You Can Buy Ads, But You Can’t Buy Customers: Why “Trust” Needs To Be Your Goal

Sure, running ads can feel like the one part of marketing that makes total sense. You set your budget, your business pops up in front of people, and you can watch those clicks roll in.

But here’s the issue…someone clicking on your ad still hasn’t decided to choose you.

Fact is, they’re probably going to check you out first. They’ll look you up on Google Maps, scroll through your Facebook page, and read what other people wrote about you, and no ad budget can change what they find there!

The short answer

Ads can put your business in front of people, but customers usually check reviews and other platforms before they decide. Trust comes from what they find when they do, so the goal is a steady flow of real reviews in the places your customers actually look.

Where do customers go to check you out?

Probably more places than you’d think! In a 2026 survey of US consumers, the average person used six different review sites when choosing a business. Google was still the top pick at 71%, with Facebook and AI tools like ChatGPT right up there among the most used as well.

Now, that survey is from the US, so the exact mix of platforms is going to look a bit different here in Thailand. But the customer habit itself is pretty easy to picture.

Say somebody is looking for a dental clinic in Thonglor. They see your ad and like how it sounds, so they search your business name on Google to read a few reviews. If that looks good, they might go to your Facebook page to see if you’re active, or ask in a LINE group if anyone has been. And only then do they book.

The same survey found that 66% of consumers do more research after reading a positive review, while 34% are ready to buy or book right then. So even a great review usually isn’t the last step.

Can a bad rating on one platform undo a good one on another?

Yes, it can! Nobody has an exact number for how often this happens, but think about how the whole thing looks from your customer’s perspective.

Picture a restaurant off Sukhumvit sitting on a 4.7 score on Google from a couple hundred reviews. Someone likes what they see and decides to look a little more. Then they find the restaurant’s old Tripadvisor page that the owner forgot was there, showing three stars from a handful of reviews, with the latest one dating back to 2022.

Would that customer automatically assume the restaurant is terrible? Probably not! But now they’re feeling a bit less confident, and there are plenty of other restaurants down that exact same soi.

Star ratings matter quite a bit here. In that same survey, 68% of consumers mentioned they’ll only use a business with four stars or more, which went up from 55% the previous year.

And those secondary platforms don’t always stay hidden on their own sites either. Google notes that in some cases, Business Profiles may show customer reviews from other local review sites, which means a profile you completely forgot about might still show up right in front of your customers.

Thankfully, this isn’t too hard to sort out. Find the pages that exist, claim what you can, reply to the reviews sitting there, and start encouraging new feedback on whichever profile is falling behind.

What is “reputation authority”, and does Google actually measure it?

You might’ve seen this term online. It generally refers to the idea that consistent positive feedback across multiple websites builds trust with search engines. It sounds very official, but you won’t find it anywhere in Google’s local ranking guidance.

Google does say that local results are mainly based on relevance, distance and popularity. Further down the same page it calls that last one prominence, and describes it as how well-known a business is, based on things like “how many websites link to your business and how many reviews you have.” It also says more reviews and positive ratings can help your local ranking.

So yes, whatever the rest of the web says about your business certainly counts for something! But Google also says it does its best to keep its algorithm details “confidential”, so nobody outside Google can give you an exact weighting for a Facebook recommendation or directory entry. If anyone quotes an “authority score” to you, feel free to ask where it came from.

Should you show your Google reviews on your website?

It’s worth doing! The survey I mentioned earlier also found that more than half of consumers go to a business’s website after reading positive reviews. So if someone lands on your site, they’re probably still deciding, and a few good reviews in the right spot can help them make up their mind.

Pick two or three recent reviews that mention something specific, and put them right next to your booking or contact button, not tucked away on a separate testimonials page. The same rules from our guide on choosing a good review and asking permission apply here too! Just know that this won’t get you star ratings in Google’s search results. Google’s rules say pages that show reviews of the business itself, including embedded Google or Facebook review widgets, aren’t eligible for them.

How do you collect reviews in-store without being pushy?

You can do this using a QR code on a table tent, which is a small folded card sitting on the table. Google even suggests printing and displaying a review QR code inside your shop, as well as printing it onto customer receipts.

But be careful how you use it, because this is where it’s easy to break the rules without realizing!

Google’s policy doesn’t allow businesses to “selectively solicit positive reviews”, and says they shouldn’t “require or pressure users to leave ratings or write reviews while on the premises”. Its help page also says “review stations located at your place of business” are against its review policies, and that reviews collected that way might be removed. So a card someone can scan on their own phone, whenever they feel like it, is fine. A tablet at the counter asking them to rate you before they leave is NOT!

Here’s a simple way to set it up:

Make one QR code for each location. Google only lets you create these on a computer, and Toffy’s guide walks you through the clicks.
Print it on a small card with neutral wording, like “Tell us how we did.” Leave out any mention of five stars!
Place these where every customer can spot them: on your tables, right beside the payment counter, and printed on receipts. That way every customer sees the exact same prompt, so you’re never selectively asking only certain people.
Give your team one casual line to use, like “There’s a QR code on the table if you’d ever like to leave us a review.” Then leave it at that, without hovering over customers or offering anything in exchange.
Once a month, count your new reviews on each platform. If a specific site is falling behind, add its link to your receipts or thank-you messages. And remember to reply to what comes in, because the next customer is reading those too.

Does this mean I should stop running ads?

Not at all! If your ads are bringing people in, keep them running. They’ll get you noticed, and your reviews will help people feel okay about choosing you. Trust us, you’ll want both!

And if you’re on several platforms, or you run more than one branch, keeping track of all this by hand gets tiring quickly. That’s where a review management tool comes in, since it pulls your reviews from Google, Facebook, Tripadvisor and more into one inbox.

For now, try this. Search for your business on your phone exactly as a customer would, and make a list of every profile that shows reviews, its star rating, and when the last review was posted. If there’s a profile you wouldn’t want a customer to see, start there!