The easiest and most straightforward way to get more reviews is simply to ask for them! After all, the vast majority of consumers will be happy to leave a review if you ask them to.

It’s never too early to ask for a review. Before you get started with a service or a transaction, politely say something like, “After we’re finished, I’d love to hear about your experience. Would you mind writing a review on Google?”

Alternatively, you can ask for a review right after the service or transaction has been completed, when their experience is still fresh in their minds.

Asking for reviews in person is an effective way to generate feedback about your business online. But sometimes, people need a reminder to leave a review. That’s where email marketing comes in.

After someone has made a purchase or had a service completed, send an email asking for feedback about their experience. You can send customers who have had a negative experience to an internal feedback form and happy customers straight to Google to leave a review.

Email marketing makes it easy to request reviews, especially when you take advantage of email automation and email design templates.

If you have a brick-and-mortar location, you can also use your signage to remind customers to leave you reviews when they visit in person.

For businesses that already have good reputations, include signage that highlights your high average star rating, and include a reminder to leave a review. If your reputation isn’t up to par yet, simply let customers know where they can leave a review.

Make it easy for your customers to write reviews right on your Google My Business page by including a Google reviews QR code in your signage and other marketing materials.

While it’s true that most people are happy to write a review if you ask them to, others need a little more of a push. Incentives are often just the push people need to share their experience on Google.

Be careful when offering incentives for reviews. To avoid the appearance of impropriety, make sure that you don’t incentivize specific star ratings or review types, and that you don’t only offer incentives to some customers.

Offer a discount or a chance to win something in exchange for a review on Google to all of your customers equally — not just the ones who are happy or loyal.

As a general rule, the easier it is for your customers to leave reviews for your business on Google, the more likely they are to actually do it!

One such way to make it as easy as possible for your customers to write reviews is to embed a reviews widget on your website. This way, customers can publish a review right to your Google page in just a few clicks.

Not only does having a reviews widget on your website make it easier for your customers to write reviews for your business, but it also helps to show off your great reviews and build trust with your visitors.

Last but certainly not least, how successful you are at getting great reviews on Google will depend on what kind of experience you provide for your customers.

If you want your customers to rave about your business online, you need to provide them the kind of customer experience that exceeds their expectations.

Providing your customers with a share-worthy customer experience will not only help you get more reviews, but it will also help to ensure a great average star rating for your business on Google.