Few customers will write you a good Google review unless you ask. Luckily, happy customers are usually more than happy to leave you a positive testimonial.
Knowing how to ask for a Google review is the key to unlocking lots of positive reviews that boost your online presence sales revenue. To start with, you need to develop a strategy that helps you ask for Google reviews at the right time, in the right way, and from the right customers.
The template you will use to ask for Google reviews from your customers can work magic if you implement the tips in this detailed guide. We will show you how to request for a Google review through email, SMS, or phone, complete with examples and templates you can use today.
Why are good reviews important for your business?
Chances are that you have yourself relied on business or product reviews to help make a good purchase decision.
According to statistics curated by Oberlo, 89% of consumers around the world consult reviews before making a purchase. And BrightLocal found that 81% of consumers use Google to evaluate local businesses, a leap from 63% the previous year.
Customers are your best marketers because most consumers trust online reviews as much as recommendations from friends. Having lots of positive reviews helps you to grow your brand visibility and conversion rates.
According to HubSpot's sales flywheel model, when delighted customers become brand advocates, you get a cyclic effect that produces momentum for your business to grow.
Asking customers for reviews is an affordable and high-return strategy with benefits that include:
Improved reputation
In online business, your online reputation precedes you. Customers decide whether or not to buy from you even before they set foot in your store. You need positive reviews to shape customer perception and drive brand credibility and trustworthiness.
We know that online transactions are all about trust. Customers, especially new ones, use your reviews to get more information about your brand and product. At the end of the day, reviews can help them make the final leap.
Even then, having many positive reviews isn't enough. The same BrightLocal research found that 89% of consumers are highly likely or fairly likely to use a business that follow up with and responds to all reviews—both positive and negative.
If you don't know how to respond to reviews, here are some positive review response examples to get you started.
Higher brand and product ratings
Brand and product ratings are equally important as a source of feedback and for customer acquisition. BazaarVoice's 2019 Shopper Experience Index found that customers who interact with positive reviews and ratings spend 157% more money, while 52% had greater brand loyalty.
Given that people often check out reviews and ratings in the final stages of their buyer's journey, positive reviews always leave a big impact on their purchase decision.
Better SEO for an amplified presence
Google's algorithm uses over 200 factors in search rankings. However, all these are used to evaluate only three website attributes: Expertise, Authority, and Trust (E.A.T.). Customer reviews carry a high level of consumer trust that can help increase your website's online rankings.
Research by renowned local SEO experts suggests that positive reviews could have as big an impact as 15% of how Google ranks your business. Better search rankings expose you to more potential customers, driving more traffic and amplifying your customer base.
Plus, the BrightLocal survey suggests that 57% of consumers will only trust your business if it has a rating of four stars or better.
When to ask for reviews
The survey also reports that, of the 74% of consumers who were asked to provide reviews after interacting with a business, 68% were happy to do it.
Knowing when to ask for reviews will help you gather more positive reviews. While there are no hard and fast rules about when to ask for reviews, it is vital to have a thoughtful strategy in place. We recommend that you:
- Collect customer feedback immediately after a purchase while the customer's experience is fresh.
- Request the review through customer support or sales team members who are already interacting with customers
- Send the review requests in the morning and during the middle of the week, both of which are proven to increase response rate.
- Consider asking for reviews after specific milestones. For example, when customers return for a second visit or when they receive a loyalty discount.
Remember to encourage customers to take photos and videos as well. These forms of user-generated content (UGC) are powerful at fostering trust and engagement with potential customers.
Related content: How to add photos to Google reviews
How to ask for a Google review?
The biggest problem for business owners is how to ask for reviews. However, you should know that customers expect it and are probably looking forward to it. There are different clever ways to request for Google reviews depending on the medium, whether email, SMS, social media, or by phone.
Send an automated email
An automated email is probably the easiest way to request for a Google review. It works with small and large lists of customers, so long as you personalize each email perfectly and make it sound easy, straightforward, and sincere.
Include a request in a purchase confirmation
You can also include review requests in your receipts, delivery forms, or other documentation. To do this, program your printer to include a review link in each receipt or purchase confirmation. Include an polite invite such as:
- How was your visit? Tell us [link]
- Did you love our services? Leave us a review [link]
- Show your support for small businesses by leaving us a review [link]
- Help others like you find us by leaving us a review [link]
Look for social media mentions
If customers are already talking about your brand or products, chances are they will be willing to write you a glowing review. Using social media listening tools, you can look for mentions, tags, and comments, then respond to them and request users to leave you a positive review.
Add a review link to your website
If you have a business website, have a review link prominently on your site. The best place for this link is in the page header or footer, as well as the checkout and thank-you pages. To get this link, check out our Google review link generator.
How to ask for a 5-star review?
Dare you ask for a 5-star review from your customer? Yes, you can!
The key is to ask for a 5-star review at the peak of your customer's happiness with your brand or service. Here are a few more expert tips you can use to ask for and get that 5-star review or rating:
- Incentivize the customer to write a good review.
- Reduce friction by making the review process easier and faster.
- Choose the right time during the buyer's journey to ask for a review.
- Don't be insistent. Only nudge the customer for a review one or two times and leave it at that.
How to ask for a review via Email?
If you're apprehensive about how to ask clients for reviews, emails are one way to get it out of the way. Plus, email works at scale and you can automate them easily.
The most important factor to remember is the subject line. Also, we have found that making the review all about the consumer works even better.
For example, a subject line like, "Help other customers like you find us" works great for most people. Also, remember to include your brand name, address, contacts, and a link to your Google my Business listing.
Here are three examples of how to ask customers for reviews through email to help guide you.
Hi [customer name],
Thank you for your recent [service purchased] with [your business name]. We truly value all of our customers – that includes [client's company or business name]!
Because customer satisfaction is extremely important to us, we'd love to hear your feedback and how you feel about our services! If you have a few minutes, we would really appreciate a quick Google review [include a hyperlink] letting us know how [we/name of employee who worked with them] did.
You can also click the link below to submit your review and let us know what you think!
[INSERT CTA/BUTTON WITH GOOGLE REVIEW LINK]
Thanks in advance for taking the time to leave a review! If you have any questions or would like to speak directly about your [services], don't hesitate to reach out [include contact link or phone number] at any time.
Sincerely,
[your or the sales rep's name]
This is an example of an email request for a service review.
Hi [customer's first name],
Thank you for your recent purchase of [product name] with [your business name]! We truly appreciate your business and value you as our customer.
Customer satisfaction is extremely important to us, and we'd love to hear your feedback and know how you feel about your product. If you have a few minutes, please leave us a review on Google [include the review link] and we'll be so happy to get your feedback.
You can also click the link below to submit your review and let us know what you think!
[INSERT CTA/BUTTON WITH GOOGLE REVIEW LINK]
Thanks in advance for taking the time to leave a review! If you have any questions or would like to speak to us directly about your [type of product], feel free to contact us [include contact link or phone number] at any time.
Sincerely,
[your name or name of the sales rep]
This is a example of an email request for a product review
Hello [customer's first name],
Thank you for choosing [your business name], it was a pleasure doing business with you.
As you may know, many people like you rely on online reviews to make sure they get the best services possible. We would love it if you could leave us your review on our Google Business page.
If you have a few minutes, click this link {add your GMB review link as a hyperlink] and leave us your feedback. It will help other people like you get the help they need in [primary customer pain point] and help us make our services better for everyone!
Thank you for your time and your business, we truly appreciate you!
Sincerely,
[Your business name or name or sales/customer care rep]
To make this process easier, create an email template optimized towards asking customers for reviews. You can then personalize this template for each recipient to suit the occasion. Find an example template below to help guide you.
How to ask for a review via SMS?
To ask for a Google review through SMS, you will need to make your request short, punchy, and sincere.
Just like emails, your SMS template also needs to be highly customizable. Here are three samples on how to ask for a review through SMS.
"Hi [customer's first name], it was great seeing you today. Would you take one minute to answer a quick question and leave us a positive review on Google about your experience? Just click this link [include the link]
Thanks for your time and your business, we appreciate you!
Hello [customer's first name], thanks for shopping with us! Would you like to help other shoppers find us and improve our services? Please click here [insert link] to rate our business and give feedback on your experience.
Thank you, [name of your business]
"Hi [customer's first name], we are so happy that you visited our store. To help give you the best service, we'd love your feedback. Could you please leave your review here? [insert link].
Thank you for choosing us, [name of your business]
How to ask for a review in person?
If you or any of your employees regularly visit or meet with clients, this would be the perfect time to ask for Google reviews.
This approach might be a little more difficult since the customer first has to get online. To solve this problem, have a card with a Google review link QR code already printed. You can also bring a company phone, tablet, or laptop and get the review during the meeting.
How to ask for a review over the phone?
If your business offers phone support or conducts telemarketing, you will have plenty of opportunities to request for reviews on Google.
But you have the same problem: how to ask for reviews when the customer isn't already online. Train your representatives to ask for reviews through a standardized script to make sure they hit all the right points. Here's an example of a simple request:
After helping the customer with their problem:
"I'm glad we were able to help you today. We appreciate your business and would be extremely grateful if you shared this experience on [Google, Yelp, or other review site]. Your testimonial will help other customers/clients become more confident with our product/service. If that's all right, we will be sending you an email/SMS with the review link; it will only take two minutes of your time. Thanks again for your time and your business!"
Google review request template to get more responses
This optimized customer review template lets you make the best of your review requests. It includes all the main points including a short introduction, a customer-focused pain point, and a conclusion thanking the customer.
This is an asking for a client review template that you can use through email, but you can also adapt it for SMS, social media, or phone.
Suggested Subject: Help others [solve primary paint point]
Body:
Hello [customer's first name],
It was/has been a pleasure doing business with you. Thank you for [being a loyal customer/choosing [your business name], giving us a try], etc.
We know that you're busy, so we'll make this quick. As you know, many people like you rely on online reviews to get the best services/products possible. We would love it if you could take five minutes to leave us a testimonial on our Google business page, which will also help others enjoy our services as you did.
You can click this link [insert link] to leave your feedback; we would also appreciate a 5-star rating! Please note that you will need to be logged into your Google account to write your review.
Thank you for taking time out of your day, we truly appreciate you.
Best/warm regards/sincerely,
[Your business name or name of rep]
Key takeaways
Google reviews are a deciding factor for customers online. Given the harsh competition and lack of trust that exists online, asking for Google reviews is not an option for any business.
You need to be intentional and consistent with your requests for Google reviews. Have a thoughtful strategy that informs when you ask for reviews, how you ask for reviews, and which customers you ask for those Google reviews.
Leverage feedback and reviews to improve your online reputation
Get more online reviews and turn your customers into raving fans with ReviewsOnMyWebsite review generation software.
And once you get reviews, use our Google reviews widget to showcase them on your website.
Frequently asked questions
How to politely ask for a review on Google?
Asking politely for a Google review requires you to be direct, brief, and clear about it. Choose a time when the customer is happy with your product or service, and send an email, SMS, or call them to request for their review on Google.
How do you ask for a review via email?
Ask for a business review by writing customers a short and clear email. In it, thank the customer for their business, make it clear that you're asking for a review, and provide a link where they can write the review. Have a template but personalize it for each client to increase the response rates.
How do you ask for a Facebook review?
One of the clever ways to ask for a Facebook review is to look for customers who are already talking about your brand. Use social listening tools to find tags, comments, and mentions about your brand, then request the customer to provide their feedback. Be sure to include a link to your GMB page
Can you incentivize reviews?
Yes, so long as you are not buying them. Google allows businesses to solicit for reviews, which includes offering incentives such as discounts. However, platforms such as Yelp don't even allow you to ask directly for a review, much less incentivize it. You can get creative, but never buy reviews.
Is it illegal to pay for reviews?
Yes Google, Yelp, Better Business Bureau, and most other review platforms do not allow fake or purchased reviews. In fact, it is illegal to pay for customer reviews, according to The Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
How do you reward reviews?
A simple thank-you is all it takes to reward customer reviews. Writing Google reviews takes time and effort for the customer, but offering rewards such as cash might be seen as buying them. Just let the customer know how important the reviews are and, at most, offer a small discount or coupon.
Can a company delete a review?
No, you cannot delete a bad review from Google. The best you can do is flag the review as inappropriate, fake, or doesn't comply with Google's policy. You can also request Google to delete reviews, especially if they don't comply with its policy and standards.
Can Google reviews be bought?
No, you can't buy Google reviews. Even though businesses find lots of ways to generate or buy fake reviews, Google works very hard to identify and deal with fake reviews. Buying reviews for your business is not worth the risk; instead, invest in getting genuine reviews from your customers as outlined here in this guide.
