Get and respond to Google reviews

To get more Google reviews, ask every customer, at the moment they're happiest with you, using the direct review link from your Google Business Profile. Don't pay for reviews, offer anything in return, or ask only the customers you expect to be happy: Google removes those reviews and can restrict your profile. Reply to every review you can, briefly and politely, especially the negative ones. Report a review only when it breaks Google's rules, not because it's unfair.

Get your review link and QR code

1. Sign in to the Google account that manages your Business Profile, on a computer.
2. Search Google for your business name and open your profile.
3. Choose Read reviews, then Get more reviews.
4. Copy the link, or save the QR code. Google only creates the QR code in a computer's browser, not on a phone.

The link opens the review form for your business directly. People need to be signed in to a Google account to leave a review.

Source: Google: Get more reviews.

Ask every customer, at the right moment

Satisfied customers rarely think to leave a review on their own. Ask, make it one tap, and ask soon: the best moment is just after the job is done or the visit ends.

• In person: "If you were happy with today, a Google review really helps us." Hand them a card with the QR code.
• On the receipt or invoice: print the QR code or a short link.
• In a follow-up email or text sent the same day or the next, with the link.
• In the follow-up after an online order has been delivered or picked up, not at checkout, before they've tried it.

A short request works best:

Thanks for choosing Harbor Plumbing today. If you have a minute, would you leave us a review on Google? It helps neighbors find us. [link] – Dana

Send the same request to every customer. If you only ask the people you think are happy, you're breaking Google's rules (see below), and your reviews will look less believable too.

What's not allowed

Google's policy for reviews on Maps prohibits:

• Incentives: money, discounts, or free products or services in exchange for a review, or for changing or removing a negative one
• Selective asking: asking only happy customers for reviews, or discouraging negative ones. Tools that ask "Were you happy?" and send only the "yes" answers to Google are a common way businesses break this rule.
• Staff quotas: setting targets for how many reviews employees collect
• Scripted content: asking customers to mention particular words or services
• Conflicts of interest: reviews from current or former staff, owners, family members, or business partners, and reviews of competitors
• Fake reviews: reviews from people who weren't customers, from several accounts run by one person, or bought from a reviews service

Google removes reviews that break these rules and can go further. When it detects fake reviews on a profile, it may stop new reviews for a time, take down existing reviews, and show customers a warning that fake reviews were removed.

In the US, the Federal Trade Commission's rule on consumer reviews has been in effect since October 21, 2024. It bans buying fake reviews, offering incentives for reviews of a particular sentiment, undisclosed reviews by your own officers, managers, and employees, and suppressing reviews with threats or intimidation. Courts can impose civil penalties for knowing violations.

Sources: Google Maps: Prohibited and restricted content, Google: Restrictions for fake engagement, FTC: Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule, questions and answers.

Reply to reviews

You can reply once your profile is verified: open your profile, choose Read reviews, and click Reply under a review. Replies are public, appear under your business name, and can be edited or deleted later. The reviewer is told you replied and can update their review.

Positive reviews

Thank them, mention something specific from the review, and keep it short. Vary your wording; a page of identical "Thanks for your review!" replies reads as automated.

Thanks, Maria. Glad the new water heater is keeping up with three teenagers. See you at the annual service.

Negative reviews

Other customers read your reply more closely than the review. Aim to look calm, fair, and helpful.

1. Wait until you're calm, but reply within a day or two.
2. Thank them and acknowledge the problem without arguing about details.
3. Don't share private details. Don't confirm what they bought, their appointment, or their account. If you're in healthcare, law, or another confidential field, don't even confirm the person is a client.
4. Say what you'll do, or what you've changed.
5. Move it offline with a named person and a direct phone number or email.

We're sorry the install ran late and nobody called to let you know. That isn't how we want to work. Please call me directly on 555-0142 so I can put it right. – Dana, owner

If you fix the problem, the customer may update their review. Don't ask them to remove it in exchange for anything: that's an incentive, and it's not allowed.

Source: Google: Read and reply to reviews.

Report reviews that break the rules

You can report any review, but Google only removes reviews that break its policies, such as fake reviews, conflicts of interest, off-topic content, harassment or hate speech, and personal information. Google won't remove a review because it's negative, or step into a dispute between you and a customer.

1. Report the review from your profile (open the menu next to the review), or use Google's Reviews Management Tool, which also shows the status of each report.
2. Pick the reason that matches the policy it breaks.
3. If Google decides there's no violation, you can appeal once with more information.

While you wait, reply to the review calmly. A sensible reply limits the damage even if the review stays.

Source: Google: Report inappropriate reviews.

Show reviews on your website

• Quote a few reviews on the pages where people decide: your home page, service pages, and contact page. Use the reviewer's first name or initials, and keep their words as written.
• Link to your Google reviews so visitors can read the rest.
• Go easy on review widgets. Many load a lot of extra script on every page they appear on and slow the page down. A few quotes typed into the page load instantly. See Fix a low PageSpeed score.
• Don't add star-rating markup for your own reviews. Google's structured data guidelines only allow review markup for local businesses on sites that review other businesses, not reviews a business shows about itself.

Source: Google Search Central: Local business structured data.

If your site runs on Dirigible

• Testimonials: the Quote, Quote Group, and Quote Slider blocks show customer quotes with a name, title, and optional headshot, styled to match your site and without a third-party widget. See Quote Slider.
• Business details: the theme shares your business name, address, and phone with search engines without adding review markup. See Structured Data for Search Engines.