Google Reviews
How to Get More Google Reviews for Your Business
More recent, genuine reviews lift how you rank in local search and how much new customers trust you. The good news: the single biggest lever is simply asking — the right way, within the rules.
Updated 18 June 2026 · 5 min read
Just ask — at the moment they're happiest
The most reliable way to get more reviews is to ask for them, in person, right after a good experience: when the job's finished, the meal lands well, or the customer says thank you. That's when goodwill is highest and a review feels like a natural favour rather than a chore.
Train your team to ask naturally and consistently. A simple "If you've got a minute, a Google review really helps a small business like ours" works far better than any clever tactic.
Make it effortless with a direct review link
Every extra tap loses people. Google gives every business a short review link that opens the review box directly — put it everywhere the customer already is: a follow-up text or email, a QR code on the counter or receipt, your email signature, and your website footer.
The rule of thumb: a customer who wants to leave you a review should be able to do it in well under a minute, without searching for your business first.
Know what you can and can't do
Asking for reviews is completely fine. How you ask is where businesses get into trouble — both with Google's policies and with Australian Consumer Law:
- Don't "gate" reviews — i.e. don't filter so only happy customers are sent to Google while unhappy ones are diverted elsewhere. Google prohibits it.
- Don't buy reviews or offer rewards in exchange for them. Incentivised and fake reviews breach the ACL, and the ACCC has fined businesses for it.
- Ask everyone, not just the customers you expect to be positive. A mix of honest reviews is more credible — and compliant.
- Never write reviews for yourself or have staff or family do it.
Build it into your routine, not a one-off push
A burst of reviews followed by months of silence looks unnatural and fades fast in the rankings. A steady trickle — a handful every week — signals an active, well-run business to both Google and your future customers.
The businesses that win at this make asking a habit: it's part of closing every job, every visit, every sale. Tools like Cedric can automate the follow-up and keep every review answered, but the foundation is the routine of asking.