How to get more Google reviews, within the rules
Most happy customers would leave a review if they were asked at the right moment and it took ten seconds. The work is in asking consistently and making it easy, without crossing the lines that get reviews removed or a profile suspended.
Get your review link
In your Business Profile, use the option to ask for reviews and copy the short link Google gives you. It opens the review form for your business directly, so customers don't have to search for you. Save it somewhere your staff can reach it.
Ask at the right moment
The best moment is just after the customer has got what they came for: at check-out from a hotel, when a parcel arrives, when a car is collected after a service, at the end of a trip. Ask in person if you can, then send the link on WhatsApp the same day, while it's fresh.
Make it easy
- Send the direct link, not instructions to find you on Maps
- A small QR or NFC card at the counter, in the room or in the car lets people review on their own phone. See review cards.
- Add the link to receipts, invoices and order emails
- Keep the request short and personal, in the language your customers use
What not to do
Google's rules are clear, and breaking them can get reviews removed or the profile restricted:
- Don't offer anything in return: no discounts, gifts, free services or entries into draws
- Don't ask only the customers you expect to be happy. Ask everyone the same way.
- Don't write reviews for yourself, or ask staff, family or friends to review the business
- Don't buy reviews or swap them with other businesses
- Don't hand customers your own tablet or phone to leave a review on; they should use their own
Reply to every review
Replies are read by future customers more than by the reviewer. Thank people for positive reviews, mentioning something specific. Answer negative ones calmly, without arguing or sharing private details, and say what you've done about the problem. A good reply to a bad review often reassures people more than another five-star rating.
If a review breaks the rules
You can report reviews that are spam, offensive, off-topic or written by someone who was never a customer. You can't remove a review just because it's negative. Report once, through the profile, and focus on getting more genuine reviews; they dilute the effect of an unfair one.
Make it a habit
A steady trickle of recent reviews looks more trustworthy than a burst followed by silence. Building the ask into your routine, such as every check-out or every delivery, does more than any campaign. Reviews are one part of local SEO, alongside a complete, accurate Business Profile.