How do I get reviews for a financial adviser practice?

Reviews are the highest-leverage conversion asset a financial adviser has, because they show up in Google Search, Google Maps, paid-ad assets and Meta ad social proof, and they affect click-through rate on the search result itself. Firms with 50-plus Google reviews averaging 4.8-plus outperform equivalent firms without review volume by 25 to 40 per cent on booked discovery-call conversion.

The system that works is proactive, documented and timed. Ask every onboarded client for a review at the first quarterly or annual review, not immediately post-advice, because the client needs enough time to experience the outcome. Use a written ask that makes the pathway trivial: a direct Google review link (via the Place ID shortlink), a two-line suggestion of what to write, and an offer of help if the client prefers to give feedback another way. Follow up once if no response within two weeks.

Under FCA financial promotions rules, a testimonial is a financial promotion and must be fair, clear and not misleading. Client reviews that mention specific performance, returns or outcomes must either be balanced with risk warnings or declined for use. Reviews about service quality, clarity, responsiveness and professionalism are straightforward.

Do not buy or incentivise reviews. Google detects and removes them, and the FCA treats any incentivised review of regulated advice as a potential misleading promotion.

Beyond Google, cultivate reviews on VouchedFor (regulated-specific), Unbiased, Trustpilot for the broader firm, and LinkedIn recommendations for individual advisers. Feed these back into landing pages, paid-ad assets and email signatures.

Expect a realistic cadence of three to eight new Google reviews per month from a well-run practice with 150 to 400 active clients.

See the guide on building trust before the first meeting and the glossary entry on social proof.