How do I get more Google reviews?

Get your review link

Google gives every verified Business Profile a link and QR code that open the review form directly. Open your profile, choose Read reviews, then Get more reviews, and copy the link or save the QR code. Google notes that review QR codes can only be generated in a computer browser, not on a phone.

Put the link where customers already are: invoices and receipts, thank-you emails, the text confirming a job is done, and a printed QR code on a counter or leave-behind card. Customers need a Google Account to post a review, but Google points out they can create one with any email address, not only Gmail.

When and how to ask

Timing matters more than wording. The best moment is when the customer is looking at the finished work: the new roof, the cleared drain, the freshly coated car. Ask in person first, then send the link while the job is fresh. Asking is fine; requiring a review or pressuring someone on the spot is not.

These short scripts work because they are plain and easy to say.

• In person: 'If you're happy with how this turned out, would you leave us a quick Google review? I'll text you the link.'
• By text the same day: 'Thanks for having us out today. If you have a minute, a Google review helps other homeowners find us.' Then the link.
• By email for larger projects: a short thank-you, one sentence about the work, and the link.
• One reminder a few days later if they said yes and didn't get to it, then stop.

Turn asking into a habit

Most businesses don't lack happy customers. They lack a routine. Tie the request to a step that already happens on every job, such as closing the work order or sending the invoice, so nobody has to remember. Keep a monthly count of jobs finished and reviews received so you can see when the habit slips.

A steady flow beats a burst. Google's policy on rating manipulation treats unusual volumes or patterns of reviews as a warning sign, and its tips page notes that a mix of positive and negative feedback often feels more trustworthy to customers. Review requests are part of the local SEO work we quote, because Google lists review count among the prominence signals behind local rankings.

What you must not do

Google's Maps content policy and the FTC's rule on consumer reviews draw hard lines. Breaking them can cost you the reviews you already have: Google can remove violating reviews, stop the profile from receiving new ones for a set period, and show customers a warning that fake reviews were removed.

• No incentives. No discounts, gift cards, contest entries or free services in exchange for a review, or for changing or removing a negative one.
• No review gating. Google prohibits discouraging negative reviews or selectively asking only the customers you expect to be happy.
• No quotas or required wording. Google says staff shouldn't be told to collect a set number of reviews or to ask for specific content, such as naming a team member.
• No reviews from insiders. Owners, employees, relatives and business partners have a conflict of interest.
• Under the FTC rule, offering compensation or incentives conditioned on a review expressing a particular sentiment, positive or negative, is an unfair or deceptive practice.

Reply to reviews, including the bad ones

Replies are public, and the next customer reads them as closely as the review. Google's tips: keep replies short and specific, skip the sales pitch, and for a negative review, acknowledge what went wrong, explain what you can and can't do, apologize where it fits, and offer to sort it out by phone or email. Never share a reviewer's private details.

If a review breaks Google's policies, for example one from someone who was never a customer, you can flag it from your profile. Expect some lag: Google says policy checks can hold a review for a few days, and your average rating can take up to 2 weeks to update.

Keep reading

• How do I get my business in the Google map pack?
• How do I optimize my Google Business Profile?
• What is local SEO?
• SEO from Modern Apex