In today’s digital-first world, a business’s online reviews often carry as much weight as day-to-day operations. When someone searches for “best dentist near me,” “top HVAC contractor,” or “reliable roofer,” if your ratings show three stars and your competitor shows five, that difference can mean lost leads, lost trust, and ultimately lost revenue. But the pressure to get more reviews has a catch: Google (and other review platforms) have strict policies on solicitation, review gating, and manipulating feedback.

At GetPhound, we believe in sustainable growth — not shortcuts or risky shortcuts that might backfire. In this post, you’ll learn actionable, policy-safe tactics to encourage more customer reviews, while keeping your Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) in good standing. Use this as your guide to ethically scale your review volume, improve your reputation, and build trust with prospective customers.

Below are ten strategic approaches (with real-world examples and guardrails) to help you systematically increase review acquisition without running afoul of Google’s rules.

Make review generation a part of your natural customer journey

One of the safest and most organic ways to get more reviews is to bake review prompts into the natural flow of your customer experience — when satisfaction is high, and when reminders feel like a friendly nudge rather than a hard sell.

When you build review collection into your process, your customers are more likely to reply positively. Here’s how to make this happen:

• Train your frontline staff (phone, in-person, after delivery) to say something simple like, “If you’re happy with how things went, we’d love to know — a quick review helps other customers know we deliver.”
  
  
• After a service is rendered or a purchase is complete, trigger an automated follow-up (via email or SMS) within a few days, asking for feedback.
  
  
• In your invoice or receipt, include a small “Thank you — review us here” message.
  
  
• Embed review reminders in customer-facing portals or apps, such as a post-project dashboard or follow-up check-in page.
  
  

Key points to observe:

1. Don’t require a review as a condition for something else (e.g. “You must write a review to receive a discount”).
   
   
2. Don’t filter or screen review requests (i.e., don’t ask only your happiest customers to leave reviews)—send uniformly to all qualifying customers.
   
   
3. Keep the message neutral and optional (“if you have a moment”) rather than pushy.
   
   

Because you’re not incentivizing based on positivity and you’re not cherry-picking only your best customers, this approach is unlikely to violate Google’s terms on review solicitation.

Use Google’s built-in “ask for reviews” tools appropriately

Google provides tools within the Google Business Profile interface to request reviews. These are designed to be safe, Google-approved mechanisms for review encouragement.

Here’s how to use them well:

• Use the “Get more reviews” link in your Google Business Profile dashboard. That generates a shareable short URL customers can click to jump straight to your review prompt.
  
  
• Embed that link (e.g. “Leave us a review”) in emails, invoices, or post-transaction follow-ups — but ensure it’s one of many options, not the only CTA.
  
  
• Monitor how many times you’ve shared it; don’t send overly frequent reminders to the same customers.
  
  
• In your staff trainings, mention that this is a neutral ask — you’re not influencing or gating feedback.
  
  

By relying on Google’s own mechanisms, you reduce the risk of misinterpretation or policy violation. It’s also a best practice to track which channels (email, SMS, in-store card, etc.) produce the most responses so you can optimize.

Ask neutrally without pushing for only positive reviews

A big red flag in Google’s eyes is review gating — screening customers and asking only satisfied ones to leave feedback, while withholding the request from others. Or worse, offering incentives only for positive reviews. That’s explicitly disallowed.

To stay safe:

• Keep your ask neutral: “We’d love your feedback,” “Tell us what you think,” or “Let us know how we did.”
  
  
• Don’t say “If you loved us, please leave 5 stars.”
  
  
• Don’t offer a reward or discount in exchange for a positive review — even if you phrase it as “helpful feedback.”
  
  
• If you do programs that reward participation (not positivity), make sure they apply broadly and not just to selected customers. (Even then, tread carefully; Google’s policy is often stricter in practice.)
  
  

In essence: invite feedback from all customers equally, and don’t steer them toward a 5-star rating. Let their honest voice be heard.

Leverage multi-channel follow-up reminders

Some customers ignore a single review prompt. But a well-timed, multi-channel nudge increases your odds — as long as you stay moderate, respectful, and compliant.

Here’s a suggested cadence:

1. Immediate (1–2 days post-service): Send a short thank-you email with a review link.
   
   
2. Reminder (5–7 days later): Gentle follow-up — “Just checking in — if you have a moment, we always appreciate feedback.”
   
   
3. Final nudge (2 weeks): A gentle note like “Did you get a chance to share your experience?”
   
   
4. Optional SMS/push notification: For customers who opted in, a brief SMS or app push can be effective (e.g. “Have 30 seconds? Let us know how we did. [Review link]”).
   
   

Best practices:

• Always include an “opt-out” or “no thanks” option in reminders.
  
  
• Don’t over-message — more than 3 or 4 touches feels pushy.
  
  
• Rotate which communication channel you use (e.g. email → SMS → app) so it doesn’t feel repetitive.
  
  

This layered but respectful approach can help capture those customers who intended to leave feedback but forgot — and that, over time, can significantly raise your overall reviews.

Train your staff to encourage reviews ethically

Your team is your frontline in building reputation. With the right mindset and script, they can become allies in growing your reviews — without pushing or influencing unduly.

Training should cover:

• The importance of honest feedback (so staff aren’t tempted to steer customers toward 5 stars).
  
  
• Phrasing: teach neutral language (“If you’re satisfied, we’d be grateful if you’d take a moment to share your experience online”) rather than “Make sure you leave 5 stars!”
  
  
• Timing: encourage staff to ask when the moment is right (customer is pleased or expresses gratitude).
  
  
• Handling negative feedback: if a customer is unhappy, train staff to attempt remediation before directing them to review publicly. That can prevent bad reviews and may convert their experience.
  
  

Example in the field: A technician finishing a home visit might say, “Thank you for having us today. If everything looks good, when you get a moment, we'd be happy if you shared how things went online. Your feedback helps others make decisions.” That feels natural, not forced.

Over time, as staff internalize that genuine reviews help the business and reflect their work, more customers will leave feedback without feeling pressured.

Incentivize participation in a policy-safe way

While Google disallows offering incentives for positive reviews, there are creative ways to reward participation (not positivity) in an ethical way. The key is to reward any review or feedback, not just glowing ones.

Some ideas:

• Run monthly drawings or raffles for people who leave any review.
  
  
• Give small, non-review-contingent thank-you tokens (e.g. a digital “thank you” coupon for future use), but do not require posting a review to redeem.
  
  
• Reward internal milestones: celebrate when your business crosses certain numbers of reviews (e.g. “We hit 100 thanks to you all!”) and attribute the credit collectively.
  
  
• Encourage internal contests (between branches or teams) around review acquisition, but don’t have staff filter or push only high scores.
  
  

Again, be transparent: “Everyone who leaves feedback (good or not) in June will be entered into a $50 gift card draw.” Don’t say “for great reviews only.” This keeps your incentives safe under Google’s guidelines.

Respond consistently — review volume is a two-way street

People pay attention not only to the number of reviews, but how a business responds. When potential customers see that you engage with feedback (positive or negative), they’re more likely to trust you — which in turn encourages others to review.

Best practices for responses:

• Always respond to negative feedback gracefully, acknowledging the issue and offering to make it right.
  
  
• Thank positive reviewers in a genuine way (no templated fluff).
  
  
• Use your replies to showcase your values — how you care, what you do to fix issues, etc.
  
  
• Do not attempt to pressure a reviewer in your reply (“Please reconsider your rating”) — that violates guidelines.
  
  

As your review count grows and potential reviewers see that you actively engage, they’re more incentivized to share themselves. Over time, your response behavior can indirectly drive more reviews.

Monitor & suppress fake or spam reviews proactively

Growing your review count means also defending it. Fake or spam reviews can erode trust (and get your profile flagged). Google gives you tools to flag and request removal of reviews that violate policy (e.g. false claims, hate speech, conflicts of interest).

Steps to protect your profile:

• routinely audit incoming reviews for suspicious patterns (e.g. repeated phrases, multiple reviews from the same IP or name).
  
  
• when you spot a likely violation, use the “flag as inappropriate” option in the Google Business Profile dashboard.
  
  
• follow up with Google support if needed — escalate if spam is persistent.
  
  
• keep a record of flagged items and resolution status (for accountability).
  
  

By keeping your review profile clean, new legitimate reviews are more visible, and you don’t accidentally reward spammers with unearned prominence.

Leverage offline assets and in-person reminders

Don’t neglect offline touchpoints — many review requests succeed via non-digital channels, when you have captive attention or positive momentum.

Ideas include:

• A small card or sticker handed to the customer: “Love your experience? Let others know online. Here’s our link.”
  
  
• Receipts or invoices printed with a brief review URL or QR code.
  
  
• In-store signage (“Share your review: scan here”) placed near exit or payment.
  
  
• Post-service tags or follow-up packaging with notes like “Thank you — share your experience.”
  
  
• In-person at the closing moment (e.g., finishing a job, handing off keys), staff saying, “If you were happy with our work, leaving a review online helps us a lot — here’s a card with our link if you ever want to do that.”
  
  

Because these are physical touchpoints, they feel more personal and can prompt action when the customer is already thinking of the experience.

Track, test, and iterate your review strategy

Getting more reviews isn’t a one-and-done task — it’s a system you learn and refine over time. The final key is to measure performance and continuously optimize.

Metrics and practices to adopt:

• Track review volume by channel (email, SMS, signage, staff ask)
  
  
• Monitor conversion rates (how many requests vs how many actual reviews)
  
  
• A/B test subject lines, messaging, timing, and CTA placement
  
  
• Compare customer segments (e.g. by service type, location) to see which respond best
  
  
• Set targets (e.g. +20 reviews per month) and review progress regularly
  
  
• Pause or adjust any tactic that seems to produce unnatural or questionable review behavior (always err on the side of caution)
  
  

Through iteration, you’ll discover what methods resonate best with your specific customer base, and you’ll scale up what works. At GetPhound, we often suggest this kind of incremental testing to our clients — review acquisition is no different from SEO or ad optimization.

The path to more customer reviews — done right — lies in blending everyday operations, respectful reminders, multi-channel outreach, and monitoring.

If you want help auditing your current review-generation workflow or building a review funnel tailored to your business (without risking policy violations), let us know — we’re happy to help you grow your online reputation the sustainable way.