One of the highest leveraged marketing actions to take in 2026 is collecting real authentic Google reviews for your business and displaying them for marketing. Most interested clients and customers look for trust signals before purchase and Google reviews is where most people seek trust. Google is trusted by many people because it is easy to access and is embedded within the customer journey - most people search on Google. Positive Google reviews also boost search ranking, while other trusted platforms rely on the platform’s reviews to confirm legitimacy and certainty of product or service quality.
In summary collecting Google reviews significantly builds trust for your business:
- Google reviews are readily accessible in the customer journey vs. other platforms like yelp where people have to search on yelp, then look for business reviews.
- Positive Google reviews boost search ranking which allow people to find your business better.
- Other platforms use your Google reviews to rank on their platforms. For example, ChatGPT, Perplexity, and other AI search engines use Google’s data to recommend your business.
So how do you ask for Google Reviews?
The goal is to reach a review count so large that people want to leave a review on your Google business profile. The challenge is at the start when you have little to no reviews. In this case, we recommend being very intentional and candid about your need for reviews to your first few customers. While you can’t incentivize people for reviews based on Google’s terms of service, there are still ways to boost awareness:
- Ask when you report successful completion of service or delivery of product
- Add a QR code, signage, banner at the front desk (put it next to something free like candy)
- Send automated emails after service
How do I get the direct Google review link for my business?
Step 1. Search for your business organization’s name on Google Search
Note: This only works if you’re an admin of your organization on Google My Business. If you’re not an admin the below options will not be available; follow alternative steps.
Step 2. Click on the button that says “Ask for reviews”
When you click on the button, this popup should appear. Copy and save the review link URL, and / or use the QR code by following the instruction - “Right-click and..”
Alternative Method. This is for users who DON’T have access to the Google My Business admin. This only works when your Google Business has a physical location / address available. If your business doesn’t have a placeID we suggest requesting access to be the Google My Business Admin for your organization.
Step 1. Go to Google’s Place ID finder and search your business on the mini map.
Above is what Google's Place ID search site looks like.
Step 2. Copy and save the PlaceID on your note or somewhere you can revisit.
Step 3. Paste the placeid at the end of this url
https://search.google.com/local/writereview?placeid=
Here’s an example of a local Houston Coffee Shop’s Google Review Link:
https://search.google.com/local/writereview?placeid=ChIJo2_21J_AQIYR-Ojk3RsXD9w
Note: Why can’t I just copy and paste the URL from the review popup link?
This method doesn’t work because when you share the URL users are prompted to access the Google My Business Page, not the review popup.
Nobody wants to be the first to leave a review
People feel safe when they’re within a crowd, even in a digital space. When you see a business that has thousands of reviews, you’re likely to open and see the reviews. When people see less than 50 reviews, they likely ignore the review score even if it is high. Here are some ways you can build a community on Google reviews:
- Ask friends and family to leave reviews but only if they have received your service / product. (Google Terms of Service)
- Respond and engage with as many reviews as possible
- Ask at the peak of customer satisfaction or at the customer’s easiest convenience
Why 4.8 stars look more legitimate than 5.0 star reviews
While aiming for 5 stars should be every business’s goals, a 5.0 star review is not a trusty review of a business. Aim for 4.8 with distribution of mostly 5 stars, a few 4 stars and rarely 1 stars. This is because many times, people look for the distribution of the rating along with how recently these reviews were made to make a decision. Recently rated 1 star rating is very harmful - try to bury these under many 4 and 5 star reviews. When collecting 4 or 5 star reviews, make sure the 5 star rating is vastly more popular than the 4 stars.
We live in a low trust digital environment - trust is expensive
Digital literacy has gone down because of how fast technology has evolved: AI and bot activity on the web has misled and misguided too many people too often. With legislation too slow to catch up to protect consumers, we are trained to be vigilant about ratings and reviews. This is why businesses need to pay trust premiums - crafting brand awareness and engagement strategies that help build the trust. This is why the efforts taken to collect Google reviews is so important - we’re building trust with the community review by review.
FAQ
How many Google Reviews should a business aim for?
Aim for consistent rate of acquiring Google Reviews, then increase the frequency gradually. Every business has a different rate of acquiring Google Reviews. For example, a restaurant can acquire several a day vs. B2B service provider may get 1 to 5 reviews per month. Establish consistency, then focus on increasing the frequency.
Can I pay people to leave Google Reviews?
Short answer is no. Google’s Terms of Service: https://policies.google.com/terms?hl=en-US
There are ways to ask for Google Reviews, for example - you can ask your customers to complete a short survey with an incentive and at the end of the survey ask for a Google Review as an option. Since the incentive is structured privately to the survey, you can bypass the purchasing of the Google Review in Google’s terms of service.
Can businesses offer discounts or rewards for reviews?
No. Google does not allow incentives in exchange for reviews.
Do Google reviews affect SEO rankings?
Yes. Google Reviews influence local SEO rankings. Volume of reviews, recency, and rating distribution are important factors affecting Google Reviews.