Ever had an experience with a business so good you wanted to tell everyone? Or maybe one that was so bad you wanted to warn others? Your first thought was probably to go online, but then you wondered, how do I leave a Google review? It’s a question many people ask because they know these reviews carry a lot of weight.

You probably read them yourself before trying a new restaurant or hiring a local service. Knowing how to leave a Google review is powerful, as it acts as strong social proof for others. It lets you share your voice, help your community, and give customer feedback to businesses that can make a real difference.

You’ll learn that the process to write a review is actually very straightforward, and Google makes reviews easy to post. It just takes a few clicks whether you’re on your computer or a mobile device. This guide will walk you through every step, so your opinion can be heard.

Why Your Opinion Actually Matters on Google

You might think your single online review is just a drop in the ocean, but that’s just not true. Your feedback joins a chorus of other customer voices that directly influence people’s buying decisions every single day. For any local business, these online reviews are a cornerstone of their online reputation.

Think about the last time you were looking for a plumber or a new coffee shop. What did you do? You probably pulled out your phone, made a Google search for a local business, and immediately looked at the star rating and recent Google reviews. This is a common habit for the modern potential customer.

Statistics show this is exactly what most people do; people check reviews before making a purchase. In fact, a high percentage of consumers read reviews for local businesses before spending their hard-earned money. Your business review could be the very one that helps someone decide whether to give that company a try.

For business owners, this feedback is like gold. A positive review acts as free marketing, helping to build trust and credibility that no advertisement can buy. Positive reviews tell the business what they’re doing right, encourage them to keep it up, and can greatly improve their local SEO in the search engine.

But a negative review is just as important, if not more so. It highlights areas where a business needs to improve its customer experience. Thoughtful, constructive feedback gives a business owner a chance to fix a problem, improve their service, and show that they care about their customers, helping to keep customers happy.

So your review doesn’t just disappear into the internet. It helps other shoppers, it helps businesses grow and build online, and it makes the local search marketplace more transparent. It’s a key part of how reviews consumers use to make informed choices.

A Simple Walkthrough of How to Leave a Google Review

Okay, so you’re ready to share your experience. The good news is that leaving Google reviews is a simple process. Let’s break down exactly how you can do it from whatever device you happen to be using.

Leaving a Review from Your Computer (Desktop or Laptop)

Using your computer is probably the easiest way to write a detailed review because you have a full keyboard, which can make the review writing process easier. The steps are quick and easy to follow. You just need to have a Google account and be signed in; a Google account search is all you need to find yours if you forgot.

1. Search for the Business: First, open Google in your web browser. In the search bar, type the name of the business you want to review, plus the city if needed to narrow the search result.
2. Find the Review Section: On the search results page, you will see the business’s information panel on the right side. This is their Google Business Profile, sometimes called a Google Business listing. Scroll down a bit within this panel until you see the Google review summary and a button that says “Write a review”.
3. Click “Write a review”: After you business click this button, a new window will pop up. This is where you can share your feedback.
4. Give a Star Rating: At the top of the pop-up window, you’ll see five empty stars. Click on the number of stars you want to give the business, from one (poor) to five (excellent). This star rating is a quick visual cue for other users.
5. Write Your Feedback: This is your chance to explain your rating. In the text box, write about your experience. Try to be specific about what made it a positive experience or a negative one, as this gives other readers the most value.
6. Add Photos (Optional): If you have any relevant photos from your mobile device, you can add them. A picture of the amazing meal you ate or the faulty product you received can add a lot of power to your review. Just click the camera icon to upload them.
7. Post Your Review: Once you’re happy with your star rating and comments, just click the “Post” button. That’s it. After you click ‘post’, your review will be submitted for publication.

The whole process to leave a review takes just a couple of minutes. But the impact of that review can last for a very long time, influencing countless potential customers.

Leaving a Review from Your Phone (Mobile)

Leaving a review from your phone is just as simple, and it’s perfect for when you’ve just left a business and the experience is fresh in your mind. The easiest way is through the Google Maps app, which most people already have. Using the maps app makes the process easier.

1. Open Google Maps: Tap on the Google Maps app on your phone. If you don’t have it, you can download the Google Maps app from your phone’s app store.
2. Search for the Business: Use the search bar at the top of the screen to find the business you want to review. Just type in the name and let the local search feature find it for you.
3. Select the Business: Tap on the business’s name at the bottom of the screen to pull up their full business profile.
4. Go to the “Reviews” Tab: Scroll sideways along the menu options (like Overview, Updates, Photos) and tap on “Reviews”.
5. Rate and Review: You will see a section with five blank stars under your own Google profile name and profile picture. Tap the number of stars you’d like to give. After you tap the stars, the screen will expand to let you write your comments and add photos.
6. Share Your Experience: Write your review in the text box. Again, try to be detailed and honest about what happened during your visit.
7. Click Post: When you’re finished, tap the “Post” button in the top right corner. Your feedback to leave business is now on its way to being published.

Whether you’re on a computer or your phone, these simple steps let you successfully leave Google reviews. It’s a quick way to share your customer experience with the world.

What Makes a Review Genuinely Helpful?

You know the simple steps to leave Google review, but what makes one stand out from another? It’s all about being helpful. A review that just says “It was good” or “Don’t go here” doesn’t give other readers much to go on.

To write Google review that is useful, focus on the specifics of your experience. Instead of saying the service was great, explain why. Did a particular employee go above and beyond to help you? Mentioning details provides context that helps other potential customers make a decision.

The same applies to negative reviews. Rather than just saying the food was bad, describe what was wrong with it. Was it cold? Did it taste off? This provides constructive feedback the business can use to improve, rather than just being a complaint.

Honesty is everything. Don’t exaggerate your experience, either positively or negatively. Just stick to the facts of what happened. A balanced and fair business review is always more credible to other readers and provides better social proof.

Keep your tone respectful, even if you had a terrible experience. A review filled with anger and all-caps writing can sometimes be dismissed by others as a rant. A calm, factual account of what went wrong is far more powerful and more likely to be taken seriously by both the business and potential customers.

Lastly, proofread what you wrote before you post. A review with a lot of typos or grammar mistakes can be hard to read and might undermine your credibility. A quick check before you hit post can make your feedback clearer and more effective for everyone.

Can You Leave an Anonymous Google Review?

This is a common question, especially for those wanting to leave a negative review. People sometimes want to leave honest feedback without attaching their real name to it. So, can you write an anonymous Google review?

The short answer is no; a truly anonymous review is not possible on the platform. To leave reviews, you must be logged into a Google account. Your review will be posted under the name and profile picture associated with that Google account, which is also used for services like Gmail.

This policy from Google helps add credibility and accountability to the system, discouraging fake reviews. But you do have some control over what name is displayed if you are concerned about privacy. You are not required to use your real, full name for your Google account. You could change your Google profile name to something more general, like your first name and last initial, or even a nickname.

However, be aware that changing your Google account name will change it across all Google services you use, like Gmail and YouTube. This change will affect how you appear on all platforms, not just for anonymous Google reviews. The best approach is usually to stand by your honest feedback, as it carries more weight when it’s clear who it is coming from.

What Happens After You Click ‘Post’?

You’ve written your masterpiece and hit the “Post” button. What’s next? Your review doesn’t always show up instantly. There’s a process that happens behind the scenes.

First, your review is submitted to Google’s automated systems, which monitor reviews for spam and policy violations. These systems check for things like fake reviews, offensive content, or off-topic comments. The goal is to keep the platform helpful and trustworthy.

Most of the time, if your review is straightforward and follows the rules, it will be published very quickly, sometimes within seconds. But if the system flags something, it may take longer to appear as it could be held for a human to look at it. This is why sometimes your review might be delayed or even removed by Google if it violates a policy.

If your review doesn’t show up after a few days, it might have broken a rule without you realizing it. It’s a good idea to re-read your review and Google’s policy page. Reviews containing links, personal information, or content from other social media sites like a Facebook social post are often taken down.

Editing or Deleting Your Google Review

What if you change your mind? Maybe the business reached out, fixed the problem, and you want to update your feedback to reflect that they made you one of their satisfied customers. Or perhaps you made a typo you want to fix. Google makes it easy to edit or delete a review you’ve already posted.

To find your past reviews, open Google Maps. Tap on the “Contribute” tab at the bottom of the screen, and then tap “View your profile”. Here you will see a list of all the online reviews you have written.

Find the review you want to change. Next to it, you’ll see three vertical dots. Tap those dots, and you’ll get a menu with options to either “Edit review” or “Delete review”. This is how you can delete Google review you no longer stand by.

If you choose to edit, the original review window will pop up, and you can change the star rating, text, or photos. If you choose to delete Google, it will be permanently removed. To remove review completely, just confirm your choice. This is a great feature that lets your review evolve if the situation with the business changes over time.

Conclusion

Learning how do I leave a Google review gives you a direct way to support good businesses and give important feedback to ones that need to improve. Your voice has a real impact on your community, local search results, and the decisions other people make. When potential customers see your honest feedback, it helps them choose where to spend their money.

The process to leave a Google review is quick and simple, so the next time you have an experience worth sharing, you know exactly what to do. Whether you’re sharing a positive experience or offering constructive feedback after a negative one, your review contributes to a more transparent marketplace. So go ahead and let your voice be heard on a Google Business Profile today. As an SEO and digital marketing agency we push our clients to make sure they ask customers for reviews.