Google reviews:
get more, and reply well.
Reviews weigh on both your position in the local pack and the decision of your future customers. Here is the complete method to collect them, reply to them and track their effect.
Why Google reviews decide your visibility
A Google review works on two levels at once, and that is what makes it so profitable to work on.
On your search ranking first. Review volume, freshness, rating and the fact that you reply are among the signals Google uses to rank businesses in the local pack and on Maps. A business collecting fresh reviews regularly sends a signal of activity that a dormant competitor does not.
On conversion second. Between two comparable profiles, a visitor decides on the rating, the number of reviews and the way you reply, especially to negative ones. A calm reply to a two-star review often reassures more than a run of five-star ratings with no comment.
The three jobs
Review management comes down to three questions, and each has its guides and tools below.
- How do I get more? A solicitation problem: asking at the right moment, on the right channel, with no friction for the customer.
- How do I reply? A consistency problem: keeping the pace on every review, negative ones included, without losing your evenings.
- How do I measure? A steering problem: knowing your rating, knowing how many reviews will move it, tracking the effect of your actions.
Guides on this topic
How to respond effectively to your Google reviews
The timing, structure and tone of a reply that serves your reputation, and what undermines it.
Read the guide Tools and resourcesHow to respond to a negative review on Google
A negative review handled well reassures more than ten positive ones. You just have to avoid three reflexes.
Read the guide Tools and resourcesHow to ask customers for Google reviews easily
The right moment, the right channel, the right wording, and the practices that expose you to a penalty.
Read the guide Tools and resourcesHow to easily send emails requesting Google reviews
Subject, structure, link, follow-up: what separates an email that earns reviews from one that gets ignored.
Read the guide Tools and resourcesHow to increase your Google reviews with Leadmia
Going from a stalled profile to a steady flow of recent reviews, without spending your evenings on it.
Read the guide Tools and resourcesWhy buying Google reviews is a bad idea, and how to get real customer reviews to improve your visibility
The arithmetic looks appealing. It looks far less so once you put the risk into the equation.
Read the guide Tools and resourcesGoogle review management tool, discover Leadmia
The five functions that separate a real review management tool from a decorative dashboard.
Read the guide Free toolGet a link for Google reviews
The link that opens the review window directly, and removes the step where your customers give up.
Read the guide Free toolGoogle review calculator
How many 5-star reviews stand between you and the rating you want? The number is usually lower than you think.
Read the guide Free toolGoogle review generator for professionals
The assistant you switch on for your customers: it helps them write, and places your keywords along the way.
Read the guide Free toolGoogle review simulator
What happens to your rating if you get 20 more reviews? And if they are not all 5 stars?
Read the guideFrequently asked questions
How many Google reviews do you need to look credible?
There is no official threshold. Regularity and freshness matter more than the total: a profile receiving a few reviews each month inspires more confidence than one frozen on a large but ageing volume. The review calculator tells you how many positive reviews you need to reach the rating you are aiming for.
Should you reply to every Google review, even those without a comment?
Yes, including reviews that are just a rating. Replying is a signal of activity for Google and a mark of attention for your customers. Replies to comment-free reviews can be short, provided you vary them.
Can a negative Google review be removed?
Only if it breaches Google's policies: hateful content, off-topic content, conflict of interest, or an obviously fake review. A negative but genuine review will not be removed. In that case your public reply is your only lever, and it is an effective one.
Is buying Google reviews risky?
Yes, and the risk is out of proportion to the gain. Google detects artificial review patterns and penalises the profile, up to removing the reviews or the profile itself. The dedicated guide covers the alternatives that produce genuine reviews.