How to get more Google reviews the right way

Reviews are one of the few things that help in two places at once. They help your Google Business Profile show up in local searches, and they help a stranger decide to call you instead of the next business on the list. For most local businesses, a steady flow of genuine Google reviews is worth more than almost any other single habit.

The tricky bit is doing it properly. Google has clear rules about reviews, and plenty of well-meaning owners break them without realising. Here’s a practical way to ask for reviews that’s honest, easy and works for a busy business.

Why Google reviews matter

When someone searches for a local service, the map results at the top show each business with a star rating and a review count. People use those two numbers as a shortcut. A business with a decent rating and recent reviews looks safer than one with none, even if both are equally good at the job.

Reviews also feed Google’s idea of how prominent and trusted you are, which is one of the factors in local ranking. Nobody outside Google knows exactly how much weight each factor has, and no one can guarantee a ranking from reviews alone. But reviews that mention your service and suburb in the customer’s own words are useful signals, and they’re something your competitors can’t copy.

What Google doesn’t allow

Google’s policies are strict about fake and manipulated reviews. In plain terms:

• Don’t offer incentives. No discounts, freebies, prize draws or payments in return for a review.
• Don’t write your own reviews, and don’t ask friends or family who haven’t used your service to do it.
• Don’t buy reviews from a service. They’re usually removed, and your profile can be penalised.
• Don’t selectively ask only customers you expect to be happy, or filter out unhappy ones before they can leave a review. This is sometimes called review gating, and Google discourages it.
• Don’t review your own competitors or post negative reviews about them.

Breaking these rules can lead to reviews being removed, the profile being restricted or even suspended. It’s not worth the risk, and in Australia misleading reviews can also run into consumer law. If you’re unsure, check Google’s current guidelines and the ACCC’s advice on online reviews.

Step 1: get your review link

Open your Google Business Profile while signed in as the owner. There’s an option to “Ask for reviews” or “Share review form” that gives you a direct link. Copy it. You can also turn it into a QR code, which is handy for a shopfront, a receipt or a business card. The point is to take people straight to the review box, so it takes ten seconds instead of five minutes of searching.

Step 2: ask at the right moment

The best time to ask is straight after the customer has seen the result: when the job’s finished, the meal’s been enjoyed or the appointment’s done. Sending the request two weeks later, when they’ve forgotten the details, rarely works.

Pick a method that fits your business:

• Tradies and service businesses: send a short text message or email the same day, with the link
• Cafés, shops and venues: a small sign or QR code near the counter, and a quick verbal “if you enjoyed it, a Google review helps us a lot”
• Clinics and professional services: an email follow-up after the appointment. If you work under advertising rules for health or legal services, check what you’re allowed to say and how you can use reviews on your own website
• Online businesses: include the link in your order confirmation or delivery follow-up

Step 3: ask in a personal way

A short, human message does better than a corporate template. Something like:

“Thanks again for having us out today, [name]. If you’re happy with how it went, a quick Google review would really help our small business. Here’s the link: [link]. Thanks so much.”

Notice there’s no promise of anything in return and no pressure to give five stars. You’re just asking for honest feedback.

Step 4: make it a routine, not a campaign

You don’t need hundreds of reviews overnight. A few new ones each month look natural and keep your profile fresh. Pick a simple routine:

1. At the end of each job, send the link
2. Once a week, check the profile for new reviews
3. Reply to each one within a few days
4. Once a month, glance at your total and your average rating

A sudden spike of dozens of reviews in a day, followed by nothing, looks odd to both Google and customers.

Step 5: reply to every review

A short, polite reply to each review shows you’re paying attention. For good reviews, thank them by name and mention something specific. For example: “Thanks Sam, glad the new switchboard is working well.” Don’t copy and paste the same reply every time.

For critical reviews, stay calm. Thank them for the feedback, acknowledge the issue without arguing, don’t share private details and offer to sort it out offline: “We’re sorry about the delay, and we’d like to put it right. Please call us on…” Future customers read how you handle problems, and a thoughtful reply can win trust.

Step 6: don’t panic about a bad review

Everyone gets one eventually. A single three-star review among dozens of good ones looks more believable than a perfect record. If a review is clearly fake, abusive, off-topic or breaks Google’s policies, you can flag it for removal. If it’s a genuine complaint, reply, learn from it and carry on.

Step 7: use reviews on your website carefully

Showing real reviews on your website builds trust. Use ones you’ve actually received, quote them accurately and, where needed, check you have permission to use a person’s name. Link back to the source so people can see they’re genuine. Never invent a testimonial or a rating, and don’t display star ratings you can’t back up. Some professions, including health practitioners, have specific advertising rules about testimonials, so check your own rules first.

If you’d like more on how reviews fit in with the rest of local search, my local SEO checklist for Australian small businesses and the Google Business Profile guide cover the wider picture.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Asking only once, then never again
• Making customers hunt for the review page
• Offering a discount for a review
• Replying to nothing, or only to the bad ones
• Getting all your reviews in one week
• Leaving your profile unclaimed, so you can’t reply at all

A quick action plan

• Claim your Google Business Profile if you haven’t
• Copy your review link and create a QR code if it suits
• Write a short, friendly request message you can reuse
• Ask the next five happy customers within a day of the job
• Reply to every existing review this week

I help businesses across Australia set up and tidy their profiles alongside their websites, from Melbourne to Adelaide. If you’d like a hand, send me your site for a free audit or book a free 15-minute call.