How to get more Google reviews without breaking Google's rules

Most happy customers would leave you a Google review if you asked at the right moment and made it easy. The trouble is that most businesses don't ask, or ask weeks later when the customer has moved on. Here's what works, and what to stay well away from.

Ask every customer

Not just the ones you think liked you. Ask everyone you've done work for, every time.

There are two good reasons for this. The first is Google's rules: its policy says businesses must not "selectively solicit positive reviews from customers". Asking only the people you expect to be happy is exactly that. We cover it properly in why asking only happy customers breaks Google's rules.

The second reason is that it works better. When you ask everyone, reviews arrive steadily instead of in bursts, and your profile shows what it's actually like to deal with you. That's what people searching for you want to see.

Treat it as a habit, not a campaign. A review drive once a year gives you a pile of reviews from one month and then nothing. Asking after every job keeps your newest review recent.

Ask soon after the job

The best moment is when the work is finished and the customer still remembers the details. For a plumber that's the day the job is done. For a physio it's after the appointment. For an accountant it's when the return has been filed.

The invoice being paid is a handy trigger. The work is finished, and the customer has just had a reason to think about you. Leave it three weeks and they've forgotten the tidy job you did, or they'll mean to do it later and never get round to it.

Make it one tap

Don't send people to search for you on Google and hunt for the reviews button. Send them a link that opens the review box straight away.

You can get this link from your Google Business Profile. Go to Read reviews, then Get more reviews (the share icon), and copy the link. The same screen gives you a QR code, but Google says QR codes can only be created in a computer browser, not on a phone. Google explains the steps in its help article on creating a link or QR code to request reviews.

If you have more than one location, each one has its own Business Profile and its own link. Make sure each customer gets the link for the place they actually dealt with.

Send a text from your business name

For most small businesses, a short text gets read sooner than an email. People check their texts, often within minutes. Emails sit in an inbox with everything else.

Email still has its place. Some clients, like those of an accountant or a lawyer, expect to hear from you by email. And if you don't have a mobile number for someone, email is the obvious choice.

Whichever you use, make sure it's clear who it's from. A text from an unknown number with a link in it looks like a scam. A text that starts with your business name and the customer's first name looks like what it is.

Keep the message short

A good review request has four parts: their name, a thank you, what it was for, and the link. That's it. No long paragraphs, no list of reasons why reviews matter to you.

Don't ask for five stars, and don't tell people what to write. Google's policy says businesses shouldn't request that specific content be included in a review. Just ask for a review and let them say what they think.

Here are three examples you can adapt.

Each one finishes with a way to opt out. That's good manners, and New Zealand's Unsolicited Electronic Messages Act 2007 requires commercial electronic messages to include a working unsubscribe option.

One reminder, then stop

People miss texts. They're driving, or at work, or they read it and mean to come back to it. One follow-up a few days later is reasonable and catches a lot of those people.

More than one reminder starts to feel like nagging, and you don't want a customer who was happy with the job to end up annoyed with you over a review. If they haven't responded after the reminder, let it go.

Never pay or reward people for reviews

This one catches out plenty of well-meaning businesses. Google's policy lists offering incentives, "such as payment, discounts, free goods and/or services", in exchange for posting a review as fake engagement. That covers a discount on the next job, a free coffee, a gift card, and entry into a prize draw for anyone who leaves a review.

The consequences can be serious. As well as removing the reviews, Google says it may restrict a Business Profile that breaks its fake engagement policy. That can mean no new reviews for a set period, existing reviews hidden for a set period, or a warning shown to people that fake reviews were removed.

Walk-in and cash customers

Not every customer gets an invoice by email. Cafés, salons, retailers and anyone who takes cash at the counter need another way to ask.

A small card or stand at the counter with your review QR code works well. Google suggests putting your review link on receipts and in thank-you emails, and printing the QR code for display in store. Your staff can point to it with a simple line like "If you've got a minute, we'd really appreciate a Google review." Say the same thing to everyone, not just the customers who seemed pleased.

If your invoices go through Xero, MYOB, ServiceM8 or Fergus, ReviewLoop can handle the asking for you. It texts every customer an hour after their invoice is paid, sends one reminder three days later, and then stops. You can see how ReviewLoop works if that sounds useful.

Reply to every review

Asking is only half of it. People reading your reviews also read your replies, and a business that replies to everyone looks like a business that's paying attention.

Good reviews only need a short, personal thank you. Bad reviews need a bit more care, and the way you handle them can win you more work than the review costs you. We've written a guide on how to reply to a bad Google review, with examples you can copy.

A simple routine to follow

1. Get your review link from your Google Business Profile.
2. Write one short message in your own words, with a way to opt out.
3. Send it to every customer within a day of the job being paid.
4. Send one reminder a few days later if they haven't responded.
5. Reply to every review within a day or two.
6. Put a QR code card on the counter for walk-in customers.

None of it is complicated. The hard part is doing it every single time, which is why it's worth making it automatic if you can.