The short answer
How to get more Google reviews as a realtor: ask in person at the happiest moment, usually closing, and text your review link before they leave. Ask them to mention your name. Follow up once, a few days later, then stop. Reply to every review. Never write one for a client, offer a reward or fake one.
Below: the eight steps, the exact words, who can review you, how to handle a bad review, and the rules that keep your profile safe.
Step by step: how to get more Google reviews as a realtor
A five-star review that says "great company" helps a little. A review with your name in it works for you every day, for your whole career, and it costs you one text.
- Get your review link. In your Google Business Profile, use "Ask for reviews" (some dashboards say "Get more reviews") and copy the link. No profile yet? Start with Google Business Profile for agents.
- Bookmark it on your phone's home screen. If it takes more than two taps to find, you won't send it.
- Plant the seed early. At the buyer consultation or listing appointment: "At the end, I'll ask how I did."
- Ask in the moment. At the closing table or the day they get the keys. Not three weeks later.
- Text the link right then. Texts get opened. A review request in a crowded inbox often dies.
- Ask them to mention your name. Every time. That's the part that follows you.
- Follow up once, three or four days later. In our experience it roughly doubles what you get. After two asks, leave it.
- Reply to every review within a day. By name, with one real detail, and no transaction specifics.
Then the second platform. Google first, always. Then a portal profile like Zillow, which needs its own request and usually a sign-in. Tell clients up front so they don't hit the wall and quit.
Where to ask: which channel works best?
| Channel | When | Works well because | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| In person, then text | Closing table, key day | Happiest moment, link is right there | Don't hover while they type |
| Text alone | Within three days of closing | Gets opened, one tap to the link | Send once, plus one follow-up |
| Past clients from earlier years | Room for a personal note | Easy to miss; text is better | |
| QR code card | Closing gift, open house table | No typing for the client | Make sure it opens your profile |
| Automated request | Day 3 and a later reminder | Nobody gets skipped | Ask everyone, not just the happy ones |
The words
At the closing table: "Before you go, can I ask you a favor? Reviews are how I get my next client. If you have two minutes, would you leave one and mention my name? I'll text you the link right now."
The text: "Congratulations again. Loved working with you. Here's that link: (link). If you can mention my name in it, that's the part that helps me. Thank you."
The one follow-up: "No pressure at all, just floating this back up in case it got buried. (link) Thanks again."
Someone you helped but didn't transact with: "Would you be willing to leave me a quick review about the pricing help I gave you? It doesn't have to be about buying or selling, just whether it was useful."
Who can leave you a Google review?
More people than you think. Google wants a real experience with you, not necessarily a closing:
- Past clients, including ones from years ago
- People you ran numbers for who didn't buy or sell yet
- People you referred to another agent, lender or contractor
- Friends and family you genuinely advised on a real estate question
Ask them all the same way. Don't only ask the clients you're sure will give five stars. Picking and choosing who gets asked is called review gating, and Google's policies discourage it.
How should a realtor respond to a bad review?
Calm, short and public. Thank them, acknowledge the concern without arguing, offer to talk offline, and never share transaction details. Then fix the thing if it's real. Future clients read your replies to judge how you treat people when it goes wrong. If a review is fake or breaks Google's rules, flag it through your profile instead of fighting in the comments.
A worked example (illustration only)
An agent asks at five closings in a month, texts the link at the table and follows up once. Four reviews come in, three mentioning the agent by name. The next listing appointment starts with: "I read your reviews."
Illustration only.
How to explain it to your client
"Almost all of my business comes from reviews and referrals. If you'd share how it went, in your own words, and mention my name, that would mean a lot. I'm texting you the link now."
Watch-outs
- Never fake a review. It has to describe something that actually happened. Platforms remove fabricated reviews and can restrict a business profile.
- Never write it for them. No drafts, no templates. A batch of similar reviews is what gets flagged.
- No rewards for reviews. Google's review policy prohibits offering incentives for reviews, and the FTC has rules on fake and incentivized reviews too. A thank-you note is fine. A gift card for a review is not.
- Say accreditation correctly. If your company is BBB-accredited, say "our company is accredited," not "I'm accredited."
- Respect privacy. Don't post or reply with transaction details, prices or addresses.
Keep going
- All career and marketing pages: Agent career training
- Next: Google Business Profile for agents, how to get more online reviews on other sites, how to ask for referrals, the contract to close checklist
- Want nobody skipped? Review Engine asks every closed client for a Google or Zillow review on day 3 and day 30, automatically, with nobody filtered out.
- Give your reviews a home: a Pad Page™ is your own one-page website built for the phone, plus a verified spot in the PadLeaders directory.
This is training for real estate agents. Follow platform review policies, FTC guidance on reviews and endorsements, and your brokerage policy.
Questions
How do I get my Google review link as a realtor?
Open your Google Business Profile, choose "Ask for reviews" or "Get more reviews," and copy the link. Save it to your phone's home screen.
When is the best time to ask a client for a Google review?
At closing or within a few days of it, while they're happiest. Plant the seed at your first meeting.
Should I text or email the review link?
Text. It gets opened. Use email for past clients you haven't texted in a while.
Can realtors offer incentives for Google reviews?
No. Google's policies prohibit offering incentives for reviews. Thank people, don't pay them.
How many times should I ask for a review?
Twice. Once in person, one follow-up. Then stop.
Can friends and family leave me a Google review?
Only if you genuinely helped them with something real estate related, and they write it themselves.
What if I get a bad review?
Reply calmly and professionally, offer to talk offline, never share client details, and flag it only if it breaks Google's rules.
Brian Lee Burke is the founder of PadLeaders, a Colorado real estate broker licensed since 2003, team leader of The Kenna Group at Keller Williams DTC (formerly Kenna Real Estate Group) and the author of Mastering Real Estate and The Real Estate Playbook. More about Brian.