Is a Google Business Profile free?

Yes. Creating, claiming, and managing a Google Business Profile is free.

Can I offer a discount in exchange for a review?

No. Google's policies prohibit offering incentives for reviews, and asking only customers you expect to be positive is also against the rules. Ask every customer, with no reward attached.

How do I get more reviews?

Ask every satisfied customer right after the job, send a direct link to your review page so it takes one tap, and reply to the reviews you receive.

WithFunded › Academy › Sell more

How to get more local customers: your Google profile, reviews, and referrals

For a business that serves a local area, the cheapest new customers usually come from three places: local search, reviews, and referrals. All three run on habits, not ad budgets.

WithFunded Academy · Lesson 12 of 16 · 3 min read · Updated November 2026

Key takeaways

A complete, accurate Google Business Profile is free and is how nearby customers find you.
Ask every satisfied customer for a review, right after the job, with a direct link.
Never pay or reward customers for reviews. Google prohibits it.
Ask every new customer how they found you, and tally the answers monthly.

1. Complete your Google Business Profile

When someone nearby searches for what you do, Google shows local results from Business Profiles. Google says those results are based mainly on relevance, distance, and prominence. You control the first directly and influence the third.

Claim and verify the profile
Use your exact business name, address or service area, and phone number
Choose the most specific primary category that fits
List your services, with descriptions in the words customers use
Keep hours current, including holidays
Add real photos of your work, team, and location, and keep adding them

2. Build a review habit

Reviews do two jobs: they help you appear, and they help a stranger choose you.

Ask at the high point. Right after the job is done and the customer is happy.
Make it one tap. Send the direct review link from your profile by text or email.
Ask everyone. Choosing only the customers you expect to be positive is against Google's policies.
Reply to every review, good and bad. A calm, specific reply to a complaint is read by every future customer.
Do not offer discounts, gifts, or payment for reviews. Google prohibits incentives, and fake or purchased reviews can bring penalties.

3. Ask for referrals on purpose

Many happy customers would refer you and never think to. Ask at the same moment you ask for the review, and make it easy: a short text they can forward, or a card to hand to a neighbor. Thank everyone who sends you someone, every time.

4. Work the area around each job

For service businesses, the best prospects are often the neighbors of the customer you just served. A yard sign with permission, a note to nearby homes, and a before-and-after photo on your profile all turn one job into several.

5. Track where customers come from

Ask every new customer how they found you, and count the answers at the end of each month. Within a quarter you will know which efforts to repeat and which to drop. To put a dollar figure on it, see what a new customer costs.

Common questions

Is a Google Business Profile free?: Yes. Creating, claiming, and managing a Google Business Profile is free.
Can I offer a discount in exchange for a review?: No. Google's policies prohibit offering incentives for reviews, and asking only customers you expect to be positive is also against the rules. Ask every customer, with no reward attached.
How do I get more reviews?: Ask every satisfied customer right after the job, send a direct link to your review page so it takes one tap, and reply to the reviews you receive.

Next lesson · Sell moreFollow up faster: turn more leads and quotes into salesMany lost sales are leads you already paid for. A simple system to stop the leak.

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Rate inputs are as of November 2026: a representative 8%–30% APR band for non-bank term financing and a 7.00% prime rate. Worked examples are WithFunded calculations.

Educational content. WithFunded Academy lessons are general information for small-business owners. They are not financial, legal, or tax advice, and they are not an offer or a commitment to lend. Figures are representative examples and WithFunded calculations, not quotes. WithFunded and Big Think Capital are a financing marketplace; we are not the direct lender and do not guarantee funding, approval, rates, or terms. Actual rates, fees, payments, and terms are set by the funding lender and depend on your business, credit, and the product. Where required by state law, the lender provides cost-of-financing disclosures before any agreement is signed.