Your Review Strategy is Lazy (and Google Knows It)
Most Brisbane business owners think review generation is a numbers game. They believe that if they just hit 100 or 500 reviews, they’ve "won" local SEO.
They are wrong.
In 2026, Google’s algorithms have moved far beyond simple quantity. If you are mass-emailing your database once a year or incentivising customers with discounts to leave a five-star rating, you aren't just wasting time—you’re likely flagging your account for suspicious activity. At Local Marketing Group, we see the same mistakes repeated from Fortitude Valley to the Gold Coast. It’s time to stop the "spray and pray" approach and start building a strategy based on Proximity and Proof.
Mistake 1: The "Review Spike" Red Flag
Nothing looks more fake to an algorithm than a business that gets zero reviews for three months and then suddenly receives 40 reviews in 48 hours. This usually happens when a business owner finally remembers to send out a bulk email blast.
Google values velocity and consistency. A steady drip of two reviews per week is infinitely more powerful than a massive spike followed by silence. If you want to dominate the local map pack, you need to integrate review requests into your daily operations, not treat them as a quarterly marketing chore. This is a core pillar of a modern introduction to SEO for any local service provider.
Mistake 2: Ignoring the "Keywords in Reviews" Myth
Stop asking people to "leave us a review." It’s too vague. When a customer leaves a review that says "Great service!", it does almost nothing for your rankings.
Google uses the text within reviews to understand what you actually do and where you do it. If you’re a plumber in Chermside, a review that says "John fixed our leaking tap in Chermside quickly and professionally" is worth ten reviews that just say "Thanks!"
The Fix: Give your customers a prompt. Ask them: 1. What service did we provide? 2. Which suburb are you located in? 3. What was the main benefit you noticed?
This creates proximity and proof that signals to Google exactly where and why you should be the top result.
Mistake 3: The Cowardly Approach to Negative Feedback
Most agencies will tell you to bury negative reviews. I’m telling you to use them. A profile with 500 five-star reviews and zero complaints looks manufactured because, usually, it is.
Australian consumers are savvy. They look for the 3 and 4-star reviews to see how a business handles conflict. If you respond to a negative review with a generic "We're sorry you feel this way" template, you've failed.
The Actionable Strategy: Use your response to sell to the next customer. Address the specific issue, explain your process, and show that you’re a human-run Brisbane business that takes accountability. Google tracks engagement; a thoughtful, keyword-rich response to a negative review can actually help your visibility more than an ignored five-star one.
Mistake 4: Incentivising Reviews (The Fast Track to a Ban)
Let’s be blunt: Offering a $10 coffee voucher or a discount on the next service in exchange for a Google review is a violation of Google’s Terms of Service. It’s also a violation of ACCC guidelines regarding misleading conduct.
If you get caught—and with AI-detection getting better, you will—Google can and will nukes your entire Business Profile. You lose years of work in an afternoon. Don't risk your entire zero-click SEO strategy for a few cheap stars. Authenticity is the only sustainable path.
How to Build a Review Engine That Actually Works
If you want to stop making these mistakes and start winning, follow this 3-step framework:
1. The 24-Hour Rule: Automate your review request to go out via SMS exactly 24 hours after the job is completed. SMS has an open rate that dwarfs email. 2. The Photo Request: Explicitly ask customers to take a photo of the finished work. Reviews with images carry significantly more weight in the local algorithm and provide visual proof to prospective leads. 3. The "Owner Response" Standard: Every single review—good or bad—must be responded to within 48 hours. This isn't just for the customer; it's a signal to Google that your business is active and managed.
Stop Guessing, Start Dominating
Review generation isn't about being "liked." It's about building a data-rich profile that proves to Google you are the most relevant, trusted authority in your specific Brisbane service area. If your current agency is just telling you to "get more reviews," they’re stuck in 2018.
Ready to fix your local presence and actually show up where it matters? Contact Local Marketing Group today and let’s build a strategy that drives real revenue, not just vanity metrics.