The last time you needed to hire someone, a plumber, a contractor, a med spa, a fence company, what did you do first?
You Googled it and started reading the reviews.
You probably skipped right past the businesses with only a handful of reviews or a mediocre star rating without even thinking twice.
So here’s my question. What do YOUR Google reviews look like right now?
I work with small businesses every day on their SEO and digital marketing strategy. Google reviews are one of the most powerful and most overlooked tools available to any local business.
It is one of the first things I push with every new client because I have seen firsthand how much it moves the needle.
They are free, they are incredibly effective, and most business owners are either ignoring them completely or feel too awkward to ask for them.
Why Google Reviews Matter More Than You Think
Let’s start with some numbers. According to BrightLocal’s Local Consumer Review Survey, 98% of consumers read online reviews for local businesses and 87% say they won’t consider a business with a low star rating.
Nearly half of consumers say they trust online reviews as much as a personal recommendation from someone they know.
Your reviews are doing sales work for you around the clock whether you’re paying attention to them or not.
But it goes beyond trust. Google reviews are a direct ranking factor for local search and the local map pack.
When someone searches “fence company near me” or “med spa in Portsmouth NH,” Google is looking at your reviews, the quantity, the quality, the recency, and the content, to decide where to rank you.
Businesses with more reviews consistently outperform competitors in local search results.
This ties directly into something Google cares deeply about called EEAT, which stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. Your reviews are one of the clearest signals you can send that says real customers have worked with us, they were happy, and here’s what they said.
There is no shortcut that replaces that.
The Weird Feeling Around Asking for Reviews
Asking for a review can feel uncomfortable, like you’re asking for a favor or putting someone on the spot. I hear this from clients all the time.
Here is the truth:
If you did a great job, your customer is usually more than happy to tell people about it. They just need to be asked.
Most people don’t think to leave a review on their own, not because they didn’t have a good experience, but because life gets busy and it simply doesn’t cross their mind.
When you ask, you’re not being pushy. You’re giving them an easy way to help a business they already like.
Think about it from the other side. If a contractor did incredible work on your home and asked you to leave them a quick Google review, would you say no?
The businesses that win the review game make asking a normal, consistent part of their process. Not a one-time thing. Every job. Every client. Every time.
How to Ask for Reviews the Right Way
Timing is everything. The best time to ask is right after a positive experience while the customer is still in that good feeling. If you wait a week, the moment has passed.
Go to your Google Business Profile, find your review link, and save it. Text it or email it with a short, genuine message like “Hey, we really appreciate your business. If you have a minute, we’d love it if you left us a Google review. Here’s the link.”
That’s it. Simple and direct.
Ask them to mention the specific service they received. This is something most people don’t know about and it makes a real difference for local search rankings. When a customer mentions “vinyl fence installation in Orleans Vermont” or “Botox treatment in Portsmouth” in their review, those keywords work in your favor.
You don’t have to be weird about it. Just say “Feel free to mention the work we did for you, it really helps.”
Start an internal competition. Challenge your team to see who can get the most Google reviews in a month and put something on the line, a gift card, a paid day off, bragging rights. You would be amazed how fast reviews start rolling in when there is a little friendly competition involved.
It turns something that feels awkward into something fun and gets the whole team invested in the reputation of the business.
What NOT to Do!
Do not ask a slew of family and friends who have never been your customer to leave you a fake review.
I had a client who did exactly this, asking relatives who lived across the country to leave reviews for their local business, against my advice.
The problem wasn’t one or two reviews from out of the area. It was half a dozen of them hitting the profile in a very short period of time. Google’s algorithm flagged the pattern and their Google Business Profile was suspended.
We submitted a reconsideration request but their profile was down for two weeks. Two weeks of lost visibility, lost calls, and lost business. All for a handful of fake reviews.
Google is smart. Fake reviews get caught and the consequences are not worth it.
Here’s what to avoid:
- Never buy reviews from services promising 50 reviews for $99
- Never review your own business from your own devices
- Never offer incentives in exchange for a positive review
- Never ask people who were never your customer to review you
Build your reviews the right way. It takes a little longer but it works and it lasts.
Always Respond to Your Reviews
This is non-negotiable. Every review deserves a response, every single one.
When you respond to positive reviews you are showing every potential customer who reads your profile that you are attentive, appreciative, and engaged. A simple “Thank you so much for the kind words! It was a pleasure working with you” goes a long way.
Negative reviews are where most business owners panic or go on the defensive. Don’t.
Respond professionally, acknowledge their experience, offer to make it right, and take the conversation offline. Potential customers are watching how you handle criticism just as much as they’re reading the positive reviews.
A well-handled negative review can actually build more trust than a positive one.
Aim to respond within 24 to 48 hours and make it part of your weekly routine.
Watch Out for Review Scammers
This one makes my blood boil and I want every business owner to know about it.
I had a client who received two fake 1-star reviews back to back from people who had never set foot in their business. Both hit within hours of each other.
Shortly after those reviews went up, a stranger slid into my client’s Facebook messages. They claimed to know who was behind the reviews and offered to have them removed for a “little tip.”
Here’s that conversation.
This is extortion. And it happens more than you would think.
Do not pay them. Do not respond to them. I told my client to screenshot everything, the reviews, the message, the account name, all of it, and we reported it directly to Google.
Here is the confirmation email we received from Google.
Google found the reviews in violation of their policies and removed them immediately. No payment. No negotiation. Gone.
The moment you pay, you become a target for more of the same. If this ever happens to you, document everything, report it, and do not engage.
Your Action Plan: What You Can Do Right Now
You do not need a big marketing budget to make progress on your Google reviews. You just need a system and the confidence to ask.
- Pull up your Google Business Profile and check your current reviews. How many do you have? When was the last one posted?
- Get your review link and save it somewhere easy. Add it to your email signature, your text templates, your website.
- Start asking today. After your next appointment, your next job, your next sale, ask.
- Get your team involved and start a competition.
- Respond to every review within 48 hours, positive and negative.
The Bottom Line
Google reviews build trust before a potential customer ever contacts you. They improve your rankings in local search and they tell Google that you are a real, credible, active business worth showing to people in your area.
The businesses showing up at the top of the map pack? Reviews are a big part of why they’re there.
You earned those reviews. Go get them.
