Make Your Google Reviews Work Overtime
You put real effort into collecting Google reviews, and now you’ve got a Google business profile full of glowing feedback from customers. Most financial advisors stop right there, content to let them be seen only by people searching on Google.
But your reviews are an asset, not a trophy. If you want to get the most out of all that goodwill, you have two jobs going forward: keep new reviews coming in and put them where prospects will see them.
Reply to Every Review
Start by replying to the reviews you already have. A short, warm reply does two things. First, prospects reading your reviews see that you notice and value the feedback. This tells them you actively engage with your clients and care about what they think. Second, Google reads consistent replies as a sign of an active profile, which gives your ranking a small lift.
Keep your replies general. A simple "Thank you, [First Name]. We appreciate you" is all that’s needed. Your replies are considered public marketing, so run them through your normal compliance review like you would any other marketing content.
Keep the Trickle Going
Even after you have received plenty of reviews, you want to continue gathering more. If prospects see a page of three-year-old praise but nothing current, they may wonder what has happened since. Current reviews are also a signal to Google that your business is still active, giving you a boost in search rankings.
An easy way to do this is to add a review link to your email signature, so every message you send carries a standing invitation. You can also ask during client meetings and in the one-off emails you're already writing, where the request feels personal. A line in your onboarding and an occasional nudge in your newsletter keep it going in the background.
One of our clients learned how quickly these small efforts compound. About a year ago, he added a short review request to the footer of his monthly newsletter. By this past March, he'd built a solid base. He continued requesting reviews in client emails and in everyday conversations. Then, in June, we sent one email to his full client list, and it roughly doubled his total. As of the end of June of this year, he sits at 44 five-star reviews.
Show Off Your Reviews
Finally, to really leverage your Google reviews, make sure prospects can see them no matter where they’re reading about you. Feature them on your website, share the best reviews on your LinkedIn business page, include them in printed marketing materials, and display an aggregate rating (eg, “4.9 on Google”) as a trust indicator. Displayed reviews can trigger testimonial and disclosure rules, so clear this with compliance before you post them.
There are also times when it makes sense to point prospects straight to the source. You can drop your Google reviews link into your onboarding materials, the cover email on a proposal, or the "learn more about us" step in your process. Sending someone to your public profile is a different thing from republishing the reviews yourself, so it steers clear of the testimonial rules while still letting your reputation do the talking.
Your Quick Win
You don't need to do all of this at once. Pick one or two reviews and reply to them, then add your review link to your email signature, a five-minute task that keeps the ask running in the background from here on out. Small moves like these are what turn a page of good reviews on Google into something that works for you everywhere a prospect sees your name.
This material has been edited with the assistance of artificial intelligence tools. The information presented is based on sources believed to be reliable and accurate at the time of publication. This material is for educational purposes only and does not necessarily reflect the views of the author, presenter, or affiliated organizations.
