How can a B&B or guest house get more Google reviews?
Ask every guest for a Google review at checkout, then send a thank-you message with your direct review link, and reply to each review. Reviews left on Airbnb or Booking.com stay on those platforms, so people searching Google for you only see the ones left on Google.
By Sammy Morgan, who runs M1 Studio in Chichester. Updated .
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- Industry
- Holiday lets and B&Bs
- Problem
- Too few Google reviews
- The fix
- Local Search Fix, £800
- Do it yourself?
- Yes, the first steps below
Why it happens to holiday lets and b&bs.
- Reviews scatter across platforms
- Guests review where they booked. A guest house with plenty of praise on Booking.com can still look thin on Google.
- Self-catering lets can’t always have a profile
- Google’s guidelines list rental properties such as vacation homes as ineligible for a Business Profile, because it requires in-person contact with customers. B&Bs and guest houses where you meet guests are a different case.
- Checkout is rushed
- Guests are packing and heading off. If nobody asks before they leave, a follow-up message is your only chance.
- You sit next to hotels
- Local searches for somewhere to stay show B&Bs next to hotels and pubs with rooms, with ratings side by side.
What to do, in order.
Check your profile is eligible and verified
If guests meet you on site, claim and verify your profile with your address. If you run a self-catering let with nobody on site, read Google’s eligibility rules first.
Get your review link
Copy it from your Google Business Profile and put it on a card in the room and in your thank-you message.
Ask at checkout and follow up
A word at checkout, then a message the same day with the link. Ask every guest the same way, and for guests who booked through a platform, follow that platform’s messaging rules.
Stay within Google’s rules
No money off a future stay for a review, and no asking only the guests who seemed happiest.
Set up requests for every guest
The Local Search Fix fills in your Google profile and sets up review requests to every guest.
Where M1 can do it for you.
Fixed prices, or a fixed quote before any work starts. No VAT is charged. Any running costs are listed before you agree.
- Local Search Fix £800
Your Google profile filled in with rooms, photos and facilities, and review requests to every guest, with no screening.
Look right when locals search for what you do.
- Growth Plan £1,000 a month
It keeps review requests running and handles review management every month.
Keep enquiries turning into bookings.
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Before you decide.
Something else? Ask Sammy on WhatsApp.
Can my holiday cottage have a Google Business Profile?
Often not on its own. Google’s eligibility guidelines list rental properties such as vacation homes as ineligible, because a business must make in-person contact with customers during its stated hours. Focus on reviews on the platforms you use and on your own site. See Google Business Profile in the glossary.
Can I offer a discount for a review?
No. Google doesn’t allow incentives for reviews, and asking only happy guests is review gating, which it also doesn’t allow. The Google reviews guide covers the rules.
What does the Local Search Fix cost?
It’s a fixed £800, paid half to start and half at launch. See what’s included.
Keep reading.
Know what to fix. Then decide.
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