How to get more Google reviews for a local business

The simplest way to get more Google reviews is to ask every customer, at the moment they are happiest, with a direct link that opens the review box in one tap. Most people who had a good experience are willing to leave a review. They just do not think of it on their own, and they will not go looking for your profile to do it.

Reviews matter for two reasons. People read them before they call, and they are one of the main things Google looks at when it decides which businesses to show in the map results for searches like "plumber near me". We cover the other parts of local search in our local SEO checklist.

Get your review link

Google gives every business profile a short link that takes customers straight to the review form.

1. Sign in to the Google account that manages your Business Profile.
2. Search for your business name on Google, or open the Google Maps app.
3. In your profile tools, choose the option to ask for reviews, often labelled "Ask for reviews" or "Get more reviews".
4. Copy the link and save it somewhere you can reach quickly, such as a note on your phone.

Use that link everywhere you ask. Sending people to your profile and hoping they find the review button loses most of them.

Ask at the right moment

Timing makes the biggest difference. Ask when the customer has just felt the benefit:

• A trades business: when the job is finished and the customer has seen the result.
• A clinic or salon: at checkout, or by text an hour after the appointment.
• A shop or restaurant: with the receipt, or a follow-up text the same day.
• A service business: when you deliver the finished work and they say thank you.

Asking a week later works far less well. By then the moment has passed and the message gets buried.

Make it personal and short

A short, personal message beats a long template. For example:

Hi Sarah, thanks again for having us out today. If you were happy with the work, would you mind leaving us a quick Google review? It really helps a small business like ours. Here is the link: [your link]

Send it by text if you can. Texts get opened far more reliably than email. If you meet customers in person, a small card or sign with a QR code that opens the same link works well at the counter.

Make it a habit, not a campaign

A burst of reviews followed by months of silence looks odd and fades quickly. A steady trickle every week keeps your profile fresh. The easiest way to make that happen is to make asking automatic: when a job is marked complete or an invoice is paid, a text with your review link goes out by itself. We set this up for clients as part of our automation work, and it is often one of the first things we build.

Reply to every review

Reply to good reviews with a short thank-you that mentions what you did, such as "Glad the new bathroom fan solved the damp problem". It reads well to the next person and naturally describes your services.

Reply to bad reviews calmly and quickly. Thank them, acknowledge the problem without arguing, and offer to sort it out offline with a phone number or email. Future customers judge you far more on how you respond than on the complaint itself. If a review breaks Google's rules, for example it is spam or from someone who was never a customer, you can report it from your profile.

What Google does not allow

Some shortcuts can get reviews removed or your profile restricted. Avoid these:

• Paying for reviews or offering rewards such as discounts, gifts or entries into a draw in exchange for a review.
• Only asking happy customers. Filtering people first, sometimes called review gating, is against Google's rules. Ask everyone the same way.
• Writing reviews for yourself, or asking staff, friends or family to review the business.
• Buying reviews from any service, however real they claim to be.
• Posting reviews from one device or location for many customers, for example handing customers a tablet at your counter.

Fake or incentivised reviews can also break consumer protection rules in Canada, and they tend to be spotted and removed anyway.

How many reviews do you need?

There is no magic number. Look at the businesses that appear at the top of Google Maps for your main service in your area. Your goal is to have a similar number of recent reviews and a similar or better rating. A steady flow of new reviews matters as much as the total, because recent reviews tell people the business is still doing good work.

Want help setting it up?

If you would like review requests to go out automatically after every job, with your reviews and enquiries tracked in one place, book a free call. It is usually a small project, and it keeps working long after it is set up.