When someone looks at the map results on Google and has to choose between businesses, they look at the reviews first. How many reviews you have, how recent they are and how you reply to them affect both the customer’s decision and your visibility in local searches.
The good news: the most effective way to get reviews is to ask happy customers. Most customers do not mind writing a review; it simply does not occur to them, or they do not know how.
1. Get your short review link
In your Google Business Profile, the “Ask for reviews” or “Get more reviews” option gives you a short link that opens the review screen directly. Get it once and use it everywhere. When a customer taps it, the star rating screen opens; they do not have to search for you.
2. Send it on WhatsApp right after the job
The best moment is as soon as the job is done or the day the product is delivered. A short, personal message is enough:
Hello Ms Smith, thank you for choosing us today. We would be very glad if you could describe your experience on Google in a few sentences: [link]
3. Put a QR code at the till or on the table
For businesses with premises, turning the review link into a QR code and placing it by the till, on tables or on receipts works well. A customer who is waiting can write a review there and then.
4. Reply to every review
Write a short thank-you to positive reviews and a calm, solution-focused reply to negative ones. New customers read your replies, not just the reviews. A polite, concrete reply to a negative review often builds more trust than a five-star review.
When replying to a negative review:
- Do not argue or blame the customer.
- Briefly acknowledge what happened and say what you did about it.
- Ask them to contact you by phone or WhatsApp for the details.
5. Bring the topics in your reviews onto your site
If customers write things like “they arrived on time” or “they told us the price up front”, those are your strengths. Describe them clearly on your site. AI assistants also use the topics that come up often in reviews when they describe a business.
6. Be consistent
Rather than collecting twenty reviews in a week and then none for months, a few new reviews every month is more natural and keeps your profile looking current. Make asking for a review a habit at the end of every job.
What not to do
Google’s review rules are clear, and breaking them can get reviews removed or even your profile restricted:
- Do not give discounts, gifts or money in return for reviews. Incentivised reviews are not allowed.
- Do not write fake reviews or buy reviews. That includes reviews written by you, your staff or people you know.
- Do not ask only the customers you know are happy and filter out the rest. Google treats selective review gathering as a breach of its rules too.
- Do not write, or have someone write, negative reviews for competitors.
In short
Get your review link, ask right after the job and reply to every review. Done steadily for a few months, it makes a visible difference.
To make sure your Google Business Profile is complete, see our profile guide. On the Visibility and Growth plans we support you with your profile; details are on the pricing page.