For a local business, reviews are often the first thing a future customer reads. They describe what a visit is really like, in the words of people who have just been there. They also play a part in how Google presents local results.

This guide sets out what Google itself says on the subject, then the habits that help you earn genuine reviews and use them well.

What Google says about reviews

In its help pages, Google explains that local results are based mainly on three things: relevance, distance and prominence. Prominence reflects how well known a business is, and Google lists review count and review score among the information it takes into account. Its guidance adds that more reviews and positive ratings can help a business’s local ranking.

Google does not publish a formula, and reviews are one signal among others. An accurate, complete Business Profile and a relevant category matter just as much. What reviews do offer is something you can influence every day, through the way you serve customers and the way you listen to them.

Ask every customer, not only the happy ones

The simplest way to earn more reviews is to ask, consistently, at the right moment. A short message after the visit, a link on the receipt or a sign at the counter makes the step easy. Make the request part of the routine rather than an occasional campaign.

Two rules protect both your customers and your profile. Google’s policies do not allow businesses to offer money, discounts or gifts in exchange for reviews, and they ask businesses not to solicit positive reviews selectively. In the European Union, a business that displays reviews must also say whether and how it checks that they come from people who actually used its products or services.

Ask everyone the same way, make the request easy to ignore, and never link it to a benefit. Honest feedback is worth more than a perfect average.

Reply to reviews, positive and negative

Google encourages businesses to reply to their reviews, and replies are public. A future customer reading your profile sees not only what people said, but how you responded. A thoughtful reply to a disappointed customer is often more reassuring than a row of five-star ratings.

• Thank the customer and mention something specific from their review.
• Keep it short, polite and in the language of the review.
• Never include personal details, booking numbers or health information in a public reply.
• When a problem needs follow-up, offer a direct contact instead of debating in public.

Our guide to the hidden cost of unanswered reviews explains how to build a reply routine your team can keep.

Keep every profile accurate