How to Get Customer Reviews for a Small Business

By Cedar & Ledger

For a local business, a few honest reviews often do more than anything else on your website or listing. Most happy customers are willing to leave one; they just don't think of it unless you ask. This guide covers when and how to ask, the rules to stay inside, and how to put a few short quotes on your website.

The business, numbers and quotes below are made-up examples. This is general information, not legal or marketing advice. Review rules come from the FTC and from each review site, so check the current rules before you start. The FTC's Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule: Questions and Answers is a plain-language place to start, and Google has its own review content policy.

Quick checklist

• ☐ Ask every customer, right after a job goes well
• ☐ Send one short message with a direct link
• ☐ Never write, buy or fake reviews
• ☐ Don't offer rewards for reviews (and never only for good ones)
• ☐ Reply to reviews, good and bad, calmly
• ☐ Get permission before quoting a customer on your website
• ☐ Swap in newer quotes a few times a year

Step 1: Ask at the right time

The best moment is right after the customer is happy: the job is done, the yard looks good, the leak is fixed. Ask in person, then send a short follow-up the same day so they have the link.

Ask everyone, not just the customers you think will be most positive. Asking only the happy ones and steering the unhappy ones away can cross into review gating, which review sites and the FTC's rules frown on.

Step 2: Make it take one tap

Most people won't search for your business to find the review form. Give them a direct link. If you have a Google Business Profile, it can give you a link to share that opens the review form for your business. How to Put Your Business on Google Maps for Free covers getting the profile set up.

Example message (made up): "Thanks for having Oak Lane Lawn Care out today, Dana. If you have a minute, a short review helps a small business like mine a lot: [link]. No pressure either way."

Keep it short, send it once, and maybe one gentle reminder a few days later. Don't keep chasing.

Step 3: Stay inside the rules

In plain terms:

• Don't write fake reviews or have friends, family or employees post reviews pretending to be customers.
• Don't buy reviews, and don't offer money, discounts or gifts only in exchange for positive ones. Google's policy doesn't allow offering incentives for reviews at all.
• Don't hide or delete honest negative reviews you have control over just because they're negative.
• Don't edit a quote so it says something the customer didn't mean.

Step 4: Reply to reviews

A short thank-you on good reviews is enough. For a bad one, reply calmly, don't argue in public, and offer to sort it out directly: "Sorry about the missed spot, Chris. I'd like to make it right; please call me at the number on our site." Other customers read the replies too.

Step 5: Put a few quotes on your website

Pick two or three short quotes that mention something specific (on time, clear price, cleaned up after). Before you use one on your website, ask the customer if it's OK, and ask how they want to be named. First name and town, or initials, is common.

Example (made up): Oak Lane Lawn Care finished 20 jobs in a month and asked every customer. Six left a review on Google, and three of those said yes when asked if their words could go on the website. That's enough for a reviews section.

"Showed up when he said he would, and the price matched the quote." — Dana, Cedar Flats

If you don't have any reviews yet, leave the section off for now rather than filling it with made-up ones. How to Write Your Small Business Website Text covers the reviews section along with the rest of the page.

Common mistakes

• Only asking now and then. Reviews come from asking every customer, every time.
• Sending a long message or no link. One sentence and a direct link works best.
• Getting defensive in replies. A calm reply often matters more than the review.
• Using quotes without asking. Even a nice review needs the customer's OK for your website.
• Leaving placeholder reviews up. Replace them with real ones or remove the section.

A website with a reviews section ready

You can add quotes to any website builder. If you'd like a head start, the One-Page Local Business Website Template ($12, HTML and CSS) has a "What customers say" section with three quote spots and a name-and-town line under each, alongside services, about, hours and service area, and contact sections, with 3 color themes. The quotes it comes with are placeholders to replace with real ones. It doesn't pull in Google reviews or star ratings automatically; you paste in the quotes yourself in a text editor (details).

Honest note: I make this template and sell it under Cedar & Ledger, so I'd earn from a purchase. General information only, not legal or marketing advice.

Related template: read about the html business template template

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