Answers / How to get more Google reviews
How to get more Google reviews
Get your Google review link, ask every customer right after the job by text or email, send one reminder, reply to the reviews you get, and never offer anything in return. Here is how to do it by hand for free or with review tools we list.
Steps
- Make sure your Google Business Profile is yours and up to date. Reviews show next to your Business Profile in Google Maps and Search. Before you ask for any, sign in to your profile and check that your name, phone number, service area and hours are right, so people who look you up land on the right business.
- Get your review link or QR code. Google Business Profile Help says you can ask customers to visit a Google review link or scan a QR code, and shows how to create both. Save the link on your phone and print the QR code on invoices or leave-behind cards. GatherUp also lists QR codes and custom feedback links. Customers need a Google Account to leave a review.
- Ask every customer, right after the job. Ask while the job is fresh: in person, then by text or email the same day with the one link. Ask everyone, not just the customers you think are happy, because Google's policy does not allow businesses to selectively ask for positive reviews. Broadly says it texts every customer right after the service is complete, and NiceJob, Podium, Birdeye, GatherUp and ReviewTrackers list automated review requests.
- Send one reminder, then stop. If they have not left a review, one friendly reminder a few days later is enough. NiceJob lists automated follow-ups and Podium lists review reminders. Keep the message short: their name, the job, and the link.
- Never pay, discount or pressure for a review. Google's policy says businesses may not offer payment, discounts, free goods or services for a review, or for changing or removing a bad one, and should not pressure customers to review while on site, ask for specific wording, or give staff a review quota. Reviews that break these rules can be removed. Check any review tool setting against these rules before you turn it on.
- Reply to reviews, and read AI replies before they post. Google's tips say to reply, keep replies short and polite, and not use them to push deals. NiceJob (Pro), GatherUp, Podium, Birdeye, Broadly and ReviewTrackers list AI-written or assisted replies; Birdeye lets you hold replies for approval. Read every AI reply before it goes out, especially on a bad review.
- Watch all your review sites and flag fakes. Check new reviews once a week, or turn on alerts. GatherUp lists monitoring across 100+ sites and ReviewTrackers lists alerts. If a Google review breaks Google's content policies, Google Business Profile Help says you can flag it; don't argue in the reply.
- Show your reviews where people decide. Put a few real reviews on your website and quote pages. NiceJob lists review widgets and a reviews microsite, and GatherUp lists review widgets and a badge. Test the whole flow once on your own phone before you ask real customers.
Tools that do this
Only tools we list. What each does here comes from the vendor's own page on the date shown; prices are the starting prices on the vendor's pricing page. Prices change, so confirm before you buy.
| Tool | What it does for this | Starting price |
|---|---|---|
| NiceJob | Pricing page lists SMS and email review requests with automated follow-ups, review widgets for your website and a reviews microsite on Starter, and AI-written review replies on Pro. The FAQ mentions a 14-day trial. (vendor page, checked 2026-11-01) | Starter $75/mo; Pro $125/mo (pricing, checked 2026-11-02) |
| GatherUp | Pricing page lists feedback and review requests, QR codes and custom feedback links, AI-crafted replies with in-app responding, and review monitoring across 100+ sites on its core plans, with up to 300 SMS and 3,000 email credits per location per month. (vendor page, checked 2026-11-01) | Local Businesses $99/mo (1 location, billed annually); Multiple Locations $60/mo per location (billed annually) (pricing, checked 2026-10-27) |
| Podium | Reviews page lists review automations that send review invites and reminders, textable review invites, and one inbox to monitor and respond to reviews, plus a mobile app. Pricing is not published. (vendor page, checked 2026-11-01) | Not published (contact sales) (pricing, checked 2026-10-27) |
| Birdeye | Reviews page lists a review generation agent that sends review requests and a review response agent that writes replies and either posts them on its own or holds them for your approval. Pricing is not published. (vendor page, checked 2026-11-01) | Not published (location-based, contact sales) (pricing, checked 2026-10-27) |
| Broadly | Pricing page FAQ says it automatically asks every customer for a review by text right after the service is complete, and its AI Reputation Specialist responds to Google and Facebook reviews. Part of a bundle that also includes an AI receptionist, website and listings. (vendor page, checked 2026-11-01) | AI Workforce Package $799/mo (pricing, checked 2026-10-27) |
| ReviewTrackers | Pricing page lists review and feedback requests, review responding and alerts on its Starter plan, and AI Review Response in its plan table. Priced per location. (vendor page, checked 2026-11-01) | From $89 per location/month, paid annually (1-9 locations); lower per-location rates at 10+ locations ($40, $29, $25, $15); 500+ locations custom. (pricing, checked 2026-10-31) |
Setup guides and comparisons
By industry: Construction, Home services. All reviews tools.
Google's own rules and help: Google Business Profile Help: Tips to get more reviews; Google Maps user-generated content policy: Prohibited and restricted content (checked 2026-11-01).
Last checked 2026-11-01. We do not rank these tools; we name a pick only after hands-on testing. Spot something out of date? Send a correction.
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