How to get more reviews for your small business

Why timing matters more than wording

The best moment to ask is right after a good experience, not days later in a follow-up email nobody opens. That's as a job finishes, when a customer picks up their order, or right at checkout, while the experience is still front of mind.

Make it a one-tap action

A direct link to your Google review page, sent by text or handed over as a printed QR code, removes almost all the friction of "search us on Google and leave a review." Fewer steps means more people who intend to leave one actually finish.

Where to ask

In person at the point of a good outcome. In a short follow-up text or email after a booking. On a receipt or invoice. And gently, as a standing habit rather than a one-off, on your own website and social pages.

What not to do

Don't offer a discount or payment in exchange for a review, most review platforms disallow it and it undermines the review's credibility even where it's technically allowed. Don't only ask customers you're confident were happy. And don't ignore negative reviews, a short, calm public reply often matters more to future customers than the review itself.

Putting reviews to work once you have them

Display them on your own website rather than leaving them only on Google or Facebook. Someone deciding whether to call you shouldn't have to leave your page just to check whether you're any good, that's one of several signals covered in our guide on what makes customers trust a website.