How to Get More Google Reviews as a Mortgage Broker
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Your Google reviews are often the first thing a borrower reads before they decide to call you. They're scanning your star rating, checking how recent the reviews are, and reading how you reply. A strong review profile doesn't just build trust with borrowers; according to Google's own guidance on local ranking, more reviews and positive ratings can help your business appear more prominently in the Map Pack.
In a softer 2026 market, with more brokers competing for fewer active borrowers, that visibility matters more than it used to. Borrowers searching "mortgage broker near me" are comparing two or three profiles side by side, and reviews are one of the clearest signals they use to choose.
At Copyburst, we help mortgage brokers across Australia with local SEO for mortgage brokers, Google Business Profile management and everything that goes with it. In this article, we'll cover how to get more reviews the right way, how to reply, and what to do when a bad one lands.
Key takeaways
- You can ask clients for reviews, but you can't offer incentives or cherry-pick who you ask.
- Replying to every review, good and bad, shows borrowers you're worth contacting.
- Recent reviews matter: 74% of consumers want to see reviews from the last three months.
How do Google reviews help a mortgage broker?
Google's guidance on local ranking states that more reviews and positive ratings can help your business's local ranking. That means the Map Pack, the three businesses Google shows alongside the map when someone searches "mortgage broker near me" in your area. Reviews feed into what Google calls prominence, one of the three main signals it uses to decide who appears there.
Beyond ranking, reviews do something just as important: they persuade. A borrower sitting at home at 9pm, deciding whether to refinance, pulls up Google and reads through your reviews before they ever fill in a contact form. According to BrightLocal's 2026 consumer survey (an international consumer survey), 80% of consumers prefer businesses that respond to all reviews, and 31% will only use a business rated 4.5 stars or higher. Your reviews are working for you or against you around the clock.
What's the right way to ask clients for reviews?
Google allows you to ask clients for reviews. What it doesn't allow is offering any incentive (payment, a gift, a discount) or asking only the clients you know are happy, which Google calls review gating. Both break Google's review policies and can get reviews removed or your profile flagged.
The practical approach is to ask every client after settlement, as a standard part of how you close a deal. Google gives you a direct review link and a QR code inside your Business Profile dashboard. Sending that link removes the friction: the client doesn't have to search for you and find the right profile. They do need a Google Account to leave a review, so it's worth mentioning that briefly when you ask.
- By text after settlement: a short, warm message with your review link is the lowest-friction option for most borrowers.
- By email: works well for clients who prefer written communication; add the link and a one-line ask.
- In person or on a call: ask verbally, then follow up with the link straight after so they don't have to go looking for it.
- QR code on your desk or email footer: useful if you see clients face to face, or as a passive prompt in ongoing communications.
| Expert tip Pull up your Google review link right now and send it to yourself. If it takes more than one tap to get to the review form, your clients are probably giving up before they leave one. Copyburst sets this up for brokers as part of our Google Business Profile work, so the path from "ask" to "posted review" is as short as possible. |
How should you reply to a Google review?
Google's own guidance says replying to reviews shows you value feedback and can help your business stand out. It recommends keeping replies timely, short and specific to what the reviewer said. Use the reviewer's name, address their actual feedback rather than sending a generic thank-you, and stay conversational rather than salesy.
“When I look at broker profiles, the ones with replies to every review, even just two or three sentences, consistently look more professional than the ones where the owner has gone quiet after the first handful.”
Adam Maynard · Founder, Copyburst · Chat to Adam →
For a broker, there's one firm rule on top of Google's general advice: never mention anything about the client's loan, their lender, their finances or anything identifying in a reply. Keep it warm and professional, and take any specific detail offline.
| Mortgage broker SEO Need help with your Google Business Profile? We help mortgage brokers get found first in Google, Google Maps and AI search.
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What does a good review profile actually look like?
Say you're a broker who settled your last ten loans but has only six reviews, three of which are two years old. That profile looks inactive to a borrower comparing you with a competitor who has twenty reviews and replied to all of them last month. BrightLocal's 2026 international consumer survey found that 74% of consumers want to see reviews from the last three months. Recency matters as much as volume.
Here's what a strong profile looks like in practice, and what you control in each area:
| What matters | Why it matters | What good looks like |
|---|---|---|
| Star rating | 31% of consumers won't use a business rated below 4.5 stars (BrightLocal, 2026) | 4.5 stars or above across a meaningful number of reviews |
| Recency | 74% of consumers want reviews from the last three months (BrightLocal, 2026) | New reviews appearing regularly, not a burst then silence |
| Owner replies | 80% of consumers prefer businesses that respond to all reviews (BrightLocal, 2026) | Every review has a reply, prompt, specific and professional |
| Review content | Reviews that name the loan type or situation (refinance, first home, investment) give borrowers something specific to relate to | Detailed reviews from a range of client types |
| Mix of ratings | Google notes that a mix of positive and negative reviews often feels more trustworthy to consumers | One or two lower-rated reviews with a good reply can actually build credibility |
The most important thing you control is the asking. Borrowers who had a great experience are often happy to leave a review; they just need someone to ask and a link that makes it easy.
| Expert tip Read your last ten Google reviews as if you were a first home buyer looking for a broker in your area. Do they describe what it's actually like to work with you? Do they mention the loan type or the situation? If most just say "great service", it's worth asking your next few clients to share a bit more detail about what you helped them with. |
What do you do when a bad review arrives?
A negative review can feel like a punch, especially when it's unfair. But how you handle it matters more than the review itself. Google's guidance on managing reviews recommends acknowledging what went wrong, explaining what was within your control, apologising where it's warranted, and taking any specific detail offline.
“The first thing I tell brokers who get a bad review: reply before you do anything else. A calm, professional reply to a harsh review often impresses new clients more than another five-star rating does.”
Adam Maynard · Founder, Copyburst · Chat to Adam →
If the review breaks Google's content policies (it's fake, it's from someone who was never a client, or it contains prohibited content), you can flag it for Google to review. You can't simply delete a review you dislike, and Google won't remove it just because it's negative. Your best response to a bad review is a good one.
Does your Google Business Profile do enough for local search?
Reviews are one part of your profile, not the whole picture. Google's local ranking guidance says results are based on relevance, distance and prominence. Your reviews feed into prominence. But relevance, whether your profile actually matches what someone is searching for, comes from getting the basics right: an accurate primary category ("Mortgage broker"), your services listed clearly, your hours kept up to date and a description that reflects what you actually do.
- Set special hours for public holidays: Google recommends confirming holiday hours even when they're the same as usual, so borrowers don't call or turn up when you're closed.
- Add photos that show your business: Google says team photos and office photos help your profile stand out to people browsing local results.
- Keep your website strong: Google says a business's position in web results is also a factor in local ranking, so your website directly supports where you appear in the Map Pack.
If you work from home or don't see clients at a fixed office, Google's guidelines say you should hide your address and set a service area instead. That's a simple change that keeps your profile compliant and tidy.
What's the catch with chasing more reviews?
The rules are straightforward but easy to get wrong under pressure. Review gating (asking only happy clients) and incentivised reviews (offering anything in return) both break Google's policies. So does asking a friend or colleague who isn't a real client. Google can remove reviews that violate its policies, and repeated breaches can affect your profile.
There's also the question of what happens when a competitor's profile looks suspicious: keyword-stuffed business names, fake five-star reviews, or a profile that doesn't match the real business. Google's "Suggest an edit" feature and its business redressal complaint form are the right channels to report those. We help brokers identify and report profiles that break Google's rules as part of our local SEO work.
| Expert tip Search your own business name in Google Maps and check whether any nearby competitors have keyword phrases in their business name (something like "Best Mortgage Broker Sydney"). That's a breach of Google's guidelines. You can flag it using "Suggest an edit" on their profile, which puts it in Google's review queue. |
| Mortgage broker SEO Need help with your Google Business Profile? We help mortgage brokers get found first in Google, Google Maps and AI search.
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What else do brokers ask about Google reviews?
Can I ask clients to update or remove a review they've left?
You can ask a client to update a review if the situation was resolved, but you can't pressure them to change or remove it. Google allows clients to edit or delete their own reviews at any time; only they can do that. You can't remove reviews yourself.
Should I hide my address if I work from home?
Yes. Google's guidelines say service-area businesses that don't see clients at their address should hide it and set a service area instead. You can set up to 20 service areas in your profile. This keeps your profile accurate and compliant.
How long does a reply take to appear on my profile?
Google says replies can take up to 10 minutes to appear, and occasionally up to 30 days while Google checks them. If your reply hasn't appeared after a day or two, it's worth checking that it was saved correctly in your Business Profile dashboard.
How does Copyburst help brokers get more Google reviews?
We set up your review link and QR code, make sure your profile is optimised so every review request lands on the right listing, and help you build a consistent asking habit into your post-settlement process. We also manage replies and flag policy breaches on your behalf.
How does Copyburst manage Google Business Profiles for brokers?
We handle category selection, services, description, photos, special hours and service areas. We monitor the profile for suggested edits or changes, report rule-breaking competitor listings, and keep everything aligned with your website so your local ranking stays as strong as possible.
Your next steps
Start with the easiest win: find your Google review link in your Business Profile dashboard and send it to your next settled client. Then go back through your existing reviews and reply to any that don't have one yet. If your profile isn't fully set up (category, services, hours, description), get that sorted too, because reviews work hardest when the rest of your profile is doing its job. If you want help with your Google Business Profile, book a call with the Copyburst team.
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Sources and further reading
This article provides general information about SEO, AI search and digital marketing for mortgage and finance brokers. It is not credit assistance, financial, legal or tax advice, and does not take into account your business circumstances. Search, ranking and lead outcomes vary and are not guaranteed. Figures are sourced from the organisations named and were current at the time of writing.