How to ask your Customers for Google Reviews

Updated: July 2024

When a consumer decides which business to buy from, there are a lot of factors in play. From how highly that business is ranked on Google to its branding and imaging, there are many subconscious decisions being made. Among the most influential of these factors issocial proof; this comes in the form of customer reviews. 

You can bombard your customers with evidence of expertise, quality and empathy – and they might believe you. But when your previous customers say it, it’s a lot more convincing. 

Scott Cook, co-founder of Intuit and director of both Ebay and P&G, sums it up perfectly:

“A brand is no longer what we tell the consumer it is – it is what consumers tell each other it is.”

And the proof is in the numbers. Based on their 2023 survey, a report by Power Reviews stated that “a staggering 98% of consumers say reviews are an essential resource when making purchase decisions”. The report also went on to say that 45% of consumers refuse to buy a product if there are no reviews available for it. 

That’s why it’s so important that you get as many positive reviews for your business as you can – and what’s more, you need to get those reviews on your Google Business Profile. 

But what is Google Business Profile? Why is it so important to get your reviews on it? And, how do you even get reviews on there in the first place? Let’s take a look.

What is Google Business Profile and Why is it Important?

Previously known as Google My Business, Google Business Profile is a free tool that gives you control over how your business is presented on Google Search, Google Shopping, and Google Maps. From providing up to date information such as your business address and opening hours, to listing products and services, you can quickly give an insight into who you are, what you do, and where you do it.
Beyond this, it’s important to make sure your Google Business Profile information is accurate for a number of reasons. Firstly, having your location information will help Google show your business on local searches, and display your business in the local pack.

Secondly, potential customers will get frustrated with outdated business information, and making a good first impression really matters. Finally, it makes it easier for customers to find your business profile and leave you a review. This final point is absolutely vital. Customer reviews are one of the best ways to build credibility and trust with your prospective customers, so it pays to make it as easy as possible for your customers to leave one. 

While there are a number of other review sites you should consider taking advantage of (more on these later), Google Business Profile is arguably the most important place to get your customer reviews. A lot of business searches will start on Google, so by optimising your Google Business Profile, you’re offering prospective customers the most direct route to your business. 

How to Get Reviews For Your Business

In an ideal world, every customer you have will love your product or service so much, they rush to leave a review for you. Unfortunately, this doesn’t often happen, even when your customers are thrilled with your service. Instead, most customers will need a gentle prompt to leave you a review. 

A good way to initiate this prompt is to ask your customers directly what they thought of your business. If the things they say are more negative, thank them for their honesty, and promise to review what they’ve said. Your customer will feel heard and appreciated, and you’ll have some insight into how you can improve your offering. Hopefully though, your customer will have positive things to say, which leads nicely into your chance to ask them to leave a review on your Google Business Profile.

It’s important to note that your customer will need to have a Google account in order to leave a review. Luckily, most people will already have a Google account. If not, it’s extremely simple to sign up for one.

There can be a bit of an art to asking customers for a review, especially if you’re not having a face to face conversation where you can gauge how the conversation is going. Here are a few tips on how to increase your chances of receiving a customer review:

1. Get your timing right

In other words, don’t ask too soon, and don’t leave it too late either. Ask too soon and your customer may not have had time to fully appreciate all of the benefits that your product or service can provide. Ask too late and you risk your customer losing that feeling of satisfaction or excitement that your business gave them. If you’re not sure what classes as too late or too soon, learn by trial and error. 

2. Make it easy

Your customer is doing a favour by leaving you a good review. There’s not much in it for them, which means they’re unlikely to be willing to spend a lot of time or effort to leave that review. Make it quick and easy for them by giving them a link that takes them directly to where they need to go to leave a review.

3. Integrate with your email marketing

If you’re using email to communicate with your customers, take advantage of this and use your email marketing to ask what they thought of your business and to leave a review if they had a positive experience. You can make it easy for them to do this by incorporating a CTA (call to action) either in the email content or even in your signature. 

How to Link to Your Google Review Page

If your customers are doing you a favour and taking the time out of their day to leave a review and help your business, the very least you can do is make it as easy as possible for them to do this. 

This means giving them a link in an easily accessible manner which will take them directly to the review page. Here’s the easiest way to get this link to them:

1. Access Google Profile Manager

If you’re already logged in, simply click the apps tab and select Business Profile Manager.

If you’re not already logged in, just Google search “my business”. Click the first result for Google Business Profile and login. Once you’ve logged in, it should take you directly to Business Profile Manager.

2. Select “Ask For Reviews”

Once you’ve accessed Business Profile Manager, you should see your business profile’s insights and actions. One of these actions is “Ask for reviews” – click this. 

3. Copy the Link from the Google Review Box

This link will take anyone directly to your review page, making it easy for them to write a review. 

4. Start Getting Reviews

Now that you’ve got your link handy, you can start sending it to your customers and hopefully getting some reviews. Don’t forget, you can utilise this link on buttons and hyperlinks to make it all look more professional. 

The Alternative Way

If you’re struggling with the first method, or can’t login to your Google Business Profile, here’s another method you can try to get that link to your review page.

1. Google Your Business

Search your business name in Google Maps. This is the easiest way to find a Google Business Profile, as profiles don’t always show up automatically on Google Search. 

2. Click “Write a Review”

Select your business, and scroll down until you get to the reviews section. Click “Write a Review”.

3. Shorten Your URL

Once the review box pops open, take the URL from the address bar at the top. You’ll probably want to shorten this link to make it easier to manage and generally make it look nicer. To do this, we’d recommend visiting https://bitly.com/. There you can insert your link, and receive a shorter link to use. Your new link will look something like ‘https://bit.ly/3K27gIe.’

Bonus Tips to Secure Google Business Profile Reviews

Firstly, don’t be afraid to ask your customers for a review over the phone. Let them know how much of a difference it can make to you and your business and show them how much it means to you.

Secondly, don’t hesitate to remind customers who have forgotten to leave a review. While you certainly shouldn’t pester them, people can genuinely just forget, and will appreciate a gentle reminder. 

Finally, don’t keep that review link hidden. Place it on your website, on your social media posts, and in your email signature. To make it look that much better, you can even turn it into a button. 

Going Beyond Google Business Profile

While this article focuses mainly on Google due to its importance and high volume of usage, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t stick to it alone. Your customers are likely to use other review platforms too, which is why you should expand your horizons. 

There are several great review sites out there that can be useful for any business to have reviews on. Trustpilot is a great all rounder, and Yelp is generally best for service based businesses, making it a great site for businesses such as electricians, gyms and dentists to have their reviews. Social media platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube and X shouldn’t be ignored either.

There are also review sites that are more industry specific. Checkatrade is perfect for tradespeople, while Booking.com, Expedia and Tripadvisor are all perfect for all things tourism, including hotels, restaurants and attractions. 

Do some research for your niche or industry, and see if there are any review sites that are better suited for your business.

If ranking on Google is how you’re hoping to bring in new customers, it’s absolutely vital that you’ve put in the work with your Google Business Profile, particularly with your customer reviews. Not only do they help you rank higher on Google, they can quickly build trust with visitors, because like it or not, consumers care massively about what their peers say about your business – so don’t neglect your reviews!

If you have any questions or thoughts on collecting reviews for Google Business Profile, leave a comment and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.

Otherwise, happy review collecting!