How to get more Google reviews?

Why so few customers leave a review on their own

A satisfied customer simply doesn't think of rating you: it's done, it was good, they move on. The one who thinks of it unprompted is more often the unhappy one. Without actively asking, your rating reflects your worst days — that's mechanical, not unfair.

The routine that works

1. The right moment: in the moment

The compliment at the counter, the end of the job, the client looking at herself in the mirror: that's when the ask works. The next day, the urge is gone.

2. The direct link, not "look us up on Google"

Every extra step halves the reviews. Google provides a short review link (in the profile interface: "Ask for reviews"): put it as a QR code on the counter, the bill, the invoice, the receipt — and in a thank-you text or WhatsApp message.

3. The simple sentence, said by a human

"If you have two minutes, a Google review helps us enormously — it's what keeps a business like ours alive." Said in person and then followed up with a message containing the link, that sentence does more than any anonymous automation.

4. Steadiness over the one-off campaign

Ten reviews a month for a year beat a hundred reviews in January and then nothing: Google and readers both see freshness. A sudden burst of reviews can even trigger Google's anti-fraud filters.

5. Reply to every review you receive

Your reply is visible to every future customer — and a customer who sees you reply understands their review will matter. It's a loop: replies feed the next asks (our reply method).

What Google's rules forbid — really

• Buying reviews, writing them yourself, having friends and family write them: detection keeps improving, and penalties hit the entire profile. Consumer-protection authorities also go after fake reviews.
• Offering a reward for a review — a discount, a free coffee, a prize draw: forbidden by Google, even for honest reviews.
• "Review gating": asking "were you satisfied?" first and only sending the link to the happy ones. Forbidden — the ask has to go to everyone.

The good news: the honest routine is enough. It's just rarely kept up — it's a matter of consistency, not technique.

And what are reviews actually for?

Three combined effects: local ranking (count, rating, freshness and replies weigh in the algorithm — see why don't I show up on Maps), conversion (the rating gets read before your name does), and AI assistants, which mine the text of reviews for the words they reuse to describe you (how to appear in ChatGPT).

Frequently asked questions

Can I send the review request by text or WhatsApp?

Yes, and it's actually the channel that converts best: a personal thank-you message with the direct link, sent the same day. Stick to real, recent customers, no mass messaging.

A customer wants to leave a review but has no Google account. What then?

One is required — that's the flip side of Google reviews being trustworthy. Most people have one without knowing it (any Gmail address, any Android phone). Otherwise, their testimonial can live elsewhere: your website, your social accounts.

Bought Google reviews — can you really tell?

Yes, more and more: profiles with no history, sudden waves, similar phrasing. And an attentive reader spots them too. The risk — mass removal, a penalised profile, a burned reputation — is out of all proportion to the gain.