Reviews are what matters most when someone is choosing between your business and the one next door. It is not just the rating: the number of reviews, how recent they are and how you reply all count. The good news is that most happy customers would leave a review; nobody simply asked them at the right moment.
First, what you must not do
Google has clear rules, and breaking them can get reviews removed or your profile penalised:
- Don’t offer anything in return: no discounts, free coffee or prize draws for leaving a review.
- Don’t only ask happy customers. Google does not allow selectively asking for reviews from people you know will give five stars. Ask all your customers.
- Don’t write your own reviews or ask family or staff to write them. As well as breaking Google’s rules, EU consumer law bans fake reviews.
Ask at the right moment
The best moment is right after the customer has been well looked after: when paying, collecting an order or when the job is finished. One sentence is enough: “If you have a minute, a Google review would really help us.”
Make it easy with a direct link
From your Google profile you can get a link that opens the review window directly. You can:
- Send it on WhatsApp after an order or appointment.
- Put it in a QR code next to the till or on the receipt.
- Add it at the end of your emails or quotes.
The fewer steps, the more reviews. If customers have to search for you on Google Maps and find the button, most won’t.
Reply to all of them, including the bad ones
People who read your reviews also read your replies. A polite reply to criticism builds more trust than ten unanswered five-star reviews. For negative ones, a simple structure:
- Thank them for taking the time to write.
- Acknowledge what went wrong, without arguing or long explanations.
- Say what you have done or will do so it doesn’t happen again.
- Offer to talk by phone or in person.
For the good ones, a short personal line is enough. What matters is showing there is a person behind the business.
Steady beats bursts
Ten reviews in one week and then nothing for a year looks suspicious and ages quickly. It is better to always ask, as part of your routine, and let them come in gradually.