Two weeks ago, Bridie from Bridie Charlotte Photography in Brisbane had no Google reviews at all. Today she has 34, and every one of them is five stars.

Bridie is a photographer with years of happy clients. We set up her Google Business Profile, and she sent her review link to the people she'd already worked with.

There was no clever trick in it. Her clients were always happy to say something nice. Nobody had asked them in the right place.

I'm Julia Mann. I run JulAi in Brisbane, and I set up marketing and systems for business owners who aren't technical, in Brisbane, on the Gold Coast, on the Sunshine Coast and around Australia. This is my beginner's guide to getting more Google reviews without turning into someone who nags.

Why do Google reviews matter for a small business?

Google reviews are public, they show up when someone searches your business name or looks for what you do nearby, and Google uses them as one of the signals when it decides which local businesses to show.

Think about the last time you picked a restaurant, a plumber or a hairdresser you'd never used. You probably looked at the stars and read two or three reviews before you did anything else. Your customers do the same thing with you.

AI search tools read them too. When someone asks ChatGPT or Google's AI answer for a recommendation in their area, reviews are part of what it has to go on.

Why don't happy customers leave Google reviews?

Happy customers mostly don't leave Google reviews because nobody asked them at the right moment, or the link was too hard to find. It's very rarely because they didn't want to.

People are busy. They finish working with you, they're pleased, and by the next morning they're thinking about something else. If writing a review means searching for your business, finding the right button and logging in, most of them won't get there. Gahhh, I wouldn't either.

And a lot of business owners never ask, because it feels awkward. I understand that. But you're asking someone who's already told you they're happy, and most people like being asked.

How do you ask for a Google review without it feeling awkward?

Ask for a Google review once, soon after the customer has told you they're happy, with one sentence and one link that takes them straight to the review box.

You don't need a script. Something like this is plenty:

The link is the important part. Google gives every business a short review link, and tapping it opens the review box with nothing else in the way.

How do you get more Google reviews without chasing people?

Make the ask automatic. One message with your review link goes out when a job is finished, one reminder follows a few days later, and then it stops. You never have to remember, and nobody gets nagged.

• Set up your Google Business Profile. It's free, and it's the listing that shows your business on Google and Google Maps. If you already have one, check that the name, hours and phone number are right.
• Get your review link. Inside your profile there's an option to ask for reviews, and it gives you a short link you can copy.
• Start with the people who already love you. Send the link to past customers you know were happy. This is what Bridie did, and it's the fastest way to get your first few.
• Pick your moment. Decide when a job counts as finished for you. It might be when the photos are delivered, the invoice is paid or the last session is done.
• Let the message send itself. In a system like GoHighLevel you can set it so that marking a job as finished sends the review request by email and text.
• One reminder, then stop. A single follow-up a few days later is fine. After that, leave them be.

You can do steps one to four by hand this week without paying for anything. Steps five and six are what take it off your plate for good.

Should you reply to your Google reviews?

Yes, reply to every Google review, good or bad, and keep it short. A reply shows the next person reading that there's a real human behind the business.

For a good review, a thank you with one specific detail is enough. For a bad one, stay calm, say you're sorry it went that way and offer to sort it out directly. The person who wrote it might never come back, but everyone who reads it afterwards will see how you handled it.

Frequently asked questions