Collect Google reviews: how to ask the right way.
Reviews help decide whether customers call you or go to a competitor. Here is how to collect them fairly and within Google’s rules.
By Patryk Awierianow ·
Ask satisfied customers right after the job and send them the link to your Google Business Profile. Under Google’s rules you may not buy or reward reviews, and you may not pick only happy customers. Reply to every review, including critical ones.
Why reviews matter
Stars and the number of reviews are the first thing customers see in Google Maps and in search. Someone choosing between two businesses often picks the one with better and more recent reviews. According to Google’s own guidance, good reviews can also improve visibility in local results.
Step by step
- 01Check the profile
Name, address, phone number and category match your website.
- 02Get the link
The profile has a link that takes customers straight to the review window.
- 03Ask directly
Best right after the job, in person or on WhatsApp.
- 04Reply
Thank people for every review and answer criticism calmly.
A sample message for WhatsApp:
“Hello [name], thank you for the good cooperation! If you are happy, a short Google review would help us a lot. It takes a minute: [link]. Thank you!”
What you should not do
- Buy reviews or offer something in return, such as a discount or a gift.
- Pick only satisfied customers and not ask the others.
- Write reviews yourself or have staff and friends write them.
- Ignore criticism or argue.
These are Google’s rules. Breaking them can lead to reviews being removed.
Replying to critical reviews
Stay calm and factual, thank the person for the feedback and offer a solution. Future customers read your reply too. A polite answer shows that customers matter to you. If a review breaks Google’s guidelines, for example through insults or because it clearly does not come from a customer, you can report it in the profile.
Round out the profile
Reviews work best on a complete profile: a fitting main category, current opening hours, phone number and address exactly as on your website, and a few good photos. How that works is covered in the article Google Business Profile.
Honestly: nobody can promise a certain number of stars or a place on the map, including us. Genuine reviews grow with good work and the courage to ask regularly.
Terms in this article
Explained simply, without jargon.
- Google Business Profile
- Your entry on Google Maps and in search, with address, opening hours, phone, photos and reviews. More
- Review
- A customer’s opinion with stars and text, publicly visible in your Google profile.
- Category
- The type of business named in the profile, for example “Website designer”. It helps Google understand what you want to be found for.
Frequently asked questions
How many reviews do I need?
There is no fixed number. What matters are genuine, recent reviews that keep coming in.
May I give customers something?
No. Under Google’s rules reviews must not be rewarded, not even with a discount.
What if I get an unfair review?
Reply calmly. If it breaks Google’s guidelines you can report it in the profile. You cannot delete other people’s reviews.
More on this: matching pages and projects
Keep reading
Address, opening hours, photos, reviews.
Read →What Google checks and what we do about it.
Read →What an agency takes off your hands.
Read →Interested? Just write to us.
If you are interested, just write to us: on WhatsApp or by email. We reply quickly and explain everything in plain words.