Easy Ways to Get More Customer Reviews

Let’s paint a quick picture. A potential customer in Dallas, let’s call her Sarah, is looking for a new dentist. She types “best dentist in Dallas” into Google. Two practices pop up.

Practice A has 150 reviews and a 4.8-star rating.

Practice B has 10 reviews and a 3.2-star rating.

Which one do you think she’s going to click on? Which one would you click on?

In today’s digital world, your online reviews are your reputation. They are the single most powerful form of social proof, and they can make or break your business. But here’s the secret many business owners miss| your reviews aren’t just something that happens to you. They are something you can, and must, actively manage.

Welcome to the world of online reputation management. It’s not just about sitting back and hoping for good feedback. It’s about building a system to actively get reviews, respond to them, and leverage them to grow your brand.

We know it can feel like a lot. You’re busy running your business, and the idea of chasing down reviews seems daunting. But what if we told you it’s easier than you think?

Today, let’s look at how to get more customer reviews. We’ll explore why they are the lifeblood of your digital presence, how to ask for them without feeling awkward, and how to handle the inevitable bad review. This is more than just feedback; it’s a core part of your marketing strategy, and we’ll show you how to master it.

Why Customer Reviews Matter

Before we jump into the “how,” let’s solidify the “why reviews matter.” Understanding the immense value of reviews will motivate you to make them a priority. Effective online reputation management is built on this foundation.

1. They Build Unshakeable Trust and Credibility

This is the big one. Think about your own buying habits. Do you trust a TV ad or a heartfelt recommendation from a friend more? Your customers see online reviews as personal recommendations from peers. A staggering 90% of consumers read reviews before visiting a business. When a prospect sees a steady stream of recent, positive feedback, you are no longer a faceless company. You are a trusted, verified, and safe choice. This “social proof” is more persuasive than any marketing copy we could ever write.

2. They Are a Massive SEO Ranking Factor

Google’s entire mission is to provide the most relevant, high-quality results for a user’s query. And what’s a better signal of quality than real, honest feedback from other users?

• Local Pack Dominance: For local businesses (like most of our clients in Dallas), reviews are critical for appearing in the coveted “Local 3-Pack” on Google Maps. More positive reviews = higher visibility.
• Keyword Goldmines: When customers write reviews, they use natural language and long-tail keywords about your services (e.g., “the best emergency plumbing service in Lakewood”). This user-generated content (UGC) is packed with keywords you might have missed, signaling to Google what your business is really about.
• Freshness Signals: A steady flow of new reviews tells Google that your business is active, relevant, and currently serving customers. A business with 100 reviews from 2019 is far less relevant than one with 50 reviews from the last six months.

3. They Directly Increase Conversions and Revenue

This is where the rubber meets the road. Trust and visibility are great, but they need to lead to sales. And they do.

• A Harvard Business School study found that a one-star increase in a Yelp rating can lead to a 5-9% increase in revenue. 
• Businesses with a high number of positive reviews can see conversion rates increase by as much as 270%.
• Placing reviews or testimonials near a “Buy Now” or “Contact Us” button on your website can significantly reduce friction and give customers the final push of confidence they need to convert.

4. They Provide Free, Actionable Business Intelligence

Your reviews are the cheapest and most honest market research you will ever get. Your customers are telling you, in their own words, what you’re doing right and where you’re failing.

• Positive Trends: “Everyone mentions how friendly our front desk staff is.” Great! Double down on that in your marketing.
• Negative Trends: “Three people this week complained that the checkout process was confusing.” You’ve just identified a critical, revenue-losing bug you need to fix.

This feedback loop is a fundamental part of reputation management. Good review management isn’t just about collecting stars; it’s about listening to the data and improving your operations.

5 Simple Ways to Encourage Customers and Get Reviews

Okay, you’re convinced. Reviews are critical. But how do you actually get reviews without begging, bribing, or being annoying? The good news is, you don’t have to.

1. Just Ask! (The Golden Rule)

This is the most important and most overlooked step. We often feel awkward asking for a “favor,” but the data is clear: over 70% of customers will leave a review if you simply ask them.

Your happy customers want to support you. They just don’t think about it. You’re not being pushy; you’re gently reminding them that their feedback matters. A simple, polite request is the foundation of every strategy to get reviews.

2. Make It Unbelievably, Stupidly Easy

This is the second golden rule. If a customer has to open their browser, search for your business, find the “write a review” button, and log in… you’ve already lost them. You must remove all friction.

• The Power of the Direct Link: Don’t say, “Review us on Google.” Say, “Would you mind sharing your experience on Google? Here is the direct link.” This link should take them straight to the 5-star rating box.
• QR Codes: This is perfect for brick-and-mortar businesses. Place a small, branded sign at your checkout counter or on your receipts with a QR code. “Loved your experience? Scan here to leave a review!”
• Website Links: Have clear, prominent “Review Us” buttons on your website and in your email signature.

3. Automate the “Ask” with Perfect Timing

Asking is great, but asking every single customer manually doesn’t scale. This is where automation becomes your best friend.

• Email Follow-ups: Use your CRM, e-commerce platform, or invoicing software to automatically send a personalized email 1-2 days after a purchase or service.
• SMS (Text Message) Requests: This is one of the most effective methods. SMS has a near-100% open rate. A simple, “Hi [Customer Name], thank you for choosing [Your Business]. We’d love to hear your feedback on your experience: [Direct Link]” is incredibly powerful.
• Timing is Everything: Don’t wait a month. Ask while the positive experience is still fresh in their mind. Data even suggests the best time to ask is between 1-3 PM, with Mondays seeing a higher volume of reviews. 

4. Offer Incentives (Ethically)

This is a tricky area, but it can be done right.

• The WRONG Way: “We’ll give you $10 for a 5-star review.” This is unethical, violates the terms of service for platforms like Google and Yelp, and destroys customer trust.
• The RIGHT Way: “Leave us your honest feedback (good or bad!) and be entered into our monthly drawing for a $100 Amazon gift card.” This rewards the act of leaving a review, not the content of it. It shows you value their time and their honest opinion, which is a key part of good review management.

5. Leverage Your Social Media Channels

Don’t forget the audience you already have! Post a link to your review profiles on your social media channels. “We love our customers! If you’ve had a great experience with us, we’d be so grateful if you’d share it on Google. Your feedback helps others find us!”

Automating this entire process is a key function of review management software, which we’ll cover in a bit.

Responding to Good and Bad Reviews | The Art of Reputation Management

If you only do one thing from this article, let it be this. Responding to your reviews — all of them — is the most visible part of your reputation management.

Why? Because your response is not just for the person who wrote the review. It’s for the hundreds of potential customers who are reading those reviews to see if you’re a business that listens and cares.

How to Respond to Positive Reviews

It’s easy to ignore these. Don’t. Acknowledging praise reinforces the positive behavior and makes that customer a loyal advocate.

• Thank Them by Name: “Thank you so much, Mark!”
• Be Specific: Don’t just copy-paste “Thanks for the review.” Mention something specific from their feedback. “We’re thrilled to hear you loved the [specific product or service] and that [Employee Name] took great care of you.”
• Re-iterate Your Value: “We work hard to make [your value proposition] a reality, and we’re so glad it showed!”
• Invite Them Back: “We can’t wait to see you again soon!”

How to Respond to Negative Reviews (Your Defining Moments)

A negative review can feel like a punch to the gut. Your first instinct might be to get defensive or ignore it. Do the opposite. A well-handled negative review can actually win you more customers than a dozen positive ones. It proves you’re accountable.

This is where your online reputation management is truly put to the test. Follow these steps every single time:

1. Breathe and Act Fast: Do not let a negative review sit for weeks. We recommend responding within 24-48 hours. This shows you are monitoring and you care.
2. Acknowledge and Apologize: Start by validating their feelings and offering a sincere apology, even if you think they are wrong. “Hi Jessica, we are truly sorry to hear that your experience with our service did not meet your expectations.”
3. Thank Them for the Feedback: “Thank you for taking the time to bring this to our attention. We rely on feedback like this to improve.”
4. Take. It. Offline. This is the most critical step. Never, ever get into a public argument. Your goal is to show you’re a problem-solver, not a debater.
   “We want to make this right. Please call our manager, [Name], at [Phone Number], or email us at [CustomerService Email] at your earliest convenience so we can get more details and work to resolve this for you.”
5. Keep it Professional: No sarcasm. No excuses. No blaming the customer. You are writing for all your future customers. Show them you are professional, empathetic, and proactive.

A professional Reputation Marketing Agency can often handle this delicate process for you. This is one of the most valuable parts of a good review management service.

The Best Platforms and Software for Review Management

Now that you have a strategy, let’s talk about the tools. A solid review management strategy has two parts: the platforms where reviews live, and the software that helps you manage them.

Part 1: The “Big 3” Platforms to Focus On

You don’t need to be on 50 review sites. You just need to dominate the ones that matter.

1. Google Business Profile (GBP): This is non-negotiable. For 99% of businesses, especially local ones, this is the most important platform. Your Google reviews directly impact your SEO and visibility on Google Maps.
2. Yelp: While its influence has waned slightly, Yelp is still a powerhouse, particularly for restaurants, home services, and service-area businesses.
3. Facebook: Reviews on your Facebook Page add a powerful layer of social trust, as users can often see if they have mutual friends with the reviewer.
4. Industry-Specific Platforms: Are you in e-commerce? Trustpilot is key. In travel? TripAdvisor. In B2B software? G2 and Capterra.

Part 2: The Software That Automates Everything

Here’s the problem: How do you manually send email links to every customer? How do you check Google, Yelp, and Facebook every single day for new reviews? You don’t. You use review management software.

This is the technical side of online reputation management. These platforms are a game-changer. They typically:

• Automate the “Ask”: They integrate with your CRM (like Salesforce or HubSpot) or your invoicing software (like QuickBooks) to automatically send a review request via email or SMS after a transaction is completed.
• Centralize Your Reviews: They pull all your reviews from dozens of sites (Google, Yelp, Facebook, etc.) into one single, simple dashboard. No more logging in and out of 10 different accounts.
• Alert You Immediately: You get an instant email notification the second a new review is posted, allowing you to respond quickly (especially to negative ones).
• Simplify Responding: You can often reply to reviews on all platforms directly from the software’s dashboard.

While there are many great tools out there, some of the most popular and effective we see our clients use include Yext, Podium and Birdeye. These tools are what make it possible to systematically get reviews and manage them without hiring a full-time employee just for the job.

Making Reviews Part of Your Marketing Strategy | What a Reputation Marketing Agency Does

This is the final, most advanced step. You’ve collected reviews. You’ve responded to them. Now, it’s time to use them.

Don’t just let your 5-star reviews sit on Google. They are your most powerful marketing content. Using them actively is the difference between reputation management and reputation marketing. A Reputation Marketing Agency specializes in turning your hard-won reputation into a lead-generation machine.

Here’s how we do it:

1. Showcase Them on Your Website: This is the most important one.
   • Create a dedicated “Testimonials” or “What Our Customers Say” page.
   • Pro-Tip: Don’t just hide them on one page. Sprinkle your best, most relevant reviews directly on your service and product pages. Place a glowing review about “Product X” right next to the “Add to Cart” button for that product.
2. Fuel Your Social Media Content: A 5-star review is a perfect, ready-made social media post. Turn a powerful quote from a review into an eye-catching, branded graphic. Post it on your Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. It’s authentic, trustworthy, and does the selling for you.
3. Amplify in Your Email Marketing: Add a “Review of the Week” section to your company newsletter. It’s a simple, powerful reminder to your subscribers that real people love your brand.
4. Create Powerful Case Studies: Is a review especially good? Reach out to that customer. Ask if they’d be willing to do a 15-minute interview. Expand their story into a full-blown case study or success story for your blog.
5. Use Schema Markup (The SEO Trick): This is a bit technical, but a good Reputation Marketing Agency will do this. By adding special “schema” code to the reviews on your website, you can tell Google what they are. This is what helps those little gold stars show up directly in the search results next to your website link, dramatically increasing click-through rates.

This active promotion of good feedback is the final step in a complete reputation management plan. It closes the loop, using the trust you’ve earned to generate new business.

Take Control of Your Story with Dallas SEO Dogs

In 2025, your online reputation is not optional. It’s happening right now, on Google, on Yelp, and on Facebook, with or without you. The only choice you have is whether to be a passive observer or an active participant.

We’ve covered the entire journey: from understanding why reviews are the cornerstone of trust and SEO, to the simple, actionable steps to get reviews. We’ve talked about the critical importance of responding to all feedback and how to use modern review management tools to automate the process. Finally, we’ve shown you how to weaponize your positive feedback and turn it into your most powerful marketing asset.

This is the blueprint for a 5-star reputation. It’s the core of modern online reputation management. It takes consistency and a little bit of work, but the payoff—in trust, visibility, and revenue—is immeasurable. You’re no longer just a business; you’re a trusted community choice.

Your Reputation is Your Biggest Asset. Let’s Manage It.

Feeling overwhelmed by the process? We get it. Effective reputation management is a full-time job, but you don’t have to do it alone.

We are Dallas SEO Dogs, a full-service digital and Reputation Marketing Agency. We help businesses just like yours across Dallas and the nation build, manage, and market their 5-star reputations. From setting up automated review management systems that get reviews on autopilot to professionally responding to feedback and turning your testimonials into marketing gold, we handle it all.

Ready to turn your customer feedback into your most powerful sales tool?

Contact us today for a free, no-obligation consultation!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q. What is the easiest way to get reviews for my business?

• The easiest and most effective way is to simply ask. Over 70% of customers will leave a review if asked. Make it even easier for them by sending a direct link to your review profile via a short email or SMS text message right after their purchase or service.

Q. What is online reputation management?

• Online reputation management (ORM) is the active process of monitoring, influencing, and managing what people see about your brand online. This includes tracking new reviews, responding to both positive and negative feedback, and proactively promoting positive content to build trust and credibility in search results and on social media.

Q. What is the difference between review management and reputation management?

• Review management is a part of reputation management. Review management focuses specifically on the tactics of generating, collecting, and responding to customer reviews on platforms like Google and Yelp. Reputation management is the broader strategy that includes review management plus managing your brand’s image across all digital channels, including social media, press, and the overall sentiment in search engine results.

Q. What does a Reputation Marketing Agency do?

• A Reputation Marketing Agency goes one step beyond just managing your reputation. It actively takes your positive reviews and feedback and turns them into powerful marketing assets. This includes creating testimonial graphics for your website, sharing reviews on social media, and using customer success stories in ad campaigns to attract new leads and build trust.