How to get more Google reviews (and reply to them) the right way

When people compare local businesses on Google, reviews are often what tips the decision: how many there are, how recent they are, what they say and how the owner responds. Google's own help pages for Business Profile note that reviews and ratings are part of how local results are shown. The good news is that most businesses with happy customers can get more reviews simply by asking well and asking consistently. This guide shows how, and where the rules are.

First, the rules: what Google does not allow

Google's policies for user-contributed content on Maps are strict, and breaking them can lead to reviews being removed or restrictions on your profile. Before you start, make sure your team understands these:

• No incentives. Don't offer discounts, free items, cashback, entry into a prize draw or anything else in exchange for a review, even if you only ask for an honest one.
• No review gating. Don't ask customers privately whether they are happy and then send only the happy ones to Google. Ask everyone, or ask no one. Google's policy specifically says businesses should not selectively solicit positive reviews or discourage negative ones.
• No fake or bought reviews. Don't buy reviews, swap reviews with other businesses, or have staff, friends or family post reviews posing as customers.
• Let customers review on their own phones. It's safest not to hand customers a shop tablet or staff phone to review on. Reviews should come from the customer's own account, in their own words.

You can read the full policy in Google's Maps user-contributed content policy. If an agency promises you a set number of five-star reviews, walk away.

Step 1: Get your review link

1. Sign in to your Google Business Profile. You can manage it directly from Google Search or Maps.
2. Look for the option to ask for reviews, often labelled "Ask for reviews" or "Get more reviews".
3. Copy the short link it gives you. This opens the review box directly, which removes several steps for the customer.
4. Save the link somewhere your team can find it, such as a pinned note on your business WhatsApp or in your billing software.

Google's Business Profile Help pages show the current steps if the menu has moved.

Step 2: Ask at the right moment

The best time to ask is right after the customer has felt the value of what you did:

• A dentist or clinic: when the patient leaves feeling relieved, or the day after a follow-up.
• A salon or spa: at the counter, when they've just seen the result in the mirror.
• A plumber, electrician or AC technician: once the job is tested and working, before you leave.
• A restaurant or café in Ho Chi Minh City or Austin: with the bill, or in a thank-you message after a booking.
• A B2B service: after a successful delivery or milestone, not with the invoice.

Asking in person first and then sending the link works better than a cold message weeks later. People are glad to help while the experience is fresh.

Step 3: Make it effortless

Every extra tap loses people. Make the request short and send the direct link.

Hi Priya, thank you for visiting us today. If you have a minute, we'd really value a Google review. It helps other families find us. Here's the link: [your review link]. Thank you! – Dr Mehta's Dental Clinic

Notice what it doesn't say: it doesn't ask for five stars, and it doesn't offer anything in return. It simply asks for a review. In Vietnam, the same message can go out through Zalo; in the USA, a text message or email is common.

Other easy ways to share the link:

• A printed card or stand with a QR code at the counter, so customers can review on their own phone.
• A line and link in your email signature and on invoices or receipts.
• A short line on your website's contact or thank-you page.

Step 4: Make asking a habit for the whole team

Reviews come in steadily when asking is part of the routine, not a one-off campaign. A burst of reviews followed by months of silence looks less natural than a few each month.

• Decide who asks: the person who served the customer is usually best.
• Give staff the exact words to use, so they feel comfortable.
• Track it simply: how many customers were asked each week.
• Don't reward staff per review received, as that encourages pressure; reward the habit of asking.

Step 5: Reply to every review

Replies are public and are read by future customers as much as by the reviewer. Aim to reply within a few days.

Replying to positive reviews

Thank the person by name, mention something specific from their review, and keep it short. Vary your replies; copying the same line onto every review looks automatic. For example: "Thank you, Anh. We're glad the team got your office network running before Monday. See you at the next check-up."

Replying to negative reviews

1. Wait until you are calm. Never reply in anger.
2. Thank them and acknowledge the problem without arguing about details in public.
3. Apologise for their experience where it's fair to.
4. Offer to fix it offline with a phone number or email and a named person.
5. Don't share private details, such as a patient's treatment or a customer's order, in your reply.

A calm, helpful reply to a bad review often reassures new customers more than a page of five-star ones, because it shows how you behave when things go wrong.

What to do about fake or abusive reviews

If a review breaks Google's policies, for example it is spam, from someone who was never a customer, contains hate speech, or is from a competitor, you can report it from your Business Profile. Google reviews the report against its policies. It won't remove a review just because it is negative or you disagree with it. Meanwhile, reply politely and factually so readers see your side.

Reviews are one part of local visibility

Reviews work best alongside a complete, accurate profile and a website that backs it up. Our step-by-step guide on getting found on Google Maps covers the rest of the profile, and the local SEO checklist covers your website.

If you'd like help setting up a review routine, writing reply templates for your team or tidying your profile, ToBrand's Google Business Profile service covers exactly that, always within Google's rules.