Your best customers already like you. Most of them would even say so on Google, if you asked at the right moment and made it easy. That's the whole game with reviews: ask everyone, ask in the moment, and remove every bit of friction.
This guide covers why Google reviews matter for your traffic and local ranking, 11 proven ways to get more of them, and the mistakes that can get reviews removed. Everything here follows Google's own guidelines.
Why Google reviews matter for traffic and ranking
1. Reviews are part of how Google ranks local businesses
Google says local results are based mainly on three things: relevance, distance, and prominence. Prominence is how well-known a business is, and Google lists review count and positive ratings among its signals. In Google's words, more reviews and positive ratings can help your business's local ranking (Google Business Profile Help).
You can't pay Google for a better local ranking, so reviews are one of the few levers you control directly.
2. Customers read reviews before they choose you
Only 4% of consumers say they never read online business reviews (BrightLocal, 2025). When someone searches "hair salon near me" or "AC repair," your star rating and review count sit right next to your competitors'. More recent, specific reviews give people a reason to tap your listing instead of the next one.
3. Reviews do your selling for you
A review that says "they fixed our AC the same day and explained everything" answers questions a new customer has before they ever call. Reviews describe your services in your customers' own words, and that kind of detail helps people (and Google) understand exactly what you do.
Why you don't have more reviews (yet)
It's rarely because customers are unhappy. 96% of consumers say they're open to writing a business a review (BrightLocal, 2025). The problem is usually one of these:
- Nobody asked. Asking feels awkward, so staff skip it.
- The moment passed. By the time they're home, the excitement is gone.
- It's too much work. Search for the business, find the right listing, scroll to reviews, tap the stars. Every step loses people.
- It didn't feel "noteworthy." BrightLocal found almost a quarter of US adults skip reviews because the experience didn't feel worth writing about. A friendly ask fixes that.
11 proven ways to get more Google reviews
1. Ask in person, in the moment
The best time to ask is right after a great experience: the haircut reveal, the first sip, the AC blowing cold again. In BrightLocal's 2025 survey, in-person requests were the second most effective way businesses got reviews. Earlier research found 68% of consumers left a review when asked (BrightLocal, 2017).
Keep the ask simple and the same for everyone: "We'd really appreciate your feedback on Google."
2. Use your direct Google review link
Never make customers search for you. Google lets you create a short review link (and a QR code) from your Business Profile: open your profile, select Read reviews, then Get more reviews, and share the link (Google: Tips to get more reviews). That link takes people straight to the review box.
3. Put a tap-to-review plaque where the visit ends
A small NFC review plaque turns your ask into one action: customers tap their phone and your Google review page opens. No app, no typing, no searching. Place it where every visit ends: the register, the front desk, the host stand, or, for service businesses, in your tech's hand at the end of the job.
That's exactly what the Tap & Review NFC Google review plaque does. It also has a QR code backup for phones that can't tap.
4. Follow up the same day or the next
For customers who leave before you can ask, send a short message with your review link. Email is the most common way businesses request reviews, and in food and drink, 48% of consumers expect a review request by the following day (BrightLocal, 2025).
5. Add your review link everywhere customers already look
Put your link or QR code on receipts, invoices, order confirmation emails, your email signature, and your website footer. Each one is a low-effort reminder.
6. Give your team a simple, consistent script
Your team doesn't need a sales pitch, just one friendly sentence they say to every customer. Consistency matters more than clever wording, and asking everyone keeps you within Google's rules (more on that below).
7. Make it part of your close-out routine
For service businesses, add "offer the review plaque" to the end-of-job checklist, right after the walkthrough and before the invoice. When it's a habit, it happens on every job, not just when someone remembers.
8. Reply to every review
Just 7% of consumers say they don't expect businesses to respond to reviews (BrightLocal, 2025), and Google recommends replying too. Thank happy customers by name, and respond to criticism calmly and helpfully. New customers read your replies as closely as the reviews.
9. Keep your Business Profile complete and accurate
Complete hours, services, photos and categories help Google match you to the right searches, which Google lists as part of "relevance" (Google). A great profile plus a steady stream of reviews is a strong combination.
10. Make it work for every phone
NFC works on iPhone 7 and newer and most Android phones. For everyone else, keep a QR code next to the tap area so nobody gets stuck.
11. Track your reviews monthly
Note your review count and average rating at the start of each month. When you know your baseline, you'll see which locations, shifts, or techs are asking consistently, and you can celebrate the wins.
What not to do: Google's review rules
Breaking these can get reviews removed, and Google treats them as fake engagement (Google Maps content policy):
- Don't offer incentives. No discounts, freebies, or entries into a drawing in exchange for a review.
- Don't "review gate." Don't only ask customers you think are happy, or send unhappy ones somewhere else first. Ask everyone the same way.
- Don't pressure customers. Invite, don't insist, and never tell people what to write.
- Don't set review quotas for staff. Quotas push people toward pressuring customers or only asking the happy ones.
- Never post fake reviews. In the US, fake reviews and testimonials can also violate the FTC's rule on consumer reviews.
The good news: the honest approach also works best. Make it easy, ask everyone, and let great service do the rest.
Quick playbooks by industry
- Salons and spas: one plaque at the front desk and one at each station, for the big reveal. Google review plaque for salons
- Coffee shops and cafes: at the register and on tables, while people wait for their drink. Coffee shops & cafes
- Restaurants: on every table, seen when the check lands, plus the host stand. Restaurants
- Home service pros: one plaque per tech, offered at the end-of-job walkthrough. HVAC, plumbing, electricians, lawn care, pest control, pressure washing
Frequently asked questions
Is it allowed to ask customers for Google reviews?
Yes. Google encourages businesses to ask for reviews. Just ask every customer, don't offer anything in return, and don't pressure anyone or tell them what to write.
How do I get my Google review link?
In your Google Business Profile, open Read reviews, then Get more reviews, and copy the link. You can also copy your listing's share link from the Google Maps app.
Do more reviews really help my ranking?
Google lists reviews among the signals for "prominence," one of its three main local ranking factors, and says more reviews and positive ratings can help. Results vary with your category, location, and competition.
How does an NFC review plaque work?
The plaque has a small chip programmed with your Google review link. A customer holds their phone near it and the page opens in their browser, with no app needed. There's a QR code backup for phones without NFC.
Make the ask effortless
Reviews come from great service, plus an ask that's quick, friendly, and consistent. If you want customers to be able to review you in one tap, start with a Tap & Review plaque at the spot where every visit ends.
Get your Google review plaque →
Sources: Google, Tips to improve your local ranking; Google, Tips to get more reviews; Google Maps, Prohibited & restricted content; BrightLocal Local Consumer Review Survey 2025; BrightLocal Local Consumer Review Survey 2017.