I’ll be honest with you: asking customers for reviews feels awkward. Nobody enjoys doing it. It feels like you’re begging for compliments, and there’s always that worry that someone might leave a bad review instead.
But here’s the thing. Reviews aren’t just about making you look good — though that’s part of it. They’re actually one of the most important factors in whether you show up in local search results. Google looks at how many reviews you have, how recent they are, and what people are saying. If you’ve got five reviews from 2019, you’re not going to rank as well as a competitor with fifty reviews from the last few months.
So, you need to get over the awkwardness and start asking. Let me tell you how to do it without feeling like a pest.
Why Reviews Actually Matter for Local Search
Before we get into the how, let’s talk about the why. Because understanding why reviews matter might make you more motivated to actually ask for them.
Google uses reviews as a trust signal. Think about it from their perspective — they want to show people the best businesses in search results. How do they know which businesses are good? One way is to look at what other people say about them.
A business with loads of positive reviews is probably doing something right. A business with no reviews, or only old ones, might be new, might be rubbish, or simply might not be very active. Google doesn’t know, so they’re less likely to show that business prominently.
Reviews also help with relevance. If people keep mentioning specific services or products in their reviews, Google picks up on that. If you’re a plumber and all your reviews mention “emergency call-outs” or “boiler repairs”, Google starts to associate you with those terms. That helps you show up when people search for them.
And then there’s the simple fact that people read reviews before choosing a business. Even if you’re ranking well, if you’ve got three stars and your competitor has five, guess who’s getting the phone call?
The Best Time to Ask
Timing matters. You want to ask when the customer is happy with your service, but not so long afterwards that they’ve forgotten about you.
For most businesses, the best time is right after you’ve completed the work or delivered the product. The customer’s satisfied, you’re still fresh in their mind, and they’re more likely to actually follow through.
If you’re a tradesperson, ask when you’re finishing up the job. If you run a shop, ask when they’re checking out. If you’re a restaurant, perhaps include it on the receipt or have staff mention it when saying goodbye.
Don’t wait a week and then email them. By then they’ve moved on and probably won’t bother. Strike while the iron’s hot, as they say.
How to Actually Ask (Without Being Weird About It)
The key is to be direct but not pushy. Something like: “If you’re happy with the work, I’d really appreciate it if you could leave us a review on Google. It really helps us out.”
That’s it. You’re not demanding anything. You’re not making them feel obligated. You’re just asking — and being honest about why it matters to you.
Most people are happy to help if they’re satisfied with your service. The problem is that satisfied customers often don’t think to leave reviews unless you remind them. They’re busy, they’ve got other things on their mind. A gentle prompt is usually all it takes.
Make It Easy
This is crucial. If leaving a review requires them to jump through hoops, they won’t do it. You need to make it as simple as possible.
The easiest way is to give them a direct link to your Google review page. You can generate this link from your Google Business Profile. Then you can put it on your website, in your email signature, on receipts — wherever makes sense for your business.
Some businesses create a QR code that links to their review page. Customers can just scan it with their phone and they’re taken straight there. That works well if you’re asking in person.
Don’t make them search for your business on Google and figure out how to leave a review. That’s too much effort. Give them a direct link and they’re much more likely to follow through.
What About Incentives?
This is a tricky one. Google’s terms of service say you’re not supposed to offer incentives for reviews — no discounts, no freebies, nothing like that.
But you can enter people who leave reviews into a prize draw, as long as you’re not requiring positive reviews. You’re simply rewarding people for taking the time to leave feedback, regardless of what that feedback says.
Personally, I think just asking is usually enough. Most satisfied customers will leave a review if you make it easy and ask at the right time. You don’t need to bribe them.
Responding to Reviews (Yes, Even the Good Ones)
Here’s something a lot of businesses don’t realise: you should respond to reviews — all of them. Not just the bad ones.
When someone leaves you a positive review, thank them. It doesn’t need to be long. Just “Thanks for the kind words — we really appreciate it!” or something similar. It shows you’re paying attention and that you value their feedback.
This matters for a couple of reasons. First, it encourages others to leave reviews. If they see you responding to everyone, they know you’ll see and appreciate their review too. Second, it’s another signal to Google that you’re an active, engaged business.
And obviously, if someone leaves a negative review, you definitely need to respond. But we’ll get to that in a moment.
What to Do About Bad Reviews
Let’s be realistic: you’re going to get bad reviews sometimes. Even if you’re brilliant at what you do, you can’t please everyone. Someone will have a bad day, misunderstand something, or just be impossible to satisfy.
The worst thing you can do is ignore bad reviews or get defensive. That makes you look unprofessional and worsens the situation.
Instead, respond calmly and professionally. Acknowledge their concern, apologise if appropriate, and offer to make it right. Even if you think they’re being unreasonable, take the high road.
Something like: “I’m sorry to hear you weren’t satisfied with our service. We always aim to get things right, and I’d like to understand what went wrong. Please give me a call so we can discuss this and see how we can resolve it.”
That shows other people reading the reviews that you care about customer satisfaction and that you’re willing to fix problems. It’s actually more valuable than having no bad reviews at all — because nobody believes a business with nothing but five-star reviews anyway.
How Many Reviews Do You Actually Need?
There’s no magic number, but more is generally better. If you’ve got ten reviews and your competitor has a hundred, they’re probably going to rank better than you, all else being equal.
That said, quality matters too. Ten recent five-star reviews are better than a hundred older three-star ones. Reviews with actual text are better than star ratings alone, as they give Google more information about what you do.
Aim for a steady stream of new reviews rather than trying to get loads all at once. A few reviews every month look more natural than fifty in one week and then nothing for six months.
The Review Platforms That Actually Matter
Google reviews are the most important for local search, so that’s where you should focus your efforts. But reviews on other platforms can help too.
Facebook reviews are worth having. Industry-specific review sites can also be valuable, depending on what you do. If you’re a restaurant, TripAdvisor matters. If you’re a tradesperson, Checkatrade or Trustpilot might be relevant.
Just don’t spread yourself too thin. It’s better to have lots of reviews on one or two platforms than a handful scattered across ten. Focus on Google first, and then maybe one other platform that’s relevant to your industry.
What If You’re Starting from Zero?
If you’ve got no reviews at all, that first one can feel like a big hurdle. But you’ve got to start somewhere.
Think about your best customers — the ones who’ve been with you for years, or who’ve told you how happy they are with your service. Reach out to them personally and ask if they’d mind leaving a review. Explain that you’re trying to build up your online presence and their feedback would really help.
Most loyal customers will be happy to help. Once you’ve got a few reviews, it gets easier. New customers see others have left reviews, so they’re more likely to leave one too.
The Long Game
Getting reviews isn’t a one-off job. It’s an ongoing process. You need to keep asking, keep making it easy, keep responding. It becomes part of how you do business.
But the payoff is worth it. More reviews mean better visibility in search results, which means more customers — and more opportunities to get reviews. It’s a virtuous cycle once you get it going.
And unlike paid advertising, reviews keep working for you long after the customer has left them. That five-star review from last month is still helping you rank and still convincing new customers to choose you. That’s pretty good value for a thirty-second ask at the end of a job.