For companies in the debt collection industry, online reputation carries even more weight than the standard business. Consumers already associate collections with stress, and clients want to partner with reputable, consumer-friendly agencies. That’s where Google Reviews become a powerful, often underutilized asset—especially when woven into your debt collection marketing and search engine optimization strategy.

The Power of Google Reviews

Whether you’re working with consumers or clients, Google Reviews offer a low-cost, high-impact way to build trust. In an industry that’s constantly balancing compliance, empathy, and performance, a strong Google Review presence can help shift the narrative. 

All debt collection organizations should start with a Google Business Profile. 

A verified, optimized Google Business Profile with positive reviews can turn a potentially negative perception into a positive one—and it’s visible 24/7 to anyone who searches for your company.

That’s critical, because local SEO rankings are directly influenced by the number and quality of your reviews. When your business consistently earns 4- and 5-star ratings and engages with feedback, Google recognizes your credibility and is more likely to rank your business higher in local search results.

How to Optimize Your Google Business Profile

If you’re looking at your business profile and it’s being marred by poor reviews, the first step is to simply take ownership—literally. 

Verifying your Google Business Profile may be tedious, but it’s worth the effort. Complete every detail for each of your office locations, including hours, phone number, and address. This builds trust with users and boosts visibility in search results. When combined with a marketing strategy for your website, this offers invaluable SEO collaboration with published articles. 

Bonus tip: You can use tools like ElfSite or All-in-One Reviews to pull in reviews across multiple locations and display them on your website. Some even allow you to filter by 5-star reviews with comments, giving your site an added layer of credibility.

Make It a Habit to Ask for Reviews

The next step is to collect reviews. 

Collecting reviews shouldn’t be reserved for exceptional experiences—it should be part of your routine. In fact, you should aim to ask for a review on every consumer call that ends with a payment-in-full or a secured plan. Likewise, build review requests into your client onboarding process—especially during the “honeymoon phase” when clients are most excited about your service.

Here’s an example of naturally transitioning into a review request:

With consumers:

“I’m really glad I was able to help you today. While I have you on the phone, can I ask a quick favor? We’ve found a lot of people check out our Google Reviews online. If I email you a link, do you think you could leave us a five-star review and share your thoughts on how the call went today?”

With clients:

“I think things are really working out well for you guys. We’ve found many businesses check out our Google Reviews online. If I send you the link, would you mind leaving a five-star review about your experience working with us?”

The key is to secure buy-in first with a simple “yes” before dropping the request. And yes—it’s okay to incentivize internally. Some agencies offer $10 per five-star review to employees, helping encourage consistency and participation.

Track, Manage, and Improve

Step three is a bit more straightforward: Once you’ve got a process in place, tracking who’s asking and who’s not is essential. Use your CRM to log review requests—especially for clients. That way, if there’s turnover on their end, you can revisit asking with a new contact without repeating yourself.

Here’s a real-world example from a Branding Arc client: 

By September 2024, one agency had asked for reviews around 800 times and received 287 client reviews—a 35% conversion rate. On the consumer side, collectors were bringing in about 25 reviews a month until they started tracking who was making requests. Once they did, monthly reviews jumped to 60.

The Reality About Business Responses

Google rewards businesses that respond quickly to reviews—and not just the good ones. According to recent data, 76% of consumers say they’d be willing to change a negative review after a thoughtful company response. It’s also the second most common reason a consumer leaves a review: their bad experience turned into a good one.

Make your replies count. Instead of a generic “Thanks for the 5 stars,” add SEO-friendly context: “Thanks Kayla! It’s always great to be helping another veterinary hospital with debt collection needs.”

For negative reviews, keep it vague but empathetic: “We’re sorry to hear about your experience. We’ve opened a case with our compliance department to review your situation. Please contact us at 833-227-4606—we’d be happy to help you resolve the issue.”

This not only demonstrates accountability but also supports your search engine optimization by keeping your business active and engaged in Google’s eyes.

Make Reviewing Easy

This penultimate step isn’t optional either if you’re working on becoming a more rounded SEO-focused organization: Don’t leave reviews up to chance. Email a direct review link for all consumers and clients outlined above, set up a subdomain like reviews.yourcompany.com, and provide clear instructions. The easier it is, the more likely people are to follow through.

Learn From the Feedback

And lately, not every negative review is a troll. In fact, many are a roadmap to a better consumer experience. Read every review with the intent to improve—and act on those insights. 

We often consider negative reviews, especially for debt collection, to be either someone upset they owe money or someone messing with your company’s reputation. Oftentimes, it’s someone just left behind. One scathing comment might reveal a broken process, a misunderstanding, or a training gap. Addressing those issues pays dividends in both reputation and retention.

Also keep this in mind: 100 one-star reviews will take 100 five-star reviews to reach just a 3-star average. Time is of the essence. Don’t wait to start.

Start Today

When done right, review generation becomes more than a tactic—it becomes a culture. One that fuels your reputation, your relationships, and your results. If your organization is looking for help, or wants to talk through the processes outlined above, reach out to our team via our website. 

About Branding Arc

Branding Arc is the only full-service marketing and public relations agency dedicated to the receivables management sector of the financial services industry. We manage the websites, search engine optimization, and online reputations of over 100 receivables firms across all disciplines, including debt buyers, collection agencies, law firms, creditors, and their service providers. Our team works directly with clients to develop detailed custom marketing plans to improve their reputations, help recruit staff, find clients, and establish a strong online presence.