I tell clients to ask for Google reviews all the time. Want to know how many I have for my own business? Three.
I’m not proud of it, but it’s the truth. Part of that is me not asking enough, because asking feels like fishing for compliments. The other part is more frustrating - I’ve had people tell me they left a review, and it never showed up.
So this post is for both of us. Here’s what I’ve learned about asking, and what to do when reviews go missing.
Why Google Reviews Matter
Much of my business comes from word of mouth. Someone tells a friend, the friend calls me. That’s still the best marketing there is.
Google reviews are word of mouth that strangers can see. When someone in St. Albans searches for a plumber, a bakery, or a hair stylist, the businesses with a higher number of recent reviews earn trust before anyone picks up the phone. Google also lists reviews among the factors that affect local search results, including the map listings at the top of the page.
A business with a handful of reviews looks a lot less convincing next to the shop down the road with forty from this year. (Ask me how I know.)
What This Looks Like in Real Life: Brock’s Heating
Brock’s Heating in Fairfax is one of my favorite examples. They have more than 640 Google reviews.
They didn’t get there by being pushy. Their CRM sends every customer a review request after the job is done. Nobody on the team has to remember to ask, and nobody has to have an awkward conversation at the door. The request goes out every single time, and the reviews keep coming in.
Think about what that means for a homeowner in Franklin County whose furnace quits in January. They search for help, see a local company with hundreds of real reviews from their neighbors, and the decision is made.
That’s the power of a system. One review request feels small. A few hundred of them, sent consistently over the years, become one of the strongest marketing assets a local business can have.
The Best Time to Ask
Timing really does a lot of the work. Ask right after a positive interaction:
- A customer pays you a compliment
- You wrap up a project and they love the result
- Someone comes back for the third or fourth time
- A client sends a friend your way
In those moments, the good feeling is fresh. Don't wait three weeks when you’re now asking people to remember how they felt.
Make It Easy for Them
Most people are happy to leave a review. What stops them is the hassle of figuring out where to leave it. Your job is to remove every extra step.
- Check your software first. Many CRMs, booking tools, and invoicing platforms can send review requests automatically, just like Brock’s does. Look in your settings before building anything by hand.
- Get your direct review link. Log into your Google Business Profile and look for the option to ask for reviews. It gives you a short link that opens the review box directly.
- Leave something behind. I design review cards for my clients to hand off after a job. Each one has a short thank-you message and the business’s branding, plus a QR code that opens their Google review box directly. A plumber leaves one on the counter after a service call. A landscaper tucks one in the door when the job’s done. The customer scans it while the good experience is still fresh, and the business owner never has to ask out loud.
- Add it where conversations already happen. Your email signature, invoices, website, and follow-up texts are all good spots.
- Ask in person, then send the link. A face-to-face ask followed by a text with the link is a combination that works.
Scripts You Can Steal
In person:
“I’m so glad you’re happy with it. Would you be willing to leave me a Google review? I can text you the link right now.”
By text:
“Hi Sarah, thanks again for coming in this week. Would you mind leaving a quick Google review? It makes a big difference for a small business like mine. Here’s the link: [link]”
By email:
“Thank you for trusting me with your project. It was a pleasure to work on. Would you take a minute to share your experience on Google? Reviews help other local customers find me. Here’s the direct link: [link]”
Keep it short. Say thank you. Make the link one tap away.
What Not to Do
- Don’t buy reviews or post fake ones. It breaks Google’s policies, and the FTC finalized a rule in 2024 that bans fake reviews outright.
- Don’t offer discounts or freebies in exchange for reviews. Google prohibits incentivized reviews.
- Don’t screen who gets the link. Some systems send happy customers to Google and unhappy ones to a private form. That’s called review gating, and Google doesn’t allow it. Brock’s sends the request to everyone, which is exactly how it should work.
- Don’t ignore the bad ones. Reply calmly and professionally. A thoughtful response to a tough review tells future customers a lot about how you treat people.
“I Left You a Review!” So Where Is It?
This one drives me crazy, and I hear it from clients constantly. A customer says they reviewed you, you go look, and nothing’s there.
Google screens every review before it posts. Sometimes that check takes a few days. Sometimes the review gets flagged as spam and removed for good, even when it was completely real.
Google doesn’t publish exactly what trips its filters, but a few patterns come up again and again:
- Brand-new or barely used Google accounts. A first-ever review from an account with no history can look suspicious to the system.
- Reviewing from your location. A customer who leaves the review on your shop’s Wi-Fi may get filtered.
- A sudden burst of reviews. Ten reviews in one afternoon after years of quiet can raise a flag.
- Links, phone numbers, or promo language in the review. Keep reviews about the experience.
- Old apps. Google says some people on older phones or outdated versions of Maps can’t leave reviews at all.
Here’s the frustrating part: a filtered review may still show up for the person who wrote it, so they have no idea it’s missing.
What you can do:
- Wait a few days before assuming it’s gone.
- Ask customers to review from home, on their own phone or Wi-Fi.
- Keep the ask steady. A few reviews every month looks natural. This is another reason Brock’s system works so well.
- Contact Google Business Profile support for real reviews that disappeared. Have the reviewer names, dates, and your profile details ready. Google’s own help pages say removed reviews usually can’t be restored, so go in with realistic expectations.
Don’t let a missing review stop you from asking. The fix is volume and consistency, and that’s something you can control.
Make It a Habit
Pick one point in your process and attach the ask to it. Every invoice. Every finished order. Every completed service call. Once it’s routine, it stops feeling so awkward, and the reviews start adding up.
And Yes, I’m Asking Too
Practicing what I preach here. Have you worked with me on a website, logo, or social media? I’d be grateful for a quick Google review. Here’s the link: https://g.page/r/CZzbWihy9ozxEBM/review
Want help getting your Google Business Profile in shape? Book a consult and I’ll lend you a hand!
