Google reviews for business: how to get more, and how to reply

Short answer: Google reviews are the ratings and comments customers leave on your Business Profile in Google Search and Google Maps. They affect both whether you appear in the map and whether customers choose you. You get more by asking every happy customer directly, with a link that goes straight to the review box. You must not offer anything in return, and you should reply to every review, including the negative ones.

Why Google reviews matter

They affect where you appear

Google ranks local results on three things: relevance, distance and prominence. On reviews, Google says: "More reviews and positive ratings can help your business's local ranking" (Google Business Profile Help). In Whitespark's annual survey of local SEO experts, the biggest change heading into 2026 was that reviews and customer behaviour had become more important (Whitespark).

They affect whether customers choose you

In BrightLocal's 2026 survey, 97 percent said they read reviews of local businesses, and 74 percent wanted to see reviews from the last three months. Notably, 65 percent of those who wrote a review did so because they were asked (BrightLocal). The survey was carried out in the US, but the pattern is familiar in the UK too.

Reviews also lift conversion on your own site. Read What is a good conversion rate?

How to get more Google reviews

1. Create a review link or QR code

Open your Business Profile, choose Read reviews and then Get more reviews. There you can copy a link or save a QR code. QR codes can only be created in a desktop browser (Google Business Profile Help). If you have not set up a profile yet, read about local SEO.

2. Ask at the right moment

Ask when the customer has just got what they wanted: when the job is finished, when the order arrives or when they thank you. The closer to the experience, the more likely they are to write.

3. Make it easy everywhere

• In the thank-you email or text after the purchase
• On the receipt, invoice or delivery note
• As a QR code at the till, in the waiting room or on the van
• In your email signature and live chat

Google itself suggests receipts, thank-you messages and signs as good places for the link (Google Business Profile Help).

4. Make it a routine

A steady flow of new reviews is better than many at once. Make sending the link part of every delivery, and track the number each month.

5. Ask for detail, neutrally

You can ask customers to describe their experience, but not steer what they write. "Feel free to mention what we helped you with" gives more useful reviews than a star rating alone. And do not only ask the customers you expect to be happy: Google's policy says businesses must not selectively solicit positive reviews (Google).

What is banned

Under Google's Maps content policy, every review must reflect a genuine experience (Google). This is not allowed:

• Incentives. Discounts, free goods or services or money in exchange for reviews count as fake engagement and are strictly prohibited (Google Business Profile Help).
• Reviews of your own business. Neither you nor your staff may review your business.
• Selective asking or discouraging negative reviews. You must not only ask happy customers or try to stop unhappy ones from reviewing (Google).
• Buying or writing fake reviews. This breaks not only Google's rules but UK law. Since 6 April 2025, the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act has banned fake reviews, and businesses that host reviews must take steps to prevent and remove them (GOV.UK). The CMA's guidance says you need to take "reasonable and proportionate steps" against fake and concealed incentivised reviews (CMA).

The rules are enforced. The CMA can now fine businesses up to 10 percent of global turnover, and in 2026 it opened investigations into five companies over fake and misleading reviews (CMA). Google has also given the CMA undertakings for the UK: businesses that boost their ratings with fake reviews can get a warning alert on their profile and lose the ability to receive reviews (CMA). Worldwide, Google blocked or removed 292 million policy-violating reviews in 2025 (Google).

How to reply to reviews

Open your profile, choose Read reviews, click the reply icon, write and select Reply. Your business must be verified to reply. Replies are public and checked by Google, which usually takes a few minutes but can take longer (Google Business Profile Help).

Write for the next customer, not just the reviewer. A measured reply to a negative review can build more trust than ten five-star ones.

Negative and fake reviews

Can you delete a bad Google review? Only if it breaks the rules, for example spam, offensive content or a conflict of interest. A negative review alone is not enough, and Google does not step into disputes between businesses and customers (Google Business Profile Help).

To report a review that breaks the rules:

1. Choose Read reviews in your Business Profile.
2. Flag the review and choose which policy it breaks.
3. Wait a few days for a decision. If it is not removed, you can appeal once.

If a review is genuine but unfair, the best answer is a good reply and more new reviews from happy customers.

Reviews and AI

More and more people ask ChatGPT and other AI tools for local recommendations. In BrightLocal's survey, the share using AI to find local businesses rose from 6 to 45 percent in a year (BrightLocal). Exactly how much AI tools weigh reviews is not public, but they draw on search engines and sites where reviews appear. Businesses with many recent, detailed reviews across several platforms are better placed. Read more in Google AI Overviews and on our page about AI visibility.

Reviews are one part of local SEO, together with a complete Business Profile and a website that clearly shows where and for whom you work.