Guide
How to get more Google reviews
Most businesses do not have a review problem. They have an asking problem. Here is what actually moves the number, in order of impact.
1. Ask at the right moment
The best moment is while the guest is still with you and still happy — as the bill lands, at check-out, at the end of the appointment. Ask a day later by email and you are competing with everything else in their inbox.
That is why the ask works best as something physical in front of them rather than a message sent afterwards.
2. Remove every step you can
Each step loses people. Searching for your listing loses people. Signing in loses people. Facing an empty text box loses the most of all.
Cut it to: tap, rate, pick a couple of things that stood out, edit the draft, post. That is the whole journey Tappi runs.
3. Ask everyone, not just the happy ones
Filtering your request so only satisfied customers are invited to post publicly is called review gating, and it breaches Google's policy. It can also cost you the listing.
The compliant version is better business anyway: invite everyone publicly, and give the unhappy ones a private channel alongside it so you hear about the problem while you can still fix it.
4. Make responding part of the routine
Replying to reviews signals an active business to future customers and to Google. A short, human reply within a day or two is enough.
5. Know what one bad review actually costs
A venue on 4.6 with 50 reviews drops to 4.5 with a single one-star. On 20 reviews it drops to 4.4. Early on, one bad night moves your headline number in a way hundreds of later reviews cannot easily undo — which is exactly why catching the problem privately, first, matters so much.
Every plan starts with a 14-day free trial. No card required, and your review page is live in about 60 seconds.
Common questions
Is using a review card against Google's rules?
Asking every customer for a review is allowed. What is not allowed is review gating — only inviting happy customers to post publicly. Tappi shows the same Google and TripAdvisor options to every guest regardless of their rating, and adds a private route to the owner alongside them.
Can I offer a discount for a review?
No. Incentivising reviews breaches Google's policy and TripAdvisor's, whether or not you ask for a positive one. Improve the ask, not the bribe.
How many Google reviews does a local business need?
There is no threshold, but volume and recency both matter. A steady trickle every week beats a burst once a year, and recent reviews carry more weight with customers reading them.
Can I get a bad review removed?
Only if it breaches Google's content policy — spam, off-topic, or a personal attack. A genuine complaint stays up, which is why hearing about it privately first is worth so much.
Turn the ask into a tap.
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