A verified profile at a new address is the first half of the profile-and-reviews engine. Reviews are the second half, and they're what gets you off the bottom of the pack and into the running. The first 20 are the hardest, because you're starting near zero and the phone is quiet. This is how to earn them without breaking any rules, and what not to do.
Start with jobs you've already done nearby
You are almost never starting from true zero. You've done work in or around this town before, from your home base. Those are your first reviews. Pull a list of customers from the last several months who live in or near the new location, and ask them, one at a time, to leave a review on the new profile. They already know your work, so the ask is easy and the reviews are honest. What changes when your existing customers review the new location gets into why that transfer works so well.
That alone can get you the first handful. From there, every new job in the town feeds the next.
Ask every satisfied customer, at the right moment
The single biggest reason businesses have few reviews is that they don't ask. The ones who ask, consistently, get them. A few things make the ask actually work:
- Timing. Ask when the customer is happiest: right after the job is done and they're standing there pleased with the result, or the same day by text. A week later the moment has passed.
- Make it one tap. Hand them, or text them, the direct review link for the new profile. You can generate a short review link in your Google Business Profile. If leaving a review takes more than a tap or two, most people won't finish.
- Ask in person first, then follow up. "If you're happy with how it turned out, a quick Google review really helps us. I'll text you the link." Then actually send it.
Make it a habit, not a campaign
A one-time push to 20 and then silence isn't the goal. Freshness is part of what ranks you: a profile adding a few reviews every month reads as an active business, while a pile of old ones reads as coasting. Build the ask into the close of every job so a steady trickle keeps coming. A handful a month, sustained, beats a burst followed by nothing.
The line you don't cross
This is where owners get themselves in trouble, so it's worth being blunt. All of the following violate Google's policies and can get your profile suspended or your reviews wiped:
- Buying reviews or using services that post fake ones.
- Writing them yourself or having staff and family post as customers.
- Review gating: filtering people so only happy customers are sent to Google while unhappy ones are routed elsewhere. Google prohibits this even though it sounds harmless.
- Offering discounts or gifts in exchange for a review. Incentivized reviews are against the rules.
You can ask anyone for an honest review. You can't buy, fake, filter, or pay for one. The engine only works because the reviews are real, and a suspended profile sets you back further than slow-but-honest ever would.
Handle the occasional bad one well
You'll get a critical review eventually. Don't panic and don't argue. Respond calmly and publicly, own anything that was on you, and offer to make it right. Future customers read the responses as much as the reviews, and a gracious reply to a hard review often does more for trust than another five-star would. A steady base of honest reviews easily absorbs the occasional low one.
The short version
- Ask past customers in or near the town first; they're your first handful.
- Ask every satisfied customer, right when the job's done, with a one-tap link.
- Keep a few coming in every month; freshness ranks.
- Never buy, fake, filter, or pay for reviews. It's against policy and it backfires.
- Answer the bad ones with grace. The responses build trust too.
FAQ
How many reviews do I need before I show up in the pack? There's no magic number, and it depends on how competitive the town's pack is. What matters is being in the running and moving: a steady flow of recent, honest reviews lifts you over time. Get found in the next town over covers how reviews feed ranking alongside address and category.
Is it really against the rules to offer a discount for a review? Yes. Incentivized reviews violate Google's policy, whether the incentive is a discount, a gift, or entry into a drawing. Ask for honest feedback with nothing attached.
What about "review gating" software that screens out unhappy customers? Also against policy. Sending only happy customers to Google while diverting unhappy ones is prohibited, and it's detectable. Ask everyone the same way and respond well to whatever comes.
Can family and friends leave reviews? Only if they actually did work for you and are reviewing that. Reviews from people who never hired you are fake reviews, regardless of the relationship, and they're a suspension risk.
None of this pays off if the town itself is already locked up by someone else. Our expansion studies settle that question before you spend an afternoon asking anyone for anything.