Ask every customer, at the moment they are happiest, with a link that opens the review box, and follow up gently. Then reply to every review. Most local businesses have far more happy customers than reviews because nobody asks consistently. Here is how to fix that without breaking Google's rules or UK law.
Why do Google reviews matter so much for a local business?
Reviews decide both whether you appear and whether you are chosen. Google's own guidance for Business Profiles says that review count and review score factor into local ranking, and surveys of local SEO practitioners consistently place review signals among the top groups of map-pack factors. On the customer side, a business with fifty recent reviews looks safer than one with nine, whatever the quality of the work. Recency matters as much as volume: a review from last week says more than one from two years ago.
When is the best time to ask for a review?
Within a few hours of the job being finished, while the result is fresh and the relief is real. For a plumber that is the same afternoon; for a builder it is sign-off day; for an accountant it is the moment the return is filed. Asking weeks later gets a fraction of the response. The exception is clinics, where asking after a few sessions rather than the first visit gives the patient something to speak to.
How should the request be worded?
Short, personal and in your business's name. Thank them for the job, ask for an honest review, and give one link that opens the Google review box directly. Do not ask for a five-star review and do not explain how to find you on Google. A direct link turns a five-minute task into a twenty-second one, and that difference is most of the response rate.
Should I follow up if they do not respond?
Yes, gently. One request catches the keen; two or three polite nudges over about a week catch the busy. Stop the moment they leave a review or reply, never ask the same person twice within a few months, and never ask someone whose job was cancelled. Automating this is what turns an occasional review into a steady flow.
What am I not allowed to do?
Google's policy prohibits offering money, discounts or gifts for reviews, asking only happy customers (review gating), and writing or buying reviews. In the UK the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 made fake reviews and undisclosed incentivised reviews unlawful from April 2025, with the Competition and Markets Authority able to fine businesses directly. Ask everyone, honestly, and you are on the right side of all of it.
Do I need to reply to reviews?
Yes, to every one. Replies are read by the next customer as closely as the review itself, and an owner response is a signal of an active business. Thank positive reviewers specifically rather than generically. For a negative review, reply calmly, acknowledge the problem, and take the detail offline. One two-star review among forty five-star reviews barely moves your average; a defensive reply does more damage than the review.
What about customers from years ago?
Ask them. Most businesses have hundreds of past customers who were happy and were never asked. Contact them gradually, a handful a day, in your name, with the same direct link. This is usually where the first month's reviews come from, before new jobs even start to be logged.
