The short answer: most happy customers never leave feedback because nobody asked at the right moment, in a way that takes ten seconds. So ask everyone, right after the job, by text with your direct review link, and send one gentle reminder. Answer everything you get. Don't offer rewards, don't write or buy ratings, and don't screen out unhappy customers before asking; those break the platform's rules and, in the US, federal law on fake reviews.
The rest of this guide turns that into a routine your team can run every day.
Why the number and freshness matter
Reviews show beside your name in the map results and on your listing, and people read them before they call. Google lists review count and score among the signals behind local prominence, in its help page on how local results are ranked. Recent feedback also tells a reader that you are still active and still doing good work.
You don't need perfection. A mix of mostly positive comments with a few honest complaints, answered calmly, reads as real. What hurts is silence: a handful of old ratings next to competitors with steady new ones.
Step 1: Get your direct link
Open your Business Profile while signed in, look for the option to ask for or share feedback, and copy the short link it gives you. That link opens the rating form directly, so a customer doesn't have to search for you first.
Test it on your own phone in a private window. Save it somewhere your whole team can reach: the job app, a text template, the back of a business card.
Step 2: Ask at the right moment
The best time is when the customer has just seen the result: the heater works, the car is ready, the new color looks right.
- On site: the technician asks in person ("If you were happy with today, a few words on Google really help us") and says a text is on its way.
- Same day: the text arrives within an hour or two, while the visit is fresh.
- One reminder: if nothing comes back, send one short follow-up a few days later. Then stop.
Ask every customer the same way. Choosing only the ones who seemed happy is called review gating, and both Google's policy and the US Federal Trade Commission's rule on consumer feedback treat suppressing negative feedback as a problem.
Step 3: Make the message short and personal
Something like this works:
"Hi [first name], thanks for having us fix the kitchen drain today. If you have a minute, a few words on Google help other people in town find us: [link]. Thank you! – [your name] at [your business]"
Use the customer's first name, mention the job, include the link, and sign it with a real name. Keep it to two or three short sentences, so it reads at a glance on a phone.
If you text customers, follow the texting rules that apply to you, keep records of consent where they are needed, and honor any request to stop. Our SMS terms show the kind of wording we use ourselves.
Step 4: Make it a habit, not a campaign
A sudden burst of 40 ratings in a week, followed by nothing, looks odd to readers and to spam filters. A steady trickle is better. Build the ask into the end of every job:
- Job marked complete in your system.
- Review text goes out automatically or from a saved template.
- Reminder a few days later if there is no rating yet.
- Someone checks new feedback daily and replies.
Track the numbers once a month: jobs completed, requests sent, ratings received. If the share is low, the problem is usually timing or a link that doesn't open properly.
Step 5: Reply to every one
Replies show future customers how you treat people. Keep them short and specific:
- Positive: thank them by first name, mention the job, and invite them back.
- Negative: stay calm, don't argue in public, apologize for the experience, and offer to sort it out by phone. Our guide to answering bad feedback has wording for the hard ones.
Never share private details in a reply. For health and legal businesses this matters even more, because confirming someone is a patient or client can itself break privacy rules.
What never to do
- No rewards of any kind for a rating: discounts, entries into a draw, gift cards. Google's policy bans incentives, even for honest reviews.
- No fake or bought ratings, and none from staff, family or friends posing as customers. The FTC's rule on fake reviews, in force since October 2024, allows civil penalties for this in the US.
- No review stations or tablets in your shop that send many ratings from one place.
- No asking only happy customers before you send the link.
Other sites have their own rules. Yelp, for example, asks businesses not to request them at all; see why Yelp says don't ask. Our review request rules cover Google in more detail.
Common questions
How many ratings does a business need?
There is no magic number. Compare yourself with the businesses that show above you for your main search, and aim for a steady flow of recent ratings rather than a target total.
Can I ask for a 5-star review?
Ask for an honest opinion instead. Asking only for top ratings reads as pressure and can count as selective soliciting.
Can I remove a bad review?
Only if it breaks the platform's policies (for example spam, off-topic content or a conflict of interest). You can flag it. Otherwise the best answer is a calm, helpful reply.
Is it OK to text customers for reviews?
Yes, for customers who gave you their number in the course of the job, as long as you follow the texting rules that apply to you and stop when asked.
Next steps
See your rating, count and how recent your feedback is with the free review score checker. If you want the asking, reminders and reply drafts handled for you, with your approval on every reply, see our reviews service, or how it works for plumbers and auto repair shops.