When someone in Hermanus searches for a plumber, a guesthouse or a web designer, the first thing they see is a map with three businesses and their star ratings. Reviews are part of how Google decides who appears there, and they are often what makes people pick up the phone. The good news: most happy customers will leave one if you ask at the right time and make it easy.
In short
Ask every happy customer, soon after the job, with a direct link. Put the link everywhere customers already look: your invoices, emails, WhatsApp messages and website. Reply to every review. Never pay or reward people for reviews, and don’t only ask the people you expect to be positive.
Why reviews matter for local search
Google ranks local results on relevance, distance and prominence, and reviews are part of prominence. In Google’s words: “More reviews and positive ratings can help your business’s local ranking” (Google Business Profile help).
Reviews also do a second job. People trust other customers more than anything you write about yourself. A handful of recent, detailed reviews often decides which of three businesses on the map gets the call.
What Google doesn’t allow
Google’s review rules are strict, and breaking them can get reviews removed or your profile restricted. According to Google’s prohibited and restricted content policy, businesses may not:
- Offer incentives. No discounts, free goods, lucky draws or payment in exchange for a review, even a “10% off your next visit” card.
- Selectively ask for positive reviews. Asking only the customers you know were happy, or first asking “how did we do?” and only sending the link to people who said “great”, is not allowed.
- Discourage negative reviews.
- Post reviews with a conflict of interest. That includes reviews from yourself, your staff, or family and business partners. Don’t review your own business from a personal account.
The simple rule: ask everyone, the same way, and let them say what they think.
How to get your review link
Your Google Business Profile has a link that opens the review box directly. Sign in to the Google account that manages your profile, search for your business name on Google, and choose Ask for reviews (or Get more reviews). Copy the link, or download the QR code Google gives you. Google explains the steps in its help on getting reviews.
Save the link somewhere you can reach it quickly, like a note on your phone. You will use it a lot.
When and how to ask
1. Ask soon after the job
The best moment is when the customer is happiest: when the job is finished, the guests are checking out, or the website goes live. A week later, the feeling has faded and the message gets lost.
2. Ask personally
A short, personal message works far better than a mass email. For example, on WhatsApp:
“Hi Sarah, thanks again for choosing us for the new deck. If you have a minute, a Google review would really help a small Hermanus business like ours: [your link]. Thank you!”
3. Make it one tap
Always send the direct link. Asking people to “find us on Google and leave a review” loses most of them along the way. Note that customers need a Google account to leave a review, though it doesn’t have to be Gmail.
4. Ask everyone
Make it part of how you finish every job, not something you do when you remember. It keeps you within Google’s rules, and a steady trickle of reviews over months looks more natural than twenty in one week.
Where to put your review link
- Your invoice or receipt, with one line: “Happy with our work? Please leave us a review.”
- Your email signature.
- Your website, on the contact page or in the footer. We added a “Leave us a review” link to our own contact page.
- A QR code at the till, on the reception desk or on a card in each guest room.
- Your follow-up messages after a job or a stay.
Want more people to find you on Google?
We set up and look after Google Business Profiles for small businesses across the Overberg, including your review link and QR code.
Reply to every review
Replies show future customers that you care, and Google encourages them. Its tips for replying come down to a few points:
- Be short, polite and specific. Thank the person by name and mention something from their review, not a generic “thanks for the review”.
- Don’t sell. A reply is not the place for a special offer.
- Answer criticism calmly. Acknowledge the problem, say what you can do, and offer to take it further by phone or email. Never share the customer’s personal details.
What to do about a bad review
Every business gets one eventually. Take a breath before you reply, then answer as if your next customer is reading, because they are. A calm, helpful reply to a fair complaint can win you more trust than another five-star review. If a review breaks Google’s rules, for example it is fake or offensive, you can report it from your Business Profile. Google won’t remove a review just because it’s negative.
Common questions
How many reviews do I need?
There is no magic number. More recent, genuine reviews help, and what matters most is how you compare with the businesses around you. If your competitors on the map have ten reviews, aim to pass them.
Can I ask friends and family to review my business?
Only if they were genuine customers, and even then it is risky. Google’s policy counts personal and professional relationships as a conflict of interest. Focus on real customers.
Can I copy reviews from Facebook or my website to Google?
No. Each review has to be left by the customer on Google. You can ask customers who reviewed you elsewhere to leave one on Google as well.