More enquiries with Google Business Profile reviews
Table of contents
Nicklas Dyrmose
If you want to drive more enquiries via Google, reviews need to be active and current, not just existing. In this article, we'll show you how to create a stable process for new reviews to gain visibility in local searches, Google Maps, AI and customer trust.
Why reviews on Google Business Profile are important?
Once upon a time, it was enough to have the correct information: name, address and phone number (NAP). Today, Google operates with a much more complex data set. Your profile is now a dynamic entity that scours the web for signals to assess whether your business is still relevant and active.
Reviews are the most powerful signal you can send to both Google and your potential customers. They act as an independent validation of your company's promise.
How reviews affect your local visibility
Data from Whitespark 2026 forecasts shows a significant shift in what Google prioritises. It's no longer about who has the most reviews in the archive, but about demonstrating topical relevance through new customer experiences. Today, fresh reviews carry more weight in your rankings than a historically high amount of stars.
What does this mean for you? It means that 10 fresh reviews over the last two months are more valuable to your ranking in Google Maps than 100 reviews from 2021. Google prioritises businesses that demonstrate current relevance. If your most recent review is six months old, the algorithm interprets that as a sign that your business might be stagnant, which hurts your visibility in the Local Pack (the top three results on Google).
Trust and purchase decision
While the algorithm is important, we must never forget the recipient: the customer. When your competitors have the same basic info, the same services and maybe even the same prices, reviews become the ultimate differentiator.
Reviews are social proof that remove the friction that occurs before a purchase decision. For B2B businesses and specialised service trades such as carpentry, bricklaying and window cleaning, it's often the detailed reviews that close the digital user's decision.
How to get more reviews for your Google Business Profile
Many Danish companies leave their reviews to chance. This often results in a skewed distribution where only the few dissatisfied customers speak up. At Siite, we recommend a proactive and operational approach where feedback collection is integrated into your daily workflow.
Easy way to collect feedback
The key to a high review rate is timing. In our experience, you should request a review within 24 hours of completing the task/delivery while the experience is still fresh in the customer's mind.
Make it as easy as possible:
- Direct Links: Send a direct link to your review page via SMS or email.
- QR codes: If you have physical contact with customers, a QR code on the invoice or in-store is extremely effective.
- The enquiry: Make it personal. Let the customer know that their feedback helps you improve and that it means a lot to your local business.
When should your industry ask?
Timing is not the same for everyone. To maximise response, you need to hit the customer at the moment when they are most excited about your service.
- The craftsman: Don't ask only when you send the invoice 14 days later. The best time to ask is the moment you're standing with the customer and showing them the finished result. Have a QR code ready on your phone or send an SMS immediately after the project is completed, as the customer still has the experience fresh in their mind. The longer it takes, the more your service becomes a practical everyday thing rather than a positive experience.
- The webshop owner: Timing is crucial here. If you ask in the order confirmation, the customer is only evaluating the purchase itself, not the item. Instead, wait 2-3 days after the item has been delivered. This is when the customer has had the product in their hands. Automate this process in your email system so that the request is sent automatically at the most relevant time.
- The restaurant owner: Here you need to act immediately. A request the next day is often in vain as the meal is forgotten. Use QR codes on the menu or bill with a clear request: “Tell us about your evening”. If staff actively encourage this at the table, we see a significant increase in the number of new reviews.
Respond to reviews and build relationships
Many see responding to reviews as a courtesy. From an SEO perspective, it's much more than that. It's an engagement signal.
When you respond to every review - both good and not so good - you send a signal to Google that the profile is actively managed. It also shows potential customers that there is a real person behind the screen who takes customer service seriously. Use relevant keywords in your answers (e.g. “Thanks for letting us help with your Website in Viborg“), but keep it natural.
Benefits of strong reviews
The investment in collecting and nurturing your reviews pays off directly on the bottom line through increased digital authority and lower acquisition costs per customer.
Increased conversion rate and leads
There is a direct correlation between star rating and Click-Through Rate (CTR). A profile with 4.8 stars will almost always outperform a profile with 4.2 stars in the click-through statistics, even though the latter may be one position higher in the search results. Social proof makes the phone ring because the risk of choosing you is significantly reduced in the eyes of the customer.
Better local SEO and Maps ranking
Google rewards profiles that “look alive”. Freshness signals - including new reviews, regular updates to opening hours and new photos - are crucial. If you upload photos of your latest project and get a review in the same location, you create a strong geographical and topical anchor that Google's algorithm weights highly in local rankings.
Reviews as a data feed for Google AI (SGE)
We are in the middle of a paradigm shift with the introduction of Google Search Generative Experience (SGE). Where Google used to just match keywords, their AI now tries to understand context and search intent.
When a user asks a complex question like: “Which carpenter in Aarhus is best for complex roof constructions and keeps to schedule?”, The AI doesn't just look for your headline. It searches your reviews for specific evidence.
Reviews have become one of the main sources of unstructured data that Google's AI uses to validate your business expertise. If your customers mention specific services and praise your process in their reviews, you significantly increase the likelihood of being “selected” as the recommended answer in AI-generated search results.
From search engine to “answer engine”
As Google moves towards being an “answer engine”, your reviews become your strongest asset for authority. AI models prioritise credibility (Trust). When your business continuously receives new reviews and customers write about their experiences in positive terms, not only Google's AI, but also other LLMs like ChatGPT, Gemini or Perplexity will see you as a trustworthy expert that can be safely recommended to users.
This means that today, your reviews are not only read by humans to build trust, but also “read” by machines to determine your ranking in the search landscape of the future. If you don't have an active stream of fresh reviews, you risk becoming invisible in the AI answers that increasingly dominate the top of Google.
How to respond to reviews the right way
How you handle feedback is crucial to your authority. Professionalism in adversity often builds more trust than a flawless track record without resistance.
Handling negative feedback professionally
No one goes through a long business life without a dissatisfied customer. The important thing is not the fault, but how you solve it. Always respond factually and never defensively. Invite the dialogue away from the public space. When others see that you handle challenges professionally, it often builds a deeper level of trust than a profile that seems “too good to be true”.
Goals and measurement of reviews
To make sure your efforts are bearing fruit, you need to track the right parameters on your profile.
Key KPIs to follow
We recommend keeping an eye on two things:
- Stability: Do you get reviews evenly throughout the year? Aim for a steady stream rather than big jumps.
- Content: Are your customers using the words and terms you want to be found on?
How to adjust your strategy
Your profile should reflect reality right now. So don't forget the other “freshness signals”. Make sure to update your opening hours and keep adding new photos of your work. These small actions tell Google that your business is active and ready to welcome customers.
Get a quote and get started
Optimising your Google Business Profile and systematically gathering reviews is a key part of a modern SEO strategy, but it's only one element of the digital engine. At Siite, we build the foundation, drive the traffic and ensure your business is on the cutting edge - from the first search to the final sale.
Contact and first steps at Siite
Is your profile stalled or do you want to make sure you're visible in Google's new AI answers? Our team of dedicated specialists are ready to help you transform your online presence into a lead machine.
We always start with an informal chat about your goals. Let us take responsibility for your marketing so you can focus on your business.
