Google Reviews is a feature that helps businesses collect feedback and ratings from customers after they purchase or receive a service. People can publicly share their experience, self-clicked photos, and a rating from 0 to 5, which appears on Google Search and Maps for anyone looking up the said Google Business Profile online.

As highlighted in the image above, a Google review has two components:

• A rating out of 5 stars

• Written feedback (with attached images, sometimes)

Ratings and reviews are badges of trust and credibility, convincing curious or sceptical customers to find trust and do business with you. As they say in the marketing circles, “Your brand isn’t what you say it is — it’s what Google says it is.”

Since Google is the most searched platform for people to discover and evaluate businesses, asking for Google reviews is also a straightforward way to build a stronger business profile and build credibility using customer voice.

But before we get to the juicy, tactical bits on how to ask for Google reviews, let’s understand how customer reviews influence consumer behavior.

Why you should ask customers for a Google review

Between Ads, lookalike products, and endless links, modern-day customers find themselves in what Google calls the “Messy Middle.”

“The ‘messy middle’ is a space of abundant information and unlimited choices that

shoppers have learned to manage using a range of cognitive shortcuts.”

What are these cognitive shortcuts (or biases)? Below, I’m spotlighting one of the most influential: Social Proof. It’s one of the seven principles of persuasion by Robert Cialdini.

To take advantage of social proof, you demonstrate how much value other customers get from your business through a positive review (or recommendation), build trust, and influence purchase decisions.

So, while you may find the task desperate or simply awkward, it’s OK to ask customers for Google reviews. The search engine giant even encourages you to ask happy customers to leave 5-star reviews. There is also a more technical reason why: Google reviews can improve your local search rankings and drive organic traffic to your website. This traffic increase results in better visibility when a local searches for a store like yours, ultimately leading to higher foot traffic.

How Google reviews impact local SEO

When you search for a service on Google—such as ‘web development services’ as I have below—the first fold of your search results page will have a section known as the ‘Businesses’ section.

In the world of SEO, this is called the local pack.
This SERP feature will present you with three relevant, local business options near you—with the highest ratings. If you examine the image above, you can also gather two things:

• A higher number of Google reviews, whether positive or neutral, will not get you a better ranking.

• However, the closer you are to a 5-star rating, the better your chances of getting ranked and discovered through Google search.

There's a clear connection between the quality of your reviews and how Google pushes your business for the keywords you want to rank for.

So, while you can’t control how customers review your business, you can proactively ask for Google reviews via email, social media, or even in person to demonstrate social proof and drive clicks and conversions.

Other than collecting more Google reviews, you can also enhance the trust factor by—

• Responding timely to Google reviews. 88% of consumers will consider a business that responds to positive and negative reviews.

• Seeking Google’s help to eliminate fake, low-rated reviews, which are often bot-generated and left to spoil your reputation.

Now that we know how Google reviews function and impact local rankings, let’s explore the best practices and ways to leverage them.

Getting tactical: How to effectively ask for Google reviews?

“7/10 leads that come to us are not from Social, but from organic search. People who find us on Google and read our reviews have the highest conversion rate,” says Chiam of Pencil Design Studio, a startup interior and architecture design firm in the Philippines.

He also shares a list of tactics to ask for Google reviews successfully:

• A good Google review always precedes a good product or service experience. You cannot fake it, so my #1 tip would be to provide value and excellent customer service.

• Timing is key. When we ask for a Google review, we make sure to ask right after we have delivered our final deliverable (provided they loved it)—not two days or three days after. Otherwise, you'll lose the momentum.

• Be genuine when you ask. We tell people where we are coming from. We tell them exactly why we need a Google review: To help us reach more people and to help people like them looking for a trusted service provider find the best suite of companies to partner with.

• Minimize friction in the feedback process. Instead of just asking for a review, give customers a direct link to your Google review page.

• Automate the review system. On our website, we have a button called "Read more reviews" next to where we display the reviews [see below], redirecting prospects to the actual Google Business Profile page.

• Remember to reply to their reviews. In your reply, mention keywords or phrases relevant to your product or service.

Colt Agar, who heads marketing and SEO for Red Stag Fulfillment, a company offering order fulfillment services, adds a key pointer to the list:

• You have to send reminders. It may feel like you're pestering, which risks permanently annoying your customer base. But a one-and-done ask isn't going to cut it, especially if you're sending Google review requests digitally, via text or email.

But you don’t want to go overboard. One or two reminders per week is a great balance to keep it front of mind and eventually get the review.

Now—let’s get more specific and explore some successful examples and templates you can use.

How to ask for a review via email?

Email example #1

Brianna Parks, an elopement photographer based in Northern California, shares how she leverages Google reviews for her photography business.

“This is usually my magic email, as I let them know I have a specific goal for the year that they can help me achieve. It makes them feel like they've done an act of service.

I will also leave a couple of prompts like “In what ways was it helpful working with me when planning your elopement?” or “How would you describe your experience with me on your elopement day?” in each email to encourage them to start the process and the wording I use for my "magic email.”

She also responds to Google reviews in a timely manner, expressing gratitude and deepening the connection. This is likely to earn her referrals and boost her Google Business profile.

Email example #2

Lauren Walter, Search & Content Director at Online Optimism, a digital marketing and design agency, writes:

“I recommend only asking clients for reviews who you feel confident will give you 4 to 5 stars (ideally 5). One tactic to get more Google reviews is to have processes in place for your staff. This can include a company guide on how to ask for Google reviews, as well as scheduled reminders to consider asking for reviews when a client’s contract is up for renewal.”

Email template

Subject: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ How many stars would you give [company name]?

“Dear [customer’s name],


Thank you for choosing[company’s name] for [specific product/service]. Did we meet your expectations? If you have a moment, please leave a quick Google Review here [insert Google Review link] to let us know your thoughts. Thanks for your time,
 

[company name]”

How to ask for a review via text or messaging apps?

Text example #1

Kenneth Burke, VP of Marketing of Text Request, emphasizes the importance of timing the request.

“To our business customers, we recommend asking for a review as soon as they have had time to experience the benefits. For instance:

• Home Service (landscaping/HVAC): Immediately after service is completed

• Retail: A few days after the product is purchased or delivered

• Professional Service (accounting/legal): After the project is completed”

Text example #2

Elisa Montanari, Head of Organic Growth at Wrike, stresses keeping the text transparent:

“If you’ve built strong customer relationships and given great service, people are often more than willing to help you out. So, don’t build it up into a massive ask. Just ask them a simple, short question. It can be a bit of a numbers game because people are often busy or forget to leave a review. Ask everyone and accept that most will not leave feedback.”

Text template #1

“Hey [customer’s name], how did we do? If you loved our [product/service], please share your experience and let other customers know. To leave a review, click here: [Google review link] Thanks for the support!”

Text template #2

“Thank you for choosing [company name]! How did we do? Let us know with a Google review: [Google review link]. Your feedback is valuable to us."

Now, what if you could automate review collection?

While getting a steady stream of reviews, especially positive ones, is a dream scenario, organizing and displaying those reviews is often a tedious process.

With Flocker—a review and feedback management tool—you can automate the process of gathering, moderating, and displaying customer reviews and testimonials on your website. It also doesn't require any technical expertise and only takes two steps:

1. Create a custom form

To begin the process, sign up for a free trial with Flockler and navigate to the ‘Reviews’ tab once logged in. Choose ‘Create a new form’ and then select ‘Reviews’ as the section to store the form to get started.
You will be redirected to a customizable form. On the right, you can select the fields for the form and check its preview on the right.

2. Choose a method to moderate reviews

After designing the form fields, click the ‘Settings’ option and choose whether you’d like to moderate the reviews beforehand or generate automatic feeds to display on your preferred site or digital service.

Note: We recommend choosing the first option. This will allow you to moderate reviews before publishing them anywhere. To access the collected reviews, click the ‘Content’ tab and select ‘Inbox.’

Your collected reviews will appear in the inbox, as shown below.

Now, click ‘Create’ to save the form.

3. Display reviews on websites

You can choose from four display layouts: Wall, Grid, Slideshow, or Carousel. Each layout can be customized to suit your branding. Then, go to the ‘Display’ tab and click the ‘Create a new layout’ option. This action will generate an embed code for the form. Save and use the code to embed chosen customer reviews on any website, Shopify store, and other platforms.

For Google reviews, specifically, you can start curating and displaying the ratings and reviews by connecting your Google Business Profile account with Flockler.

Once set up, you can create a Google reviews feed for one or multiple business locations. You can also moderate the reviews before they go up on your page, like with reviews collected through Flockler’s upload form. Similarly, you can also choose a preferred layout for display. 

Beyond Google reviews: How to use customer reviews to amplify your business

1. Showcase reviews and testimonials on home pages

Adding customer reviews, testimonials, and user-generated content is a surefire way to increase time spent on the website and boost SEO. Along with a highly engaging home page, you can improve conversions and drive sales.

With Flockler, you can embed shoppable social media feeds along with reviews. If a customer likes a product and wants to buy it, they can do so directly.

This is what Worktop Express does to drive traffic to product pages.

2. Highlight positive reviews in email campaigns

Got glowing reviews from customers? Showcase the feedback in email campaigns to promote products or services, especially to upsell or promote new lines of products.

This is how Buoy Health rolled out the campaign to promote a newly launched product. Notice how they cleverly mention getting 60+ reviews quickly, followed by the ‘Shop Now’ CTA and the 5-star ratings.

3. Display customer feedback on product pages

If you’re in the eCommerce space, displaying authentic, unfiltered, and latest customer feedback on product pages will drive purchase decisions. Honest feedback can build trust and drive sales. This is why Amazon asks customers for reviews after every purchase.

At a glance: How to ask for Google reviews

To summarize, here are the best tips and practices to ask for a review on Google:

• Get the timing right: Asking for a review after a customer expresses satisfaction is usually ideal.

• Keep the message succinct: Long-drawn communication is off-putting. Try to convey your ask in a short message.

• Express gratitude: Show how much you’ll appreciate the feedback and how it’ll help your business grow.

• Share a direct link: Customers are likelier to leave a review if the process seems simple.

• Don’t hesitate to follow up: If a customer hasn’t heeded your review request, leave them a gentle reminder. They could’ve missed it the first time.

• Acknowledge feedback: Responding to Google reviews can deepen trust and make the customer feel valuable. It also helps with local SEO.
  
  Showcase customer reviews and testimonials on any website and digital service with Flockler. Sign up for a 14-day free trial to start collecting and embedding Google reviews in a few minutes.