Before there were dedicated review tracking tools, business owners tracked Google reviews in spreadsheets. Here's how to do it manually — and why most people switch to something automated after a few months.
The Manual Google Review Tracking Spreadsheet
A basic review tracking template has these columns:
- ●Date reviewed
- ●Reviewer name
- ●Star rating (1–5)
- ●Review text
- ●Date you responded
- ●Action taken
- ●Notes
Every week (or whenever you remember), you'd visit your Google Business Profile, copy new reviews into the spreadsheet, and update your running average.
The Problems with Manual Tracking
Manual tracking works until it doesn't:
- ●Google only shows relative dates ('3 weeks ago') — you have to estimate exact dates
- ●It's easy to forget to check, especially during busy periods
- ●You miss reviews when you're on vacation or swamped
- ●There's no trend chart or automatic month-over-month comparison
- ●If you have multiple locations, it becomes a part-time job
What Automated Tracking Gives You
A tool like TrackReview replaces the spreadsheet with:
- ●Automatic review collection every 6 hours
- ●Exact dates for every review (not just 'a month ago')
- ●Email alerts the moment a new review comes in
- ●Monthly KPI report with trends and comparisons
- ●Rating breakdown (how many 5-star vs 1-star reviews)
- ●CSV export if you still want a spreadsheet
Who Still Uses Spreadsheets
Manual tracking makes sense if you get fewer than 2–3 reviews per month and don't mind checking once a week. For anyone getting regular reviews or managing multiple locations, an automated tool pays for itself in time saved alone.