How to Get 5 Star Google Reviews

Google takes your business’s rating into account when deciding where to place it in the search results, which means a higher rating can lead to your business getting priority over other businesses. Users will also use ratings to decide which business to choose.

The first thing you can do to get more 5 Star Google Reviews is to ask for 5-star google reviews more often. Simple right? But too often forgotten.  Ask and you shall receive.

The next thing you should consider when striving to boost your 5  star Google reviews is to explain step by step how to leave a 5 star Google review when you ask someone for one, or better yet create a link directly to the review page (read on to find out how). You want to make it simple and convenient for customers to leave you a Google My Business Review. You can then send a reminder email to your email list with a link to your business’s Google listing.

How do I create a Google My Business review link: there are two ways to get this link.

The Short Method For Google Reviews

Google My Business and Google Maps are connected, and the simplest way to get your Google My Business link is to go through Google Maps. Here’s how you can do so:

1. Go to Google Maps, which is located at Google Maps. The URL can be different if you’re not in the United States.
2. Type your business’s name into the search box and perform a search.
3. When your business’s listing comes up, click the three-tier menu button at the top of the listing.
4. Click Share or Embed Map.

This will pull up a link to your business’s Google listing on Google Maps, and if you want to make the link shorter, simply check the Shorten URL box.

The only problem with this method is that it only takes the user to your business’s listing. Before they can leave a Google My Business review, they must scroll down to the bottom of your listing and click Write a Review. They’ll be prompted to log in to their Google account if they haven’t already, and then they can select a star rating and leave a review.

The Long Method For Google Reviews

There is another, a slightly longer method that fixes the weaknesses of the previous method. Here’s how you can do it:

1. Go to the Google Place IDs page, which is  is located here.
2. Type your business’s name into the search box and perform a search.
3. Copy the Place ID, which is the string of characters immediately after “Place ID” underneath your business’s name, but before the address.
4. Paste the Place ID at the end of this URL, replacing the bold text, including the brackets -https://search.google.com/local/writereview?placeid=<place_id>.

That URL is also available at https://support.google.com/business/answer/7035772.

This method eliminates the need for the user to click the Write a Review link. Instead, when they enter the URL with your business’s Place ID, it will take them to your business’s Google listing and open the review box automatically. If they aren’t logged in to their Google account, then they will need to log in before leaving a review.

Pre-selecting 5 Star Google Reviews for Users

The above method is a more effective way of getting reviews for your business, but there is one final adjustment that can make it even better.

Go to the same URL you generated in step 4 above with your Place ID at the end. Once this link opens, go to the very end of the link, which should finish with the number 3. After that 3, enter “,5”. Copy the entire link.

When anyone goes to that link, it will take them to the same page and automatically open the Google My Business Review box. The difference is that instead of the user selecting a star rating, 5 stars will already be selected. They can still choose another rating if they wish, but the majority won’t, which means more 5-star reviews for your business.

Shortening Your Review Link

Although you can use the above link, most prefer to shorten their links so that they have a cleaner look. There are multiple sites available that will shorten your link for you in seconds. Bitly is one of the most popular, and another option is the Google URL Shortener tool.

Sending Out Your Review Link

To get the most out of your review link, you’ll want to get it in front of as many customers as possible. This is one reason you should try to get a customer’s email address whenever possible. After you sell a product or service to the customer, send a short “Thank You” email and include your review link in it, asking them to write a review if they’re satisfied with your business.

You should also put a link to your Google My Business listing on your company’s site. For a better look on your site, try using a button in place of the link. With your review link, you could use a button that says “Leave a Review on Google.”

Using This Method with Other Sites

Although the exact procedure won’t be the same, you can still use this method to get people to review your business on other sites, including review sites, such as Yelp, and social media sites, such as Facebook.

You’ll still go to your business’s page on that site and get the URL for it. If possible, get a URL that directs the user to leave a review. Otherwise, just get a URL for the business listing. Shorten the link if you want, and then you can send it out and put it on your site.

Building Up 5 Star Google Reviews

Not every customer will leave you a review, but often all you need to do is ask. Once you spend a couple minutes getting that review link, you can send it out to all your customers and even automate those emails to save time.