Why Your Google Reviews Are Sitting There Doing Nothing
I’ve sat down with hundreds of Brisbane business owners—from electricians in Coorparoo to café owners in North Lakes—and almost all of them make the same mistake. They work their guts off to get a five-star review, and once it arrives, they do absolutely nothing with it.
They think the review itself is the finish line. It isn’t.
If you want more phone calls and more jobs booked in, you need to start talking back. When a customer leaves a review, they are standing in your shopfront (digitally speaking) and shouting your praises. If you just stand there in silence, you look rude to the customer and, more importantly, you look lazy to everyone else who is thinking about hiring you.
Responding to reviews isn't about being polite; it’s about making money. It’s about showing the next person who finds you on Google that you are a real person who cares about their work.
In this guide, I’m going to show you exactly how to handle reviews—the good, the bad, and the ugly—so you can own your local suburb and stop letting potential jobs slip through your fingers.
The “Money” Reason for Responding
Let’s be blunt: Why should you spend twenty minutes on a Tuesday night typing replies to people you’ve already finished a job for?
Because Google loves it.
Google’s main goal is to show its users the best businesses. If Google sees that you are active, that you reply to people, and that you are engaged with your community, they are much more likely to put your business at the top of the map. Being at the top of the map means more clicks. More clicks mean more phone calls.
I’ve seen a landscaper in Carindale go from getting two calls a week to ten, simply by cleaning up their profile and replying to every single person who took the time to write something. It costs zero dollars to do this, yet most of your competitors are too busy or too tired to bother. That is your opportunity.
How to Respond to Five-Star Reviews (Without Sounding Like a Robot)
Most people, if they reply at all, just write "Thanks!"
That’s a wasted opportunity. You want to use that space to tell future customers what you actually do.
The Formula for a Perfect Reply:
1. Use their name: It shows you aren't a bot. 2. Say thank you: Obviously. 3. Mention the specific service: Instead of saying "thanks for the business," say "thanks for letting us install those new LED downlights in your kitchen." 4. Mention the location: "It was great working at your place in Ascot." 5. Invite them back: "Give us a buzz if you ever need more electrical work done."Why does this work? When someone else is looking for an electrician in Ascot, and they see your reply mentioning Ascot and downlights, they feel much more confident that you can handle their job. You are building a track record in public.
Dealing with the Nightmare: The 1-Star Review
Nothing ruins a Friday afternoon like a notification for a 1-star review. Especially when you know the customer is being unfair, or worse, they’ve got the wrong business.
Your first instinct will be to get angry. You’ll want to write a three-paragraph essay explaining why they are wrong.
Don't do it.
When you reply to a bad review, you aren't writing for the person who complained. You are writing for the thousands of people who will read that review over the next three years. If you come across as aggressive, defensive, or petty, you lose. Even if you are right, you look like a nightmare to deal with.
The "Cool Head" Strategy for Bad Reviews:
1. Wait 2 hours: Let the initial anger fade. 2. Be the professional: Start with, "I'm sorry to hear you didn't have a great experience with us." 3. Take it offline immediately: Say, "We’d love to make this right. Please call our office on [your number] and ask for [your name] so we can sort this out." 4. Keep it short: The more you argue, the worse you look.If the review is a total lie or from someone who was never a customer, state that clearly but politely: "We’ve checked our records and can't find any job under your name. We take our service seriously and would love to hear more if there’s been a mistake."
By staying calm, you show potential customers that even when things go wrong, you are a professional who handles problems like a grown-up. That builds more trust than a dozen perfect reviews ever could.
Using Reviews to Get More Local Jobs
Reviews are the best marketing material you have, and they are free. You should be using them everywhere.
If a customer says, "Best plumber in Wynnum, arrived on time and fixed the leak in ten minutes," you should take a screenshot of that and put it on your Facebook page. Put it on your website. Mention it when you are talking to other locals.
Success breeds success. People feel safe following the crowd. If you can show that everyone in your area is using you, you’ll find it much easier to get more local jobs without having to spend a fortune on expensive ads that might not even work.
The "Quick Win" Routine
You don't need to spend hours on this. Here is how I’d suggest a busy business owner handles this:
Tuesday Morning (10 mins): Log into your Google Business Profile. Reply to any new reviews from the weekend. Thursday Afternoon (10 mins): Check if anyone replied to your comments or if any new ones popped up.
- Once a Month: Look at your best review from the month and share it on your social media.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
1. Buying Fake Reviews
Don't do it. It’s tempting when you see a competitor with 200 reviews and you only have 10, but Google is smart. If they catch you using fake reviews, they will delete your entire profile. Years of work gone in a second. It just isn't worth the risk.2. Using "Marketing Speak"
Don't use words like "synergy," "customer-centric," or "bespoke solutions." Talk like a normal Brisbane local. "We were happy to help get your aircon running before the summer heat hit" sounds a lot better than "We pride ourselves on delivering industry-leading HVAC solutions."3. Ignoring the 3-Star Reviews
The 3-star reviews are actually very important. These are usually from reasonable people who liked some things but weren't blown away by others. Pay attention to what they say. If three different people mention that your team didn't clean up the wood shavings after a job, you don't have a review problem—you have a training problem. Fix the business, and the reviews will follow.How to Ask for Reviews (The Right Way)
You won't get reviews unless you ask. But don't just send a generic email three days later.
Ask when the customer is happiest. For a tradie, that’s right after you’ve finished the job and they’ve seen the result. Say, "Glad you're happy with the work! It really helps a small local business like mine if you could leave a quick review on Google. I'll send you a link now."
Then, actually send the link. Make it as easy as possible for them. If they have to search for you, they won't do it. If you text them a direct link while you're still standing in their driveway, your chances of getting that 5-star rating go up by about 500%.
I’ve seen this work incredibly well for marketing that actually pays off because it builds an asset you own forever. Unlike an ad that stops working the second you stop paying, a solid bank of reviews keeps selling for you 24/7.
What Should You Do First?
If you haven't looked at your Google reviews in months, here is your homework:
1. Download the Google Maps app on your phone and log in with your business account. 2. Go back through the last 5 reviews you received (even the old ones) and reply to them today. 3. Identify one customer you worked with this week who was happy, and send them a text asking for a review.
It will take you fifteen minutes, and it’s the first step toward making your business the most trusted name in your suburb.
Need a Hand Getting More Calls?
Managing reviews is just one part of the puzzle. If you’re a Brisbane business owner who is tired of trying to figure out the "internet stuff" and you just want your phone to ring more, we can help.
At Local Marketing Group, we don't care about fancy reports or technical talk. We care about getting you more jobs and making sure your marketing budget isn't being set on fire.
If you want to grow your business without the headache, get in touch with us here. Let's have a chat about how we can get you in front of more local customers.