Get more Google reviews

When someone searches for a business like yours, your Google reviews are often the first thing they read. Most happy customers would leave one; they just never get asked, or it feels like too much effort. This guide shows you how to make asking a habit, make leaving a review take seconds, and reply to every review you get, all within Google’s rules.

Before you start

• Access to your Google Business Profile. If you haven’t claimed it yet, search Google’s help pages for “add or claim your Business Profile” first.
• A list of customers from the last month or two you could contact.
• The way you usually talk to customers: text, email, in person, or a receipt or invoice.
• About 30 minutes to set up, then a minute or two per customer.

Want to do it yourself?

Difficulty

4 out of 10

Estimated completion time

30–60 minutes to set up, then monthly checks

Skills you’ll need: Find your review link, write a neutral request, and respond to feedback while following review-platform rules.

I’ll do it myselfI’d rather get help

How this helps your brand

Honest reviews give prospective customers evidence from people who used your business. A consistent request and response habit supports trust on your profile and supplies useful feedback for improving your service.

1. 1

   Step 1: Know the rules before you ask

   Google removes reviews that break its rules and can restrict profiles that keep breaking them. Fake reviews are also against the law in many countries. Stick to these and you’re safe:

   • Never buy reviews, or pay anyone to write them.
   • Never offer a reward for a review: no discounts, freebies, or prize draws.
   • Never write reviews yourself, or ask staff, family, or friends to review you.
   • Ask every customer the same way. Don’t only ask the ones you think loved you, or send unhappy customers somewhere else so they can’t review.

   Tip: Google’s rules change from time to time. Search Google’s help pages for “prohibited and restricted content” and read the part on fake engagement. It’s short and worth five minutes.

2. 2

   Step 2: Get your review link

   Google gives every Business Profile a short link that opens the review box straight away. Sharing that link is the single biggest thing that makes reviews easier to leave.

   Sign in, open your Business Profile, and look for an option such as “Ask for reviews” or “Get more reviews”. Copy the link and save it somewhere you can reach quickly, like a note on your phone. Google may also offer a QR code you can print.

   Tip: Menus move around. If you can’t find it, search Google’s help pages for “share a link to your Business Profile for reviews”.

3. 3

   Step 3: Ask at the right moment

   The best time to ask is right after the job is finished or the order arrives, while the experience is fresh. Make it part of how you finish every job, not something you remember now and then.

   • In person: “If you have a minute, a Google review really helps a small business like ours. I’ll text you the link.”
   • By text or email: a short thank-you with the link, sent the same day or the next.
   • On paper: the QR code on a receipt, invoice, business card, or a sign by your till.

   Tip: Use the prompt at the end of this guide to write a text, an email, and a line for your receipts in your own words.

4. 4

   Step 4: Keep the message short and easy

   A good request is three or four lines: thank them, ask plainly, include the link, and say it only takes a minute. Don’t tell them what to write or how many stars to give. An honest review in their own words is worth far more.

   If someone doesn’t respond, one gentle reminder a few days later is fine. More than that starts to feel like pressure.

   Illustrated exampleA short request that leaves the choice to the customer

   N

   Northline PlumbingExample text · sent after the job

   1 Thanks for choosing Northline Plumbing today!

   2 Could you leave an honest Google review? It takes about a minute.

   3 [Your saved review link]

   We appreciate your time.

   Send the same request to every customer.

   1. 1
      Start with thanksKeep it warm and specific to the visit.
   2. 2
      Leave the opinion to themAsk for an honest review, with no reward or star rating requested.
   3. 3
      Make the next step easyReplace the bracketed text with your direct review link.

5. 5

   Step 5: Reply to every review

   Replies show future customers that a real person is listening. Reply to good reviews and bad ones, ideally within a few days.

   • Good reviews: thank them by first name and mention something specific they said. Keep it to a line or two and vary the wording, so replies don’t look copied.
   • Mixed or bad reviews: stay calm, name the problem, and offer to talk privately. The guide “Respond to a bad review or angry comment” walks through it.
   • Never share private details about the customer in a reply.
6. 6

   Step 6: Check in once a month

   Once a month, count how many customers you asked and how many reviews came in. If very few people are leaving one, try asking a different way: in person instead of by email, or with the QR code at the till.

   Read your new reviews for patterns, too. If several people praise the same thing, use it in your posts and on your website. If several mention the same problem, fix it.

   Illustrated exampleCount the reviews, then look for patterns

   September review checkIllustrative numbers

   Customers asked

   40

   New reviews

   8

   Reviews ÷ requests

   20%

   8 reviews from 40 requests. A starting point to compare with next month, not a target.

   Repeated praise

   “Explained the repair clearly.”

   Mention your clear explanations on your website.

   Repeated problem

   “I wasn’t sure when you’d arrive.”

   Try sending an arrival window before each visit.

I run [what your business does] in [your town or area]. I want to ask every customer for a Google review in a way that follows Google’s rules.

How I usually finish a job or sale: [for example: hand over the keys, send an invoice, customers collect in the shop]
My review link: [paste your link]
My tone is [for example: friendly and relaxed, or warm but professional].

Please write:
1. A text message under 40 words, sent the same day.
2. A short email with a subject line, under 80 words.
3. One line I can say in person at the end of a job.
4. One line for my receipts or invoices to go next to a QR code.
5. A gentle reminder text for a few days later, under 30 words.

Then write five short, different replies I can adapt when someone leaves a good review, each with a space for their first name and one specific thing they mentioned.

Rules: don’t offer any reward, discount, or prize for reviewing. Don’t ask for a five-star or positive review, and don’t tell customers what to write. Just ask for an honest review. Write in plain English that sounds like a real small business.