Reviews: get more of them and reply well.
Reviews decide whether people call you or the business next door, and they help you rank. Here's how to build them steadily and fairly.
The basics
Ask everyone, at the right moment
Ask every customer soon after the job or visit, with a direct link. One reminder is fine; offering rewards or asking only happy customers isn't allowed.
Recent reviews count most
Customers trust recent reviews, and local ranking studies suggest a steady flow matters more than a big total from years ago.
Reply to every review
Thank people for something specific, and answer complaints calmly within a day with a way to talk privately.
Guides
How to get more Google reviews: scripts that work
Text, email and in-person scripts, the right timing, and the mistakes that cost reviews.
Learn more about How to get more Google reviews: scripts that workHow to respond to Google reviews: templates for every situation
Replies for positive, mixed, negative, wrong-business and suspicious reviews, plus timing.
Learn more about How to respond to Google reviews: templates for every situationGoogle review QR codes: where to put them and how to make them work
How to make a review QR code, where it gets scanned, the right size and how to track it.
Learn more about Google review QR codes: where to put them and how to make them workHow to ask past customers for reviews
A simple, rule-friendly way to get your first wave of reviews from people you've already served.
Learn more about How to ask past customers for reviewsFrom the blog
Online review statistics for 2026: what customers expect from local businesses
How customers read reviews, the ratings and review counts they expect, what they want from replies, and the law on fake reviews.
Learn more about Online review statistics for 2026: what customers expect from local businessesHow many Google reviews do you need? A simple way to work out your number
There's no magic number, but there is a method: benchmark the businesses customers compare you with, then keep reviews coming every month.
Learn more about How many Google reviews do you need? A simple way to work out your numberFree tools
Google rating calculator
How many 5-star reviews you need for your next Google rating.
Learn more about Google rating calculatorReview gap calculator
How many reviews you need to catch the business ranked above you.
Learn more about Review gap calculatorReview reply generator
Three ready-to-post replies for any star rating.
Learn more about Review reply generatorGoogle review link and QR poster
Your direct review link and a printable QR poster.
Learn more about Google review link and QR posterKey terms
- Fake engagement
- Google's policy name for reviews that don't reflect a genuine experience: fake reviews, paid reviews, reviews from staff about their own business and reviews swapped between businesses. Breaking it can get reviews removed and profiles restricted.
- Google review link
- A direct link that opens the review box on your Google profile. Putting it in texts, emails and QR codes removes the steps that stop happy customers leaving a review.
- Net Promoter Score
- A score from asking customers how likely they are, from 0 to 10, to recommend you. Scores of 9 or 10 are promoters and 0 to 6 are detractors; NPS is the percentage of promoters minus the percentage of detractors.
- NFC review card
- A card or stand with a chip that opens your review page when a customer taps it with their phone. It works alongside a QR code, so customers can tap or scan.
- Private feedback
- A way for customers to tell you about a problem directly instead of, or as well as, leaving a public review. It must be an extra option: Google doesn't allow only sending happy customers to review sites.
- Review QR code
- A printed QR code that opens your review page when scanned. Put it where customers wait or pay: the counter, the table, receipts and invoices.
- Reputation management
- Monitoring, requesting and replying to reviews across Google, Facebook and other sites so your public rating reflects your real service. For local businesses it's mostly a steady habit, not crisis work.
- Review gating
- Asking customers how they felt first and then only inviting the happy ones to leave a public review. Google's policies prohibit it. Every customer should be offered the chance to review.
- Review incentive
- Offering a discount, gift or prize in exchange for a review. Google doesn't allow it. In the US, the FTC's rule on fake reviews (in force since October 2024) bans incentives tied to a positive or negative review, and in the UK, fake reviews and hidden incentivised reviews have been banned since April 2025.
- Review recency
- How recently and how steadily you get new reviews. Customers trust recent reviews more, and studies of local rankings suggest a steady flow matters more than a large total from years ago.
- Review reply
- Your public response under a customer's review. Good replies thank people for something specific, stay calm with complaints and move problems to a private conversation.
Want it done for you?
Review management
More reviews, AI replies and review widgets for your site.
Learn more about Review managementGet more Google reviews
Turn happy customers into a steady stream of new reviews.
Learn more about Get more Google reviewsReply to reviews with AI
Answer every review in your voice, in seconds.
Learn more about Reply to reviews with AIManage reviews across locations
Every location's ratings, reviews and rank in one dashboard.
Learn more about Manage reviews across locationsFeatures that help
Review requests
Text and email requests with a one-tap review link, sent after every visit.
Learn more about Review requestsReview page and private feedback
A branded page that takes customers straight to your review sites, with a private route to talk to you.
Learn more about Review page and private feedbackQR codes and tap cards
Trackable review QR codes and NFC tap cards for tables, counters, receipts and vans.
Learn more about QR codes and tap cardsAI review replies
A thoughtful reply to every review, drafted in your tone and the reviewer's language.
Learn more about AI review repliesAuto Respond
Replies to positive reviews automatically, and clears your backlog of old unanswered ones.
Learn more about Auto RespondReview monitoring and alerts
Reviews from Google, Facebook and 65+ other sites in one inbox, with instant alerts.
Learn more about Review monitoring and alertsOther topics
Local SEO
How Google decides which local businesses to show, and what you can do about it.
Learn more about Local SEOGoogle Business Profile
Set up, fill in and maintain the listing most customers see first.
Learn more about Google Business ProfileAI search
How ChatGPT, Google's AI answers and other assistants pick local businesses.
Learn more about AI searchCalls and enquiries
Answer every call and message fast, so searches turn into customers.
Learn more about Calls and enquiriesWebsites and ads
Local websites that convert, and ads that bring calls rather than clicks.
Learn more about Websites and ads
See where you rank before you spend another dollar on marketing.
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