How to get more Google reviews
Ask every satisfied customer, once, shortly after the thing that made them satisfied, with a direct link. Most businesses have far fewer reviews than they have happy customers for one reason: nobody asked. Do not offer anything in exchange, because incentivised reviews breach Google's policies and put the whole listing at risk.
Timing does most of the work
The moment to ask is when the value is obvious to the customer — the job finished well, the meal ended, the problem got solved. A week later they still like you but the feeling has faded into the general background of a good experience, and the request becomes a favour rather than an easy yes.
Make it a link, not an instruction
Every step between the ask and the review loses people. Searching for the business, finding the right listing and scrolling to the review box will lose most of them. A direct link that opens the review form removes the friction that is doing the actual damage.
Reply to every review, especially the bad ones
Replies are read by the people deciding whether to use you, not by the person who left the review. A calm, specific reply to a complaint is more persuasive than a wall of five stars, because it shows what happens when something goes wrong — which is what a nervous customer is really trying to find out.
Never buy or incentivise them
Offering a discount for a review breaks Google's policies and risks the listing that your local visibility depends on. It also produces reviews that read as bought, which the reader notices. The downside is severe and the upside is a number that impresses nobody.
Common questions
How many reviews do I need?
Enough to look like a real business with recent customers. Recency and replies matter more than the total, and a steady trickle reads better than a sudden pile.
Can I ask only the customers I know are happy?
You can ask everyone who had a normal good experience. Filtering so that only people you expect to be positive are asked is review gating, and it breaches the platform's policies.
What should I do about an unfair review?
Reply once, factually and without defensiveness, and report it if it breaches the policies. Arguing in public convinces nobody and is read by everyone.