To get more Google reviews, ask every customer soon after a good experience, make it easy with a direct review link or QR code, follow up once, and reply to every review you receive. Never offer rewards, write fake reviews or hide criticism. Google prohibits incentives, and UK law now bans fake and misleading reviews.
Table of Contents
- The best way to get more Google reviews is to ask at the right moment and make it effortless.
- Customers need a Google Account to leave a review, so a direct link or QR code removes friction.
- Google strictly prohibits offering free or discounted goods or services in exchange for reviews.
- UK law now bans fake reviews and misleading review practices, with fines of up to 10% of global turnover.
- Replying to reviews, and not only collecting them, helps your profile stand out.
- Ask every customer, not just the ones you expect to be happy.
Why You Should Get More Google Reviews
Our guide on what local SEO is explains how local results work, and reviews are one of the most visible parts of that picture. Google’s own help page on local ranking says that more reviews and positive ratings can help your business’s local ranking.
Reviews also influence the person reading them. A profile with recent, detailed reviews tells a stranger that real customers have used you and been willing to say so. That is why so many businesses want to get more Google reviews, and why it pays to do it properly.
The Rules You Need to Know First
Before you ask for anything, it helps to know where the lines are. Google’s guidance on getting and replying to reviews says offering incentives, like free or discounted goods or services, in exchange for reviews is considered fake and misleading content and is strictly prohibited. It also says reviews must reflect a genuine experience.
UK law has tightened too. According to CMS’s briefing on the DMCC Act, the rules came into force in April 2025 and ban submitting or commissioning fake reviews, and publishing review information misleadingly, such as suppressing negative reviews. The CMA can impose fines of up to 10% of annual global turnover. This article is general information, not legal advice, so check the CMA’s guidance if you are unsure.
Nine Ways to Get More Google Reviews
Our guide to Google Maps visibility shows why a complete, verified profile comes first. Once that is in place, these nine habits work for most businesses.
1. Ask Soon After a Good Experience
Timing matters more than wording when you want to get more Google reviews. One expert quoted by Local Impact recommends sending a direct link within two hours of a positive interaction, while the customer still feels good about it. Treat that as one practitioner’s view, not a rule, but the principle holds: ask while the experience is fresh.
2. Share a Direct Review Link
Google says customers can leave reviews by visiting a Google link or scanning a QR code, and that they must be signed in to a Google Account. Use the review link from your Business Profile, so people land straight on the review box instead of hunting for your listing.
3. Put a QR Code Where Customers Will See It
A small stand on the counter, a line on the receipt or a card handed over with an invoice all help you get more Google reviews from customers who visit in person. Local Impact mentions placing prompts on counters, receipts or near exits. Keep the message short and explain what the code does.
4. Ask in Person, Then Send the Link
A friendly ask face to face is often the most effective, especially in service businesses. Follow it with a text or email containing the link, so the customer does not have to remember it later.
5. Personalise the Request
Generic asks such as “we’d love a review” tend to be ignored. Use the customer’s name, mention the specific job and keep it brief. People are more likely to write something useful when the request feels personal, which helps you get more Google reviews that actually say something.
6. Send One Polite Follow Up
If someone does not respond, a single reminder a few days later is reasonable. Local Impact suggests three to five days, and one expert claims it can double response rates, though that is an observed result and not published data. Do not send more than one, because pushing turns goodwill into irritation.
7. Add the Link in Everyday Places
Include your review link in email signatures, invoices, thank you pages and your website, so every touchpoint helps you get more Google reviews. Our guide to SEO for small businesses covers how to make these everyday touchpoints work harder.
8. Reply to Every Review
Google recommends replying to reviews as best practice, and advises sharing a helpful update instead of the same thank you every time. It also says to avoid using replies to offer deals or promotions. Thoughtful replies show future customers that you listen.
9. Ask Everyone, Not Just Happy Customers
It can be tempting to ask only people you expect to be delighted. Under the UK rules above, suppressing negative reviews is a misleading practice, so make the ask consistent. A mix of reviews also looks more believable than a wall of identical five star ratings.
What Not to Do When You Get More Google Reviews
Some shortcuts will cost you far more than they gain. Never offer discounts, gifts or entries into a prize draw in return for reviews, because Google prohibits it. Never buy reviews or write your own, never ask staff or friends to post fake ones, and never use your replies to push promotions.
If you receive a review you believe is fake or breaks Google’s policies, report it through your profile instead of retaliating. Our Local SEO Kent guide shows how honest review habits fit into a wider local strategy.
A Simple Message You Can Copy
Hi Sam, thanks for choosing us for your boiler service today. If you were happy with the work, would you mind sharing a quick review? It helps other local people find us. Here is the link: [your link]. Thank you.
Keep it short, name the service and include the link. That is all the message needs.
How to Measure Whether It Is Working
Our guide to how long SEO takes sets realistic expectations, and review growth is gradual. Track how many new reviews you receive each month to see whether your plan to get more Google reviews is working, your average rating, and the number of calls and direction requests from your profile.
If you want help setting up a consistent process, our local SEO services include review strategy and profile management.
Examples
These are illustrative scenarios rather than client case studies, but they show how asking for reviews tends to play out.
- A garage added a QR code to its invoices and asked customers at the till. Within a few months the number of new reviews each month rose noticeably, because asking had become a routine step.
- A salon offered a free treatment in return for five star reviews. Google’s rules prohibit incentives, and the practice put the business’s profile at risk, so it stopped and switched to a simple, honest ask.
- A plumber replied to every review, including a critical one, with a calm explanation and an offer to put things right. Later customers commented that the response made them feel confident about booking.
Ready to Get More Google Reviews the Right Way
A steady flow of genuine reviews builds trust with customers and helps your profile compete locally. At Atomic Artisans we help businesses set up honest review processes through our local SEO services. Take a look at our pricing, book a call with our team, or get in touch through our contact page to get started.
