How to get Google reviews (without cheating)
Google reviews often decide who a client calls and who AI recommends. How to ask for them, when, how to reply and what you must never do.
Between two similar businesses on Google Maps, people usually call the one with more and better reviews. And AI assistants recommending a local business read those reviews too. Reviews are not decoration: they are one of the biggest factors in being chosen.
The good news is that getting them is not about tricks, but about asking well.
The secret to Google reviews: asking
Most happy clients do not leave a review because it does not occur to them, not because they would not. Ask at the right moment and make it easy, and many will.
When to ask
- Right after a good result: at the end of a session that went well, when you deliver the work, when the client thanks you.
- Not weeks later, when they barely remember.
- In person or on the channel you already use (WhatsApp, email).
How to make it easy
- From your Business Profile you can copy a direct link to leave a review.
- Send it on WhatsApp with a short, personal message.
- If you have premises, put a QR code at the counter linking to it.
Example message: "Thank you so much for trusting me, Laura. If you were happy with how it went, a review would really help me, here's the link. Thanks!"
Reply to all your Google reviews
- Good ones: thank them with something personal, not the same pasted sentence.
- Bad ones: calmly, without arguing, acknowledging what is fair and offering to talk privately. People reading a negative review mostly look at how you respond.
What you must never do
- Buy reviews or ask friends who were never clients. It breaks the platform's rules and, in many countries including the EU and UK, fake ones can be treated as an unfair commercial practice.
- Offer discounts or gifts in exchange for positive reviews.
- Systematically ask only people you know will give five stars (Google forbids that too).
- Publish made-up reviews on your website or mark them up in structured data.
Reviews on your website
You can show real client reviews on your website (with permission) or link to your Google profile. They help convince people who land directly on your website. What you should not do is copy texts without permission or "touch them up".
How many Google reviews you need
There is no magic number, but there is a big difference between two and twenty. Consistency matters too: reviews that keep coming every month show the business is alive.
For everything else that helps you be found locally, see the local SEO guide.
What to do about a fake Google review
Sometimes a review arrives from someone who was never a client, or from a competitor. Do not argue or reply angrily: from your Business Profile you can report it so it gets checked. Google's contribution policies explain which reviews break its rules, for example fake ones or those not based on a real experience.
Meanwhile, reply calmly in one line, saying you have no record of that visit and offering to talk privately. That way, anyone reading the review sees you respond seriously. Besides, the best defence is plenty of real, recent reviews, because one isolated opinion weighs little among fifty good ones. For everything else that helps people find you, see the local SEO guide.
Frequently asked questions
Can I delete a negative Google review?
No, unless it breaks Google's rules (insults, spam, not from a real customer). In that case you can report it from your profile.
Do reviews on Facebook or other sites count?
They help your overall reputation and AI can read them, but on Google Maps it is Google reviews that count.
Should I reply with keywords?
No. Reply like a person. Stuffing replies with keywords shows and adds nothing.
Can I show my Google reviews on my website?
Yes, with the author's permission or by linking to your profile. More in testimonials on your website, and you can see reviews built into the design in the published work.