How do I get more Google reviews?

Ask at the right moment

The best time to ask is when the customer feels the result. For a landscaper, it’s when the new yard is finished. For a renovation contractor, it’s the final walkthrough. For a restaurant, it’s the receipt or a follow-up email the next day.

Ask in person if you can, then follow with a message containing a direct review link. You’ll find a “request reviews” or share link inside your Google Business Profile. Removing steps matters. People mean to leave reviews and then forget.

Build it into your routine

Steady reviews do more than a burst. A business with recent reviews looks active. One with forty reviews from three years ago and nothing since raises questions.

• Add the review link to your invoice or job completion email.
• Print a small card with a QR code for in-person businesses.
• Train staff to ask as part of wrapping up every job.

Keep the ask simple and personal. “It would really help us if you shared how it went” works better than a long template. Make it easy to say yes, and don’t chase anyone who doesn’t.

If you’re in a regulated health profession, check your college’s advertising standards first. Some restrict asking patients for reviews or featuring them.

What not to do, and replying well

Google’s policies prohibit offering incentives for reviews and selectively asking only happy customers, often called review gating. Fake reviews can be removed and your profile restricted. Canada’s Competition Bureau has also warned that fake reviews, or reviews from staff that don’t disclose the connection, can breach the Competition Act.

Reply to every review. Thank people specifically. For a negative one, respond calmly, acknowledge the issue and offer to talk offline. Future customers read your replies as much as the reviews. Online reviews are also a strong form of social proof on your website, so feature a few, accurately quoted.

I usually suggest clients add their review link to whatever they already send at the end of a job, an invoice, a thank-you email or a job summary. It’s the lowest-effort way to make asking automatic. On the website itself, I show a few real reviews near the top of key pages, quoted accurately and attributed, unless the client’s professional rules restrict testimonials. And I encourage replying to every one, briefly and personally. A thoughtful reply to a critical review can win more trust than another five-star rating.