The way to get reviews is to ask every happy customer, right at the moment they are happiest. A text with a direct link beats a card with a QR code, and both beat hoping.
Volume and recency both matter to local rankings, but so does your reply. Answer every review, good or bad, in a sentence or two. Future customers read the replies, not the score.
Never buy reviews or offer perks for them. Google catches it, and one penalty costs more than a hundred honest reviews earn.
The ask that works
Tie the ask to the moment of delight: the job is done, the keys are handed over, the tab is paid. 'Glad we could help. Would you mind leaving us a quick Google review?' then send the link before they drive off.
Detroit shops that ask every customer get steady reviews. Shops that wait for them trickle in one a season.
Replying is half the job
A reply thanks the named customer, mentions the work, and stays under three sentences. Bad reviews get the same: no arguing, one fix, one invitation to call.
Everybody reads how you handle the bad one. Calm beats perfect.
What never to do
Do not buy reviews, do not offer discounts for them, and do not ask your cousin to batch five in one afternoon. The pattern is obvious and the penalty wipes out years of goodwill.
Slow and real beats fast and fake every single time.
Quick answers.
How many reviews do I need?
More than your nearest competitors, steadily growing. Twenty real ones beat two hundred suspicious ones.
Can I copy the same review text?
No. Google filters duplicate patterns and so do customers.
Which platform?
Google, always first. Facebook second if your customers live there.
Can you remove a fake review?
You can flag it. We will show you how and what to expect.
Related notes.
Keep reading:
How to rank on Google Maps The Google Business Profile checklist What is local SEO? More about Local SEO setup