Ask for reviews in a way that follows Google's policies, and reply well to both good and bad reviews.
Open your Google Business Profile and find the short link and QR code it gives you for reviews. Both take a customer straight to the review form, and you will use them for every review request from now on.
Reviews affect where you appear in local search. Lesson 7.1, How local results are chosen, explained that Google counts your review count and ratings as part of prominence. Reviews matter even more to customers, who read them before they decide whether to visit or buy. The most reliable way to get more reviews is to ask more customers, consistently. Many happy customers never think to leave a review, and a simple request at the right moment is often enough.
Pick a moment and a channel that fit how you already deal with customers. A small QR code card at the counter or stall works for walk-in trade, and so does a line on the receipt. For a service, send a short message once the job is done. Priya runs classes for children, so she could send parents a message with the review link at the end of a term. Mei Ling (an invented example) sells cakes with delivery, so she could put a note in the cake box or send a WhatsApp message the day after delivery.
Whatever channel you choose, ask every customer the same way. Google's policies prohibit selectively asking only happy customers for reviews, a practice often called review gating. They also prohibit discouraging or blocking negative reviews. Don't send the link only to customers you think liked you, and don't set up a survey that passes only high scorers on to Google. Ask everyone and accept that some reviews will be mixed.
A good request is short and specific. It puts no pressure on the customer, gives them no script and no hint about what to write, and offers nothing in return. Priya's message might thank the parent for the P5 classes this term, say that a Google review helps other parents decide whether the centre suits them, ask only if they have a minute, and give the link.
Wei Ming (an invented example) runs a small food business. His niece suggests giving a free drink to anyone who leaves five stars. A friend of his who runs a cafe says she knows someone who can post fifty good reviews for a small fee. Both ideas would raise his rating quickly, and both break Google's rules.
The rules come from Google's policies for user-contributed content on Maps. These policies prohibit fake engagement, which includes:
reviews that do not reflect a genuine experience reviews posted by the business owner or staff about their own business reviews bought from anyone negative reviews posted about a competitor
The policies also prohibit offering or accepting an incentive for reviews. An incentive is a discount, a free drink, a gift, entry into a lucky draw, or anything else of value given in exchange for a review. The ban applies even if you ask for honest reviews rather than five-star reviews, so the niece's free drink fails the incentives rule. Google says it removes content that breaks these policies, and businesses that persistently break them can face restrictions on their profile. Buying the fifty reviews could get Wei Ming's reviews removed or his profile restricted. The examples and enforcement change over time, so read the current policies on Google's help pages.
Google Business Profile lets you reply publicly to each review. Your replies show other customers that you are paying attention. For a positive review, thank the person briefly and mention something specific from what they wrote. For example, a reply might thank the reviewer, say you are glad their son enjoyed the steamed chicken, and say you'll see them next time. If you paste a generic "Thanks for your review" under every review, it reads as if nobody is there.
A good reply to a bad review often does more for your reputation than another five-star review. When you reply, you are writing as much for future customers as for the reviewer. Stay calm, even if the review feels unfair. Thank the person for the feedback. Acknowledge the problem without arguing the details in public. If it is relevant, briefly explain what you have done about it. Then offer a way to sort it out offline, such as a phone number or email.
Around Chinese New Year, Wei Ming received a negative review from a customer who had made a wasted trip because his holiday hours were not updated on Google that year. His reply apologised for the wasted trip and admitted that the outdated holiday hours were the business's mistake. It said that holiday hours are now set weeks in advance, and it invited the customer to call the number on the profile so the business could make it up to them.
Never include a customer's personal details in a reply. That covers their full name if they did not use it, their phone number, address, order details, what their child is struggling with, and anything else from your records. Even when a review is wrong, you must not reveal personal data to correct it. In Singapore, disclosing a customer's personal data in a public reply without consent could breach obligations under the Personal Data Protection Act. If a parent complains about Priya's classes, she cannot reply by mentioning the child's marks or attendance. A safe reply simply asks the parent to contact her directly so she can understand what happened.
You now have three things to write: a review request message for your business, a reply to a five-star review and a reply to a two-star review. If your business has no reviews yet, use a business you know well and write replies to real reviews on its profile, as practice only. The activity below sets these out.
Write the message you will use to ask for reviews. Then write a reply to one five-star review and one two-star review, for your business or one you know.
Junxiong-WFG Organisation is an authorised representative of AIA Financial Advisers Private Limited (Reg. No. 201715016G).