Why Google reviews matter so much
Reviews do two jobs. They’re one of the biggest factors in who appears in the Google Maps results for local searches, and they’re what people read before they decide to call you. AI assistants like ChatGPT look at them too when choosing which businesses to recommend.
Most happy customers are glad to leave one. They just don’t think of it unless you ask, and they won’t go hunting for your page.
Step 1: get your direct review link
In your Google Business Profile, choose Ask for reviews (sometimes shown as “Get more reviews”). Google gives you a short link that opens the review box straight away. Copy it and keep it somewhere handy. Every request you send should use this link, so the customer only has to tap and type.
Step 2: ask at the right moment
The best time is when the customer is happiest: just after the job is finished, the order arrives or they thank you. Leave it a few weeks and the moment has passed. If you can, build the ask into the end of every job, so it happens without you having to remember.
Step 3: send a short, personal message
Use their name, mention the job, keep it short and include the link. For example:
If they haven’t left one after about five days, one friendly reminder is fine. After that, leave it.
Which way of asking works best?
| How | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Easy to include the link and send to lots of customers at once | Keep it short, or it gets skimmed | |
| Text or WhatsApp | Quick, personal and usually read within minutes | Only message customers who’ve given you their number for the job |
| In person | Feels natural at the end of a job | People forget, so follow it up with the link |
| QR code | Counters, receipts, vans and business cards | Works alongside asking, not instead of it |
What Google’s rules allow, and what they don’t
- Allowed: asking every customer for an honest review, sending a reminder, and making it easy with a direct link or QR code.
- Not allowed: offering a discount, freebie or prize in exchange for a review, even for an honest one.
- Not allowed: only asking customers you think will be happy, or checking how they feel first and only sending the link to the happy ones.
- Not allowed: writing reviews yourself, buying them, or asking staff, friends and family to review you.
Breaking these rules can get reviews removed and your profile restricted, so it isn’t worth the risk.
Reply to every review
Thank people by name for good reviews, and mention what you did for them. For a bad review, stay calm, keep it short, apologise for their experience, and offer to sort it out offline with a phone number or email. Future customers read the replies as much as the reviews, and a calm, helpful answer often wins more trust than the review loses.
You can only get a review removed if it breaks Google’s rules, for example if it’s spam, abusive or about a different business. Flag it from your Google Business Profile.
What I do for my own reviews
When a project finishes, each client gets a short personal email from me with a direct link to my Google review page, and one gentle reminder a few days later. Nobody is asked twice. Since I started doing this, three clients have left five-star reviews.
When you don’t need me
Everything above can be done with your phone and ten minutes after each job. If you’re organised and consistent, you don’t need any software.
Front Desk’s review booster asks for you, so no customer gets forgotten.
- A personal email to each customer with your review link, and one reminder
- Ask one customer or up to 50 at once
- Nobody is asked twice within 90 days, and it follows Google’s rules
- Plus an AI assistant on your website and an instant reply to every enquiry
£129 a month · no minimum term
See Front DeskFor the rest of what decides your place on Google Maps, see how to get your website to the top of Google.
Written by Ben Brailsford-Chambers, the web designer behind Clever Rabbit in Oldbury. Last updated 24 October 2026. More guides