Why reviews decide who gets chosen
Between two similar businesses, most people pick the one with more and better reviews. Reviews also feed how you rank on Google Maps. They are the single highest-return thing most small businesses ignore, and they are free.
Just ask—at the right moment
The main reason you do not have more reviews is that you do not ask. Ask right after the moment a customer is happiest: as they leave delighted, when you deliver the finished result, when they thank you. That is when a review takes thirty seconds and feels natural.
Make it effortless
Every extra step loses people. Google gives you a short review link—put it in a follow-up message, on a small card, on a QR code at the counter. The fewer taps between “yes I'll leave one” and a posted review, the more you get.
Never buy or fake them
Bought reviews, review swaps and fake accounts get detected, removed and can get your profile penalised—and customers can usually smell them. A smaller number of honest reviews beats a pile of obvious fakes. Build the real thing.
When a bad review lands
You will get one eventually, and how you respond is read by everyone considering you next. Reply calmly and briefly, acknowledge the specific issue, and offer to put it right offline. Do not argue in public. A measured reply to a harsh review often reassures readers more than a wall of five stars.
Then fix whatever caused it. A steady flow of honest reviews plus grown-up replies is a stronger asset than almost anything you can buy.