How to get more Google reviews (and get customers to actually leave them)

Why don't customers leave reviews on their own?

Many satisfied customers never think to leave a review, because nothing prompts them to. Without an ask, the people most likely to post are the ones with a strong reaction, good or bad. The fix is not a cleverer pitch. It is a simple, consistent ask that reaches every customer, at a good moment, with a link that removes the effort of finding your profile.

Everything below comes back to removing friction: who you ask, when, and how many steps it takes.

Rule one: ask every customer, the same way

Google's Maps content policy prohibits merchants from discouraging negative reviews or "selectively" soliciting positive ones. That means you cannot only hand the review card to the customer who was all smiles. Ask everyone. This practice of filtering is known as review gating, and it is the most common way well-meaning businesses break the rules.

The same policy also lists:

• No incentives. No discounts, freebies, raffle entries or payment in exchange for a review. Google's help page on requesting reviews calls this fake engagement, which is strictly prohibited.
• No staff quotas. Google lists merchants requesting that staff solicit a certain number of reviews as rating manipulation. Encourage the habit, but don't set a number or run a contest.
• No scripts for content. Don't ask customers to mention specific words or services.

Asking every customer equally is not just safer. It also produces a more believable profile, and a few honest 4-star reviews make your 5-star ones more credible.

How to get your Google review link

A direct link opens the review form on your Business Profile, so the customer does not have to search for you, find the right listing and scroll for the button. Google's current steps, from Create a Google link or QR code to request reviews:

1. Go to your Business Profile (search your business name on Google while signed in to the account that manages it).
2. Select Read reviews, then Get more reviews.
3. Select Copy to copy the link, or right-click the QR code and choose "Save image as..." to download it.

Google notes that review QR codes can currently only be generated on a computer browser, not on mobile. Button labels do change over time, so if yours looks different, look for the option near your reviews that mentions getting or asking for reviews.

One more thing to know: customers must be signed in to a Google Account to leave a review. Google notes they can create one with a non-Gmail address. Customers who hit a sign-in screen sometimes give up, which is one more reason to follow up.

When is the best time to ask for a review?

Ask while the experience is fresh: the same day, or within a day or two. Waiting a week means the customer has moved on and details have faded. The right moment depends on the business, so match it to when the customer has actually experienced the result.

How to ask customers for reviews: scripts that work

Keep it short, personal and easy to say no to. Here are three you can use as written.

In person (at checkout or job completion)

"Thanks for coming in today. We're a small business and Google reviews really help people find us. I'll send you a link by email, it takes about a minute. Honest feedback is welcome either way."

Email

Subject: How did we do today?

Hi Sam, thanks for choosing us for your furnace repair. Would you take a minute to share how it went? [Review link] Your feedback helps neighbors find a good HVAC company and tells us what to improve. Thanks, Dana

Follow-up (a few days later, only if they have not reviewed)

Hi Sam, just a quick reminder in case the last email got buried. If you have a minute, we'd appreciate your honest review: [Review link]. Thanks again.

More wording options are in review request email templates and the broader guide on how to ask for reviews.

How to get more reviews on Google: follow-ups, staff and signage

Follow up, but stop at two. One reminder catches people who meant to and forgot. A second catches a few more. Beyond that you are annoying people, and they will unsubscribe. Stop as soon as someone leaves a review.

Make it a staff habit, not a target. Train everyone who finishes a job or rings up a sale to mention it the same way every time. A one-line script on the counter helps. Don't tie pay or contests to review counts, since Google prohibits review quotas for staff.

Use signage where people wait. Google itself suggests putting the link or QR code on receipts, in thank-you emails, at the end of a chat and on a printed QR code in your store. Good spots: the checkout counter, waiting room, table tents, the back of a business card, and the invoice for service businesses.

Think beyond Google where it fits. Many customers already use Facebook, Tripadvisor, Healthgrades or industry sites. See the review sites you can send customers to. One exception: Yelp's own guidelines tell businesses not to ask anyone to review them, so don't include Yelp in review requests.

Reply to the reviews you get. Google says replying shows that you value their feedback. Our guide on responding to Google reviews, linked in the related posts below, has templates.

Automating the ask

The tactics above work. The hard part is doing them for every customer, every week, when you are busy. That is the job of automated review request software. ReviewUsToday, for example, emails each customer a one-tap rating request from your business's name, sends up to two reminders (by default after 3 and 7 days) to people who have not rated, and stops when they rate or unsubscribe. You can import customers from a CSV export from tools like Square, Housecall Pro or Jobber.

Happy ratings go to your review sites. Customers who rate 1 to 3 stars see a private feedback form that emails you right away, and they still see the public review links, so everyone can post publicly. Whatever you use, the principle is the same: ask everyone, make it one tap, and follow up once or twice.

Frequently asked questions