How to Get 5-Star Reviews While Your Clients Are Happy – Christmas Edition
It is December 18th. The festive spirit is peaking. Your clients are winding down, they’ve probably had a few drinks at a Christmas lunch, and generally, everyone is feeling a bit more generous than usual. This is a rare window of opportunity. Most businesses shut up shop and forget to ask for the most valuable currency in local search: The Google Review.
The “Gift” Exchange
Psychology is simple. When you give something, people feel a need to give back. It’s the law of reciprocity.
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Time it with the Thank You: If you are sending out client gifts or cards this week, that is your trigger.
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The “Small Favour” ask: Send a personal email (not a blast): “Hey mate, really enjoyed working with you this year. If you have 30 seconds before you clock off, a quick Google review would be the best Christmas present for us.”
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Don’t automate it this week: People ignore bots in December. They reply to humans.
Remove the Friction
You are asking them to do work. Make it effortless. If they have to Google your business name, find the listing, and click “write review,” they won’t do it.
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The Direct Link: Generate your specific Google Review link (the one that pops the box open automatically). Send that.
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QR Codes: If you have a physical shop or you are a tradie on site, stick a QR code on your Christmas card.
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Keep it brief: Don’t write a novel. Just ask for the click.
Stars Are Good, Keywords Are Better
A five-star rating with no text helps your average, but it doesn’t help your SEO. You need the client to actually write what you did. Google reads that text to understand your business.
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Prompt the content: Don’t just say “leave a review.” Say “Mention the bathroom renovation we did in Ascot.”
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Location signals: If they mention your suburb or city in the review, it signals local relevance to the algorithm.
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Specific services: “Great plumber” is okay. “Fixed my blocked drain quickly” is infinitely better for ranking on “blocked drains.”
Google Reviews are the fuel for your Local SEO engine. They signal to the algorithm that you are active, trusted, and relevant. Gathering five or six solid reviews this week sets you up for a much stronger ranking when the market wakes up in late January.
Strike while the iron is hot (and while the client is happy).
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