How do I get more Google reviews the right way?

BrightLocal's Local Consumer Review Survey 2026, published February 11, 2026, asked a representative panel of 1,002 US adult consumers. It found 97% read reviews for local businesses. About 68% will only use a business with four or more stars, and 31% will only use one with 4.5 stars or more. 47% will not use a business with fewer than 20 reviews, and 74% look for reviews written in the last three months.⁴

So a few old reviews are not enough. Customers look at how many you have, how high they are and how recent they are. BrightLocal sells local search software, so it has an interest in reviews, and the survey is one panel in one year.

Google says you can ask customers to visit a Google link or scan a QR code, and that customers must be signed in to a Google Account to leave a review. They can set one up with a non-Gmail address.¹ In BrightLocal's survey, 83% of people who were asked to leave a review went on to leave one this year.⁴ Asking works.

1. Go to your Business Profile and select Read Reviews, then Get more reviews, which has a share icon.⁵

2. Copy the review link, or save the QR code image. Google says QR codes can currently be generated only on a computer browser, not on a phone.⁵

3. Put it where customers already look. Google suggests receipts, thank-you emails, the end of a chat, and a printed QR code displayed in your store, and lists email, WhatsApp and Facebook posts as other ways to send it.⁵

4. Ask every customer the same way, a few days after the work. Do not choose who to ask by how you think they feel. The next section says why.

5. Reply to the reviews you get. That is the section after it.

• Pay for reviews or reward them. Google says offering incentives like free or discounted goods or services in exchange for reviews, for changing them or for removing negative ones is strictly prohibited.¹ Its policy lists payment, discounts and free goods or services, and says fake engagement is not allowed and will be removed.² The FTC's guidance says buying reviews is covered by its rule when the incentive depends on a particular sentiment, and that paying for 5-star reviews is prohibited even with a disclosure.³

• Ask only the customers you expect to be happy. Google's policy says not to selectively solicit positive reviews from customers. Soliciting genuine reviews without incentives is allowed.² The FTC's page says its rule has no specific prohibition against this, and that the practice could violate the FTC Act.³

• Discourage bad reviews. Google's policy lists discouraging or prohibiting negative reviews as not allowed.²

• Write your own, or have your staff write them. Google's policy treats content based on a conflict of interest, which may include current or former employment, as rating manipulation, and says not to ask staff to solicit a certain number of reviews.² The FTC's guidance covers fake or false reviews, and insider reviews, which generally need a clear and conspicuous disclosure.³

• Threaten reviewers. The FTC's guidance says its rule prohibits a false accusation about a reviewer, intimidation, and any unfounded or groundless legal threat used to block or remove a review.³

The FTC's rule authorizes courts to impose civil penalties for knowing violations.³ Google says it removes fake engagement and incentivized or biased reviews, and may suspend or terminate accounts of people who harm others.² This is a plain summary of what the pages say, not legal advice.

Google says to reply to reviews, and that your replies are public and help you build good relationships with customers. Its tips are to be professional and polite, keep it short and simple, respond in a timely manner, and address the reviewer by name. It says to avoid identical generic replies, to avoid using a reply to offer deals or promotions, and to never share a reviewer's private information or engage in personal attacks.¹

Google also says honest and balanced reviews can help potential customers decide, and that a mix of positive and negative feedback often feels more trustworthy.¹ In BrightLocal's survey, 80% of consumers say they are likely to use a business that responds to all of its reviews.⁴

Report it, and do not retaliate. Google's help page says to open your Business Profile, select Read reviews, click Report beside the review, choose a reason such as Spam or Profanity, and send the report.⁶ It says only reviews that violate Google's policies are eligible for removal, and that review evaluation typically takes several days.⁶

The same page warns against reporting a review just because you disagree with it or dislike it, and says Google does not get involved in conflict between businesses and customers.⁶ If a report finds no violation, you can submit a one-time appeal.⁶ For a review that stays, a short, polite public reply is your answer. The FTC's guidance says its rule prohibits a false accusation about a reviewer and any unfounded or groundless legal threat used to block or remove a review.³

Wherever a customer already is at the end of the job. Google's list is receipts, thank-you emails, the end of a chat and a printed QR code in your store.⁵ Add your website to that list: a thank-you page or the footer of your contact page can carry the link too. A kit's pages are plain files, so you can add a line and a link to any page. A few kits to look at: Plumber, Electrician, Hair salon and Cleaning service. The whole list is at website kits.

BrightLocal found 47% of consumers will not use a business with fewer than 20 reviews, and 74% look for reviews written in the last three months.⁴ That points to a steady flow, not a one-time push: ask every customer as you finish each job. For a profile that is not showing on Google at all, see why isn't my business showing up on Google. For why a website helps after the reviews, see do plumbers and electricians need a website. For a salon, see do hair salons need a website. If you have reviews and the phone still is not ringing, see why isn't my website getting calls or leads.

Every rule and number comes from the page named in the sources, read on October 21, 2026, and each source shows its own date. The FTC's questions and answers page shows November 2024 as its date. Google's help and policy pages show no date, so check them again if something has changed. We sell website kits and help businesses with their sites and Google listings, so we have a stake in this question.