How to Get More Reviews (Without Feeling Awkward About It)

Reviews are the modern word of mouth. Here’s a simple, honest system for getting more of them from happy customers — and how to handle the occasional bad one.

Think about the last time you chose a café, a mechanic or a hairdresser you’d never used before. Chances are you checked the reviews first.

Your customers do the same. For a small local business, a steady stream of genuine reviews is one of the most powerful marketing tools there is — and it costs nothing.

The problem? Most happy customers never leave one. Not because they don’t want to, but because nobody asked, or they forgot by the time they got home.

Here’s how to change that.

1. Make sure your profile is ready first

Before you start asking for reviews, check your Google Business Profile is complete and up to date: your business name, hours, phone number, service area, photos and a short description of what you do. A tidy profile makes a good first impression and makes customers more comfortable leaving a review.

2. Ask at the right moment

Timing is everything. The best time to ask is when the customer is happiest:

When they thank you or compliment your work.
Right after a job is finished and they’re pleased with the result.
When they come back for a second time.

A simple, genuine ask works best: “It would mean a lot to a small business like ours if you could leave us a quick Google review.”

3. Make it ridiculously easy

Every extra step loses people. Get the direct review link from your Google Business Profile and share it everywhere you can:

In a follow-up text or email after the job.
On your invoices and receipts.
As a QR code on your counter, business cards or packaging.
In your email signature.

If a customer has to search for your business, scroll and find the review button, most won’t bother.

4. Follow up once — then let it go

People are busy. One friendly reminder a few days later is fine. More than that starts to feel like pressure, and that’s not the impression you want to leave.

5. Reply to every review

Thank people by name for positive reviews and mention something specific about the job if you can. It shows future customers there’s a real person behind the business who cares.

6. Handle bad reviews calmly

Every business gets one eventually. When it happens:

Take a breath before you reply. Never respond while you’re angry.
Thank them for the feedback and acknowledge their experience.
Offer to sort it out offline, with a phone number or email.
Keep it short and professional. Future customers are reading your reply more than the complaint.

A calm, helpful response to a bad review can actually build more trust than another five-star rating.

7. Don’t put all your reviews in one place

Google matters, but it shouldn’t be the only place customers can see what others think of you. If you’re listed on Small Business Connect, customers can leave reviews right on your directory listing too.

Those reviews sit alongside your business details, so people browsing the directory for a local business can see straight away that you’re trusted. When you ask for a review, share your Small Business Connect listing link as well as your Google link, and let the customer choose whichever is easiest for them.

What not to do

Keep it honest. Don’t write reviews for your own business, ask friends and family to post fake ones, or only ask customers you know are happy while hiding the rest. Fake or misleading reviews can breach the Australian Consumer Law, and Google removes reviews it thinks aren’t genuine. Offering customers a reward only in exchange for a positive review is also a no-go.

Small steps, big results

You don’t need hundreds of reviews overnight. Ask one or two happy customers each week and within a few months you’ll have a profile that does the selling for you.

Not listed yet? Add your business to the Small Business Connect directory so customers can find you, review you and recommend you — and connect with other Australian owners building their local reputation too. Join Small Business Connect