How to get more Google reviews, and stay within the rules

Why reviews matter so much

Reviews do two jobs. They help Google decide which businesses to show in the local pack, and they help customers choose between the three businesses they see. The number of reviews, how recent they are and what they say all count. A practice with 40 reviews from last year often loses to one with 25 from the past three months.

Ask at the right moment

The best time to ask is just after a good experience: when a patient leaves pleased with a treatment, when a job is signed off, when a customer thanks you. Ask in person first, then follow up with a message the same day.

Make it effortless

• Create a direct review link from your Google Business Profile and shorten it.
• Send it by text or email with one or two friendly sentences.
• Print a QR code for your counter, waiting room or invoices.
• Ask customers to mention the service they had. Specific reviews help other customers and give Google useful context.

What the law says

Since 6 April 2025, the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act has made it explicitly unlawful in the UK to commission or publish fake reviews, or to present reviews in a misleading way. In practice, avoid these:

• Paying or rewarding people for reviews, including discounts in exchange for a five-star rating.
• Asking only customers you think are happy while deliberately filtering out others in a misleading way.
• Writing reviews yourself, or asking staff and family to do so.
• Buying reviews from any service.

Google's own policies also forbid incentives and fake engagement, and it removes reviews and restricts profiles that break them.

Reply to every review

Thank people who leave positive reviews, briefly and personally. For negative ones, stay calm, acknowledge the problem, avoid sharing personal or medical details, and offer to continue the conversation privately. Future customers read your replies as much as the reviews themselves.

Removing unfair reviews

You cannot delete a review just because you dislike it. You can report reviews that break Google's policies, such as spam, conflicts of interest, offensive content or reviews about a different business. Keep a record of what you reported and when.

A simple routine

We run this routine for clients as part of our reputation management service.