Knowing how to get more Google reviews mostly comes down to two things: asking at the right moment, and making it take a few seconds instead of a few minutes. Happy customers rarely leave a review on their own. Most will if you ask them nicely and hand them the link.
This guide covers the link, the timing, what to ask for, how to reply, and the rules that can get reviews removed if you ignore them.
Why reviews matter for local search
Google's own help page on local ranking says review count and review score factor into how businesses are ranked. Reviews are part of what Google calls prominence, alongside how well known you are across the web.
They matter to customers too. Someone choosing between three salons on the map will read what people say about each one. A recent, detailed review often does more than a star rating.
Before you start, look at the businesses that show first on Google Maps for your main service. Note roughly how many reviews they have compared with you (say, your 40 against their 150). That gap is the one worth closing. Our guide to competitors shows how to compare yourself with the top three.
How to get more Google reviews: make asking easy
The biggest barrier is effort. "Find us on Google and leave a review" loses most people at the search step. Give them a direct link that opens the review box.
Get your direct review link
Every Google listing has a Place ID. Google's review link uses it like this:
https://search.google.com/local/writereview?placeid=YOUR_PLACE_ID
You can look up your Place ID with Google's free Place ID Finder, then paste it into the link. Your Business Profile also has an "Ask for reviews" option that gives you a short link. If you use Kerbrank, it builds the direct link for you from your listing and puts it in a ready-to-send message.
Put the link where customers already are
- In the text or email you send after an appointment or job.
- On your receipt or invoice.
- As a QR code on a small card at the till or left with the customer.
- In your email signature.
When and how to ask
Ask when the customer is happiest. For a salon, that is at the mirror when they love the result. For a tradesperson, it is when the job is finished and they have seen it working. For a shop, it is just after a good conversation at the counter.
Ask in person first, briefly and without pressure: "Would you mind leaving us a Google review? I'll send you the link." Then send the link the same day, while the visit is fresh. A second, gentle reminder a few days later is fine. More than that starts to feel like nagging.
Make asking a habit rather than a campaign. A steady trickle of reviews keeps your latest one recent, and it looks more natural than a sudden burst.
Ask customers to name the service
This is the step most businesses miss. Google groups the words people use in reviews into topics and shows them on your profile, such as "welcoming staff" or "lip fillers", with a count beside each.
Those topics show customers what you are known for, and they are one more signal of what your business does. If people only ever mention "friendly staff", nobody reading your reviews learns that you also do laser hair removal.
A Portsmouth skin clinic we track had "welcoming staff" as its biggest review topic (13 mentions) and "lip fillers" close behind (12). Laser hair removal, a service it offers and people search for, never came up at all. The fix was simple: ask customers who had that treatment to mention it by name.
Kerbrank compares your review topics with the services you track and flags the ones that never appear. You can do the same by hand: open your profile, look at the topics above your reviews, and list the services missing from them.
A sample review request message
Copy this and change the details:
Hi Sarah, thank you for coming in today, I hope you love your laser hair removal results. If you have a minute, we'd be really grateful for a Google review. It helps other people find us, and it's most useful if you mention the treatment you had. Here's the link: [your direct review link]. Thanks, Amy at [business name]
It thanks them, asks once, explains why, and names the service without telling them what to say. Keep it that way. Asking someone to mention the treatment is fine. Writing their review for them is not.
Reply to every review
Replies show future customers that someone is listening.
- Good reviews: thank them by name and mention the service naturally ("So glad you're happy with the new boiler"). Keep it short and don't copy the same reply every time.
- Bad reviews: reply calmly, apologise for their experience, and offer to sort it out by phone or email. Never share details of their visit or argue in public. Other customers are reading how you handle it.
- Fake or abusive reviews: you can report a review that breaks Google's policies from your Business Profile. Reply politely in the meantime.
Google's rules (and UK law)
Breaking these can get reviews removed and, in some cases, restrictions put on your profile.
- No incentives. No discounts, freebies, prize draws or payment in exchange for reviews, even for honest ones.
- No review gating. You can't ask customers whether they were happy first and only send the review link to the ones who say yes. Ask everyone, or no one.
- No reviews from staff, family or yourself, and none written on customers' behalf.
- No buying reviews or using services that post them.
UK consumer law also bans fake reviews and hiding the fact that a review was paid for or incentivised, so this isn't only about Google's policies.
Reviews are one part of a bigger picture. Our local SEO checklist covers the rest, and how to rank higher on Google Maps explains how reviews fit with relevance and distance.
Common questions
Can I offer a discount for a Google review?
No. Google doesn't allow any incentive for reviews, including discounts, freebies or prize draws, whether the review is positive or not.
Is it OK to ask customers to mention a specific service?
Yes. Asking them to mention the service they had is fine, as long as you don't write the review for them or tell them what rating to give.
Should I reply to old reviews?
Yes, if you haven't. Work back through them over a few weeks. It shows current customers you pay attention.
Can I remove a bad Google review?
Only if it breaks Google's policies, for example if it is fake, abusive or about a different business. Report it from your Business Profile. Otherwise, reply calmly and let your newer reviews speak for you.