Google reviews
How to get more Google reviews for a Newcastle business
Most businesses that want more Google reviews need a routine more than better wording. Ask at the right moment, every time, and make leaving a review take one tap.
Tell us about your business and what you need.
The short answer
Ask everyone, at the right moment, with a direct link.
Getting more Google reviews comes down to timing and ease. Ask when the customer can see the result of your work, ask in person where you can, and follow up the same day with a link that opens the review box directly.
Do this every week rather than in occasional bursts. A steady flow of recent reviews does more for a business than a large total that stopped years ago.
When to ask
Ask when the customer is happiest
That is rarely when the invoice goes out. A request attached to an invoice arrives while someone is thinking about money. For most trades the best moment is when the job is finished and the customer can see the result.
- Trades
- When the work is done and you are walking them through it, before you leave.
- Clinics and allied health
- At the end of a course of treatment, rather than after a first appointment.
- Retail and hospitality
- On the receipt or at the table, where it is already in front of someone.
- Work that takes time to prove itself
- A fortnight later, once the customer can judge the result.
How to ask
How to ask
Use your own words and be specific. Naming the job, such as “if you have a minute to mention the hot water job”, produces a review that describes the work, which helps the next customer more than five stars with no words.
Google provides a short review link from inside your Business Profile. Send that rather than asking people to search for you, because any extra step loses most of them. Our review generation service sets this up as a routine.
- Ask in person, then send the link
- The conversation persuades; the link removes the effort.
- Ask every customer
- Remembering at the end of a busy day leads to asking only the easy customers.
- Reply to every review
- Replies show readers that someone is paying attention, and they are entirely within your control.
Google’s rules
What is against the rules
Google’s policies prohibit paying for reviews, offering anything in exchange, writing reviews yourself, and asking only the customers you expect to be happy. All four can put the profile at risk.
The last one catches respectable businesses. Sending happy customers to Google and unhappy ones to a private form, sometimes called review gating, is against Google’s policy. A discount in exchange for a review breaks the rules even if the review is honest.
If a competitor is clearly buying reviews, you can report them. That is a better use of ten minutes than trying to match them.
Recent reviews
Why recent reviews count for more
A business with fifteen reviews from this year often outperforms one with sixty that stopped three years ago. Readers notice too: a profile whose newest review is from Tuesday reads better than one whose newest is from last year.
A steady flow also reads better than a sudden burst. Twenty reviews in a week looks like a campaign, while one a week for twenty weeks looks like an ordinary busy business.
How many
How many reviews you need
There is no universal number. The useful target is what the businesses just above you on the map hold. Open the three above you, write down their totals and the date of their newest review, and you have a real target.
- Their total
- The level you are aiming to reach.
- Their newest review date
- Whether they are still asking.
- What their recent reviews praise
- The thing customers compare you on.
A single critical review among thirty good ones does little harm, and a page of unbroken five star reviews can look arranged. What does harm is a critical review answered defensively, or not answered at all.
The short version
Ask everyone, at the right moment, with a direct link, and reply to every review. Do it every week rather than once a year.
From clients
What clients say about working with spareday
“Huge shoutout to Reece for building my website for Hughesys Painting Services. Since it went live my phone hasn’t stopped ringing.”
“He was able to take our rough ideas, from concept through to reality. The site has provided an influx of new members, helping to keep our club viable.”
“He didn’t just build me a great website, he created an easy-to-manage system that allows me to make updates myself whenever I need to. He has spared me so much time doing all of this myself!”
Official guidance
For independent background, read Google’s guidance on requesting customer reviews and its explanation of local rankings.
Common questions
Questions people ask.
How many reviews do I need?
Fewer than you might think, and more recent than you probably have. Roughly matching the businesses above you, with fresher reviews, does more than a large old total.
Can I ask customers to leave a review?
Yes. You cannot pay for reviews, offer anything in return, or ask only the customers you expect to be happy.
What do I do about a bad review?
Reply once, calmly and in public. The reply is for the people reading it later.
Do replies matter?
Yes. They show future customers that the business responds, and they are entirely within your control.
How does spareday charge?
spareday quotes one price for the work your business needs, agreed in writing before anything starts. The figure depends on what the business needs, and it comes with your quote.
Who you’ll work with
Hi, I’m Reece.
spareday is my business, based here in Newcastle. You’ll deal with me from the first review of your website, and I’m the person you talk to each month about what’s working.
Find us
spareday in Newcastle.
12 Grey Street, Wickham, Newcastle NSW 2293.
Next step
Get a quote for more reviews.
Tell us about your business and how you ask for reviews now. We will talk through the details and send you a quote.
Get a free quoteOr call 0485 017 387.