases of any kind | BBB |
These are examples, not a ranking. The best way to know is to ask your customers how they found and checked you. Also search your business name and look at which review sites come up on the first page of results.
How do BBB reviews and complaints work?
BBB runs two separate things, and the difference matters.
Customer reviews
BBB’s review handling page says BBB confirms that the reviewer did business with you, checks the reviewer’s email or phone, and gives your business a chance to respond. Anonymous and compensated reviews aren’t allowed. If you disagree with a review, BBB’s process is to submit a response explaining your side.
Complaints
BBB’s complaints page describes a more formal process:
- A customer files a complaint with BBB.
- BBB sends it to your business and asks for a response within “10-15 calendar days.”
- The complaint closes with a status such as resolved, answered, unresolved or unanswered.
BBB says not responding “may have a negative impact” on your BBB rating, and that complaints stay public for three years. So answer every one, even if you think it’s unfair.
Do I need to pay BBB?
No. BBB’s FAQ says it publishes free Business Profiles, while accreditation is paid. Reviews and complaints can appear on your profile with or without accreditation.
What are the rules on other industry sites?
- Trustpilot. Its guidelines for businesses encourage inviting customers, but invitations must be neutral and not selective, and incentivized reviews aren’t allowed. It encourages polite replies, and says disagreeing with a review isn’t a reason to flag it.
- Houzz. Pros can request reviews from their profile, per its pro help page. Houzz moderates reviews before they appear.
- Angi. Angi’s article on asking for reviews describes a review request feature in the pro account and a personal review link.
- Tripadvisor. We couldn’t load Tripadvisor’s guidelines on October 31, 2026, so check its owner pages directly before asking guests for reviews.
Our guide to the rules on asking, platform by platform compares these with Google, Yelp and Facebook.
Why do industry sites matter?
A customer choosing a contractor for a big job may check a trade site or BBB as well as Google. These sites are also where unhappy customers sometimes go when they feel ignored. An unanswered BBB complaint, sitting there for three years, says more about you than the complaint itself.
What are the common mistakes and edge cases?
- Ignoring a BBB complaint because you’re not accredited. It still shows, and so does the lack of response.
- Treating a BBB complaint like a review. It has a deadline and a formal outcome. Respond to the substance.
- Paying for “premium” placement before checking that customers use the site.
- Asking for reviews on every site at once. Customers pick none. Choose one main site.
- Letting an old industry profile drift. Wrong details there send customers to the wrong place. See which directories are worth having.
What if this didn’t work?
- You can’t log in to an industry profile. Use the site’s claim or support process, as you would for any listing.
- A BBB complaint seems to come from someone who was never a customer. Check your records carefully first, since people use other names and addresses. Then say so plainly and politely in your response, with the evidence you have.
- An industry site won’t remove a review you think is fake. Reply calmly once. See spotting and reporting fake reviews.
How much does it cost, and how long does it take?
BBB says its business profiles are free. Check each industry site’s own pricing before signing up; most sell paid upgrades. Claiming a profile takes 15 to 30 minutes. Answering a complaint takes as long as it takes to sort the problem out, but get a first response in quickly.
How does E-3 handle this?
Our leads and follow-up service covers replies on industry sites too. Drafts are checked by a person and approved by you before anything is posted. BBB complaints often involve facts only you know, so ask us for a draft you can correct and send yourself.
Related questions
Sources
Next step
- Next: Showing reviews on your website, honestlyThe next guide in Reviews.
- Free website checkPublic checks on your own site, then an action plan of what to fix first.
Still stuck? Ask E-3 for an answer from our help guides.
Rather we handled reviews for you?
It’s part of what we do every week for small businesses, as part of leads and highlevel. Start with a free check of your site and profile, or call and ask.