How to get more Google reviews (and why they matter)
For a local business, reviews do double duty. They are one of the signals Google uses when deciding which businesses to show for local searches, and they are often the deciding factor for the person choosing between you and a competitor. Yet most businesses leave them to chance. A simple, consistent habit changes that.
Why reviews matter
- Ranking. Google has said that the number and quality of reviews are part of what influences local visibility. A steady flow of recent, genuine reviews suggests an active, trusted business, and reviews that mention a service or an area add relevance.
- Clicks. A strong rating next to your listing draws the eye and signals that other people chose you and were happy. In a list of near-identical results, a good rating can win the click even against a higher-ranked competitor.
- Conversion. People read reviews before they call. A good set of recent reviews reduces the doubt that stops a call or booking.
Responding to reviews also shows engagement, and it is visible to everyone who reads them.
Just ask, at the right moment
Most satisfied customers will leave a review if asked, and very few will without being asked.
- Ask right after a good experience, when goodwill is highest: at the end of a job, after a positive comment, or when a customer thanks you.
- Make it effortless. Use a direct review link, sent by text or email or shown as a QR code, so it takes one tap rather than a search for your listing.
- Ask in person or by message in your own words. A personal request works better than a template.
Make it a system, not a one-off
- Build the request into your normal follow-up, for example the message that goes out when a job is completed.
- Ask consistently, so reviews arrive steadily rather than in one burst followed by months of nothing.
- Respond to every review, positive or negative. Thank people specifically, and handle complaints calmly and in public once, then offline.
What Google does not allow
Several common practices break Google's policies, and they can lead to reviews being removed or a profile being penalised.
- Buying or faking reviews, or writing them yourself or through staff and friends.
- Offering a reward, discount, or gift in exchange for a review.
- Review gating, which means selectively asking only the customers you expect to be positive, or filtering unhappy customers away from the review link.
Ask everyone, accept what comes, and treat negative reviews as information. Our guide to handling a bad review covers how to respond.
Put them to work on your website
Feature genuine reviews on your site near your calls to action, where they tip interested visitors into customers. There is a rule to know here: review markup for reviews of your own business that you collect and mark up yourself is generally not eligible for star ratings in search, so use them as visible content rather than relying on markup to display stars. Our schema guide explains the details.
What good looks like
- A steady trickle of new reviews each month rather than a spike.
- A response to each one, within a day or two.
- Reviews that mention specific services and places, which happens naturally when you ask at the end of a particular job.
Reviews are earned slowly, which is why they are hard for competitors to copy. Start the habit now.