How to Get More Google Reviews (Without Breaking Google's Rules)

For many local businesses, Google reviews do more selling than anything else online. Someone comparing two plumbers or two nail salons will often choose the one with more recent, specific reviews, sometimes even over a lower price.

Most happy customers never leave a review on their own. They mean to, then forget. Getting more reviews mostly comes down to asking every customer, at the right moment, in a way that takes them seconds.

Get your review link

Your Google Business Profile gives you a direct link that opens the review box for your business. Look for the option to ask for reviews in your profile, copy the link, and keep it handy. Some businesses turn it into a QR code for the counter or the invoice.

The direct link matters. “Find us on Google and leave a review” loses most people at the search step.

Ask at the right moment

The best time to ask is right after a good experience, while it’s fresh:

• A contractor, when the job is done and the customer says thank you.
• A salon, at checkout, while the client is still looking in the mirror.
• A restaurant, with the receipt, or in a follow-up email for online orders.
• A professional office, in a thank-you message after the appointment.

A short script works well: “We’re glad it went well. Reviews help a small business like ours a lot. Would you mind leaving one on Google? We’ll text you the link.”

Then send the link right away, while they’re still with you.

Make it part of your routine

One-off pushes fade. A habit keeps reviews coming:

• Add the link to your email signature, receipts and follow-up messages.
• Put a small QR code at the counter or on the invoice.
• Ask every customer, not only the ones you know best.
• Check each week how many new reviews came in, and ask more often if the pace drops.

A steady run of new reviews looks better to customers than a burst from two years ago, because recent reviews show the business is open and doing good work now.

What Google and the FTC don’t allow

Breaking these rules can get reviews removed or your profile restricted, and the Federal Trade Commission’s rule on consumer reviews allows for fines.

• Don’t pay for reviews or offer discounts, gifts or prize entries in exchange for them.
• Don’t ask only happy customers. Google’s policy forbids selectively asking for positive reviews, a practice often called review gating. Asking everyone is fine.
• Don’t write reviews yourself, or have staff, friends or family review the business.
• Don’t review competitors, positively or negatively.
• Don’t pressure anyone or ask them to write the review in front of you.

Honest asking is enough. You don’t need tricks.

Reply to every review

Your replies show future customers how you treat people.

Good reviews: thank the person by name, mention something specific, and keep it short. Avoid pasting the same line under every review.

Bad reviews: stay calm and reply once, briefly. Thank them, acknowledge what went wrong without arguing the details in public, and offer a way to sort it out, with a phone number or an email address. Many readers judge the reply more than the complaint.

Fake or abusive reviews: if a review breaks Google’s policies, report it from your Business Profile. A short, polite reply while it’s under review is still a good idea.

Show your reviews on your website

Reviews on Google help the people who find you on Google. Many customers land on your website first, so show a few there too: quoted word for word, with permission, credited with a first name or initials, and linked to your Google profile. A reviews page is one of the five pages we usually suggest for a small business site, and our post on what pages a small business website should have explains the rest.

If your profile is set up and you still aren’t showing up, our post on why a business doesn’t appear on Google Maps covers the other common causes. And if you’d like a website that shows your reviews off well, tell us about your business.