How to Get More Google Reviews for Your Business (and What to Do When One Is Unfair)

When someone needs a plumber, a roofer or a dentist, they search, look at the businesses Google shows them, and read the reviews. The business with recent, believable reviews tends to get the call. You can't control every review, but you can control how many happy, honest customers get around to writing one. This article is the simple routine for that, plus what to do when a review is unfair, because Google is slow to deal with those right now.

Why most customers never leave a review

Most customers who were happy with you never write anything. Not because they didn't like the job, but because nobody asked, or because by the time they thought of it, finding your business on Google and the review box took more than a minute. So the fix is two things:ask every customer, and make it one tap.

Step 1: Get your review link and QR code from Google

Google gives every business a direct link that opens the "write a review" box, and a QR code that does the same. On a computer, go to your Business Profile, open Read reviews, then Get more reviews. Copy the link, and right-click the QR code to save it. Google's help page notes the QR code can only be made on a computer, not a phone.

Then put that link everywhere a customer already looks:

• A text after the job. More on this below.
• Your invoice or receipt, as the link or the QR code.
• Your thank-you or follow-up email.
• A printed QR code at the counter, on the truck, or on a card you leave behind.

Step 2: Ask the same day, by text

The best moment to ask is when the job is finished and the customer is pleased it's done. A short text with the link works better than a request a week later, because there's nothing to look up. Something like:

"Hi [first name], thanks for choosing [your business] today. If you have a minute, a Google review would really help a small business like ours: [your link]. Thanks again!"

Use their name, your business name, one sentence of thanks, and the link. That's all it needs. Send it from the person they dealt with when you can; it reads like a real person asking, because it is.

The rules: ask everyone, offer nothing

Google is strict about how reviews are collected, and its policy removes reviews that break it. Three rules matter for most businesses:

• No rewards. No discount, gift card, entry into a drawing or free service in exchange for a review. Google treats that as fake engagement.
• Ask every customer, not just the happy ones. Asking only the customers you expect to be pleased is called selectively soliciting positive reviews, and it's against the rules. Send the same text to everyone.
• Never discourage a bad review, and never offer anything to get one changed or taken down.

That last rule sounds scary, but it works in your favor. As Google itself puts it, "a mix of positive and negative feedback often feels more trustworthy." A steady flow of honest reviews does more for you than a perfect score that looks too good to be true.

Step 3: Reply to reviews, good and bad

Replies are read by the next customer, not just the reviewer. Keep them short and real:

• Good review: thank them by name and mention something specific about the job, so it doesn't read like a template.
• Bad review: stay calm, apologize for what genuinely went wrong, and offer to sort it out offline. Don't argue, don't share anything private about the customer, and don't offer deals in the reply.
• Reply promptly. A quick, polite reply shows the next customer how you handle problems, which is often what they're really checking.

When a review is unfair or fake

Google only removes reviews that break its policies, such as spam, fake reviews, off-topic rants or hateful content. It won't remove a review because it's negative or because you disagree with it, and its help page asks businesses not to report reviews for that reason. If a review does break the rules:

• Report it. In your Business Profile, open Read reviews and choose Report next to the review, or use Google's Reviews Management Tool. Pick the reason that fits.
• Check the status in the Reviews Management Tool. Google says a decision typically takes several days.
• Appeal once if the report is turned down and you still believe it breaks the rules. The appeal is also in the Reviews Management Tool.
• Reply publicly in the meantime, calmly and factually, so anyone reading it sees your side.

Expect it to be slow right now. In mid-October 2026 Google said that "due to high volume of review related appeals, processing times are currently extended," that it can't give a timeframe, and that businesses shouldn't file another appeal once one is in (reported by Search Engine Roundtable, October 20). Filing again won't speed it up. What you can control is everything above: more honest reviews coming in every week, so one unfair review sinks down the page.

A 10-minute weekly habit

Once the link is set up, keeping your reviews healthy takes about ten minutes a week:

• Check that every finished job got the review text.
• Reply to every new review.
• Report anything that clearly breaks Google's rules, once.
• Glance at what customers keep mentioning. Reviews are free feedback about what to keep doing and what to fix.

You don't need a review service or a gimmick. You need the link in front of every customer, the same day, every time. If you'd like help setting up your review link, a text that sounds like you, and a routine your team will actually follow, we're happy to help.