How to get more Google reviews for your business

You get more Google reviews by asking every customer, at the moment the job is done, with a link that takes one tap to use. Then you reply to every review you get, good or bad. And you never pay or reward anyone for a review: Google doesn’t allow it, and it removes reviews that break its rules.

How do I get more Google reviews for my business?

Ask for them, every time. Plenty of happy customers never think to leave a review unless someone asks, so a business that asks every customer, as a habit, builds up reviews steadily.

Make it as easy as you can. Your Google Business Profile gives you a review link and a QR code that open the review box for your business straight away, so nobody has to search for you first. Google’s own tips to get more reviews show where to find them.

Then put the link where your customers already are:

• in a text, WhatsApp or email the same day the job is done
• on your invoice or receipt
• as a QR code on a card you leave behind, or on the counter if customers come to you

Keep the message short and personal. Something like: “Thanks for choosing us today. If you have a minute, a Google review really helps a small business like ours.” Add the link, and that’s all it needs.

When is the best time to ask a customer for a review?

Straight after the job, while they can see the result and are pleased with it. For a plumber, that’s when the leak is fixed and the water’s back on. For a hair salon, it’s when the client is looking in the mirror at the end of the appointment.

Ask in person if you can, then send the link the same day, while it’s fresh. If they haven’t left one after a few days, one friendly reminder is plenty. Ask every customer, not only the ones you think were happiest: picking and choosing who to ask gives people a picture of your business that isn’t the whole story.

Is it allowed to offer something for a review?

No. Google’s rules for reviews on Maps don’t allow reviews that a business has rewarded, whether that’s money, a discount or something free. The same goes for offering something in return for changing or taking down a bad review.

Don’t write reviews for your own business, and don’t ask staff, friends or family to review you as if they were customers. Reviews like these get taken down, and a few honest reviews are worth far more than a pile that could disappear.

Should I reply to every Google review, including bad ones?

Yes. A reply shows the next person reading your reviews that you notice what customers say and care about it.

For a good review, a short, warm thank you is enough, ideally mentioning the job. For a bad one, reply calmly: thank them for the feedback, say sorry where it’s due, and offer to sort it out directly. Never argue in public, and never share anything about the customer or their job. People do read the bad reviews, and a fair, polite reply shows them how you deal with a problem.

PeterJames Scalp & Hair Clinic, a salon and scalp clinic we work with in Edinburgh, have a reply on all 73 of their Google reviews.

Do Google reviews help you show up on Google Maps?

Yes, they’re part of it. Google says local results are based mainly on relevance, distance and prominence, and that the number of Google reviews a business has and its rating count towards how it ranks.

Reviews alone won’t put you in the top 3, though. Your listing also has to match what people search for, with the right categories and services, and Google weighs how close you are to the person searching. That’s why reviews are one part of the local SEO we do for businesses in Edinburgh, alongside the listing itself and the website it links to.

Once you have the reviews, use them: show your rating and a few recent reviews on your website, close to your quote or booking button. Our guide to what a tradesperson’s website needs to bring in quote requests covers where to put them.