How to get more Google reviews (and stay within Google's rules)

Why Google reviews decide who gets the call

Reviews do two jobs. They help you show up on Google Maps, and they decide whether the person who finds you calls you or the next business. Google says plainly that "more reviews and positive ratings can help your business's local ranking" in its guide to local ranking.

Customers read them closely. In BrightLocal's 2026 Local Consumer Review Survey of 1,002 US adults:

• 97% read reviews for local businesses.
• 68% will only use a business with four or more stars, and 31% only one with 4.5 or more.
• 74% look for reviews written in the last three months.
• 47% won't use a business with fewer than 20 reviews.

Local search experts agree. In Whitespark's 2026 ranking factors survey, high Google ratings and the number of Google reviews with text both rank in the top 10 factors for the map results. Reviews also shape what AI assistants say: see our guide on getting recommended by ChatGPT.

The rules: what you can and can't do

You can ask every customer for an honest review. You can't pay for reviews, reward them, fake them or filter who gets asked. Two sets of rules apply: Google's review policy and the FTC's rule on consumer reviews.

The FTC's final rule banning fake reviews, announced in August 2024, took effect on October 21, 2024. It bans fake reviews and testimonials, including AI-generated ones, rewards conditioned on a positive or negative review, undisclosed insider reviews, and suppressing negative reviews with unfounded legal threats or intimidation. In December 2025 the FTC sent warning letters to ten companies, citing civil penalties of up to $53,088 per violation.

Note the difference: the FTC targets rewards tied to the sentiment of a review, while Google bans any reward for a review at all. Follow Google's stricter rule.

When and how to ask for a Google review

Ask when the job is done and the customer can see the result, and send the link the same day while the visit is fresh. A request that arrives two weeks later competes with everything else in their inbox.

1. Get your direct link. In your Business Profile, choose Read reviews, then Get more reviews. You can copy the link or download a QR code. Google notes the QR code can only be made in a computer browser, not on a phone (Google's instructions).
2. Ask in person at the end of the job. Something simple: "If you're happy with the work, a Google review really helps a small business like ours. I'll text you the link." Then send it to every customer, whatever they said.
3. Send a short message the same day with the link and nothing else to click.
4. Follow up once a few days later if they haven't left one. Then stop.
5. Put the link or QR code where customers already look. Google suggests receipts, thank-you emails, the end of a chat, or a printed sign in your store. For home service trades, add it to invoices and a leave-behind card.

A message that works: "Hi Maria, thanks for choosing us for your water heater today. If you have a minute, would you leave us a Google review? It helps other people in Mesa find us: [link]. Thanks, Dave." Use the customer's name and the job, and leave out any reward.

Reply to every review, good and bad

Your replies are read by the next customer, not just the reviewer. In BrightLocal's 2026 survey, 80% of consumers said they're likely to use a business that responds to all of its reviews, and 42% said they're unlikely to use one that never replies. 89% expect owners to respond, and 81% expect a reply within a week. Google calls replying to reviews a best practice and says a constructive reply to a negative review "may even encourage the customer to update their review" (Google's tips).

• Make it specific. Generic or templated replies put off 50% of consumers in BrightLocal's survey. Mention the job or the person who did it.
• Thank positive reviewers briefly. Two sentences is enough.
• Answer negative reviews calmly. Acknowledge the problem, say what you did or will do, and offer a direct way to reach you. Never argue in public.
• Keep private details out. No addresses, invoice amounts or customer names they didn't share. Dental, chiropractic and med spa practices shouldn't confirm that the reviewer is a patient or mention any treatment.
• Never offer anything to change or remove a review. Google prohibits it.

With Google Business Profile management, GrowLevel answers every review within 24 hours.

How many Google reviews do you need?

There's no magic number. You need enough reviews to compete with the businesses already in the top 3 where your customers search, and a steady flow of new ones so your newest review isn't months old. A plumber in a small town and a dentist in a big city need very different numbers.

Work out your own target in a few minutes:

Two floors from the consumer data are worth knowing: 47% of consumers won't use a business with fewer than 20 reviews, and only 9% will use one with five or fewer. Above that, the gap to the top 3 near you is what counts. Our free Google Business Profile audit shows your profile and reviews next to your competitors.

How to get more 5-star reviews, honestly

The honest way to more 5-star reviews is good work plus asking everyone. When every customer is asked, your reviews reflect all of your work, not just the people who felt strongly enough to post on their own.

• Set expectations up front: arrival window, price range, what's included. Fewer surprises mean fewer complaints.
• Fix problems before you leave the job, then ask for a review anyway. Ask every customer, including the ones who had a problem.
• Respond to every negative review and follow up offline. A customer whose problem was solved may update their review.
• Report reviews that break Google's rules, such as fake reviews or reviews from someone who was never a customer, instead of arguing with them.

What you shouldn't do is filter, reward or invent. Those shortcuts break Google's policy and, for fake reviews and sentiment-based rewards, the FTC's rule.

How GrowLevel handles review requests

With review management, GrowLevel helps you ask every customer for a review: an email ask with a follow-up, plus a share link and a QR code for in-person asks. Every customer is asked. Nobody is filtered out by how happy they were, because that's review gating and it breaks Google's rules.

Every review is answered within 24 hours, and weekly map scans show whether the work is moving you up the map. If a competitor starts collecting reviews fast, you get an alert.