How do you get your Google review link?
Sign in to your Google Business Profile and look for the option to ask for reviews or share review form. Google gives you a short link that opens the review box directly. Use that link everywhere — on receipts, in follow-up emails, in a QR code at the counter — so customers don’t have to search for you first.
When is the best time to ask for a review?
Ask when the customer has just experienced the result, while it’s fresh:
- Service businesses — right after the job is finished and the customer has seen the work, or the same day by text or email.
- Online stores — a few days after delivery, once the product has been used, not the moment the order is placed.
- Clinics and professional services — after the appointment or when the matter is closed, keeping privacy in mind.
One reminder is reasonable. Repeated chasing is not.
What should a review request say?
Keep it short, personal and neutral. Ask for honest feedback rather than a five-star review:
“Thanks for choosing us, Sam. If you have a minute, we’d really appreciate an honest review on Google — it helps other people find us. [link]”
Name the person who did the work if you can; customers respond to people more than to brands. Keep the link in the first lines of the message, and make sure it works on a phone.
What’s allowed and what isn’t?
Allowed
- Asking every customer for an honest review
- Sending one polite reminder
- Sharing your review link on receipts, emails and signs
- Replying to every review, good or bad
- Reporting reviews that break Google’s policies
Not allowed
- Paying for reviews or offering discounts, gifts or entries in exchange
- Asking only customers you expect to be happy (review gating)
- Writing reviews yourself, or asking staff and family to
- Buying reviews from any service
- Reviewing competitors or pressuring people to change reviews
What happens if you break the rules?
Google’s policies ban fake engagement, incentivized reviews and review gating. Google can remove reviews, restrict your profile from receiving new ones, or show a warning on your listing. In the United States, the FTC’s rule on fake reviews and testimonials also makes buying or faking reviews a legal risk, and other countries have similar consumer-protection rules. Beyond the penalties, customers increasingly spot fake-looking reviews — a burst of identical five-star posts does more harm than good.
How should you respond to negative reviews?
Reply calmly, promptly and publicly — your reply is written for future customers as much as for the reviewer.
- Thank them and acknowledge the problem without arguing.
- Don’t share private details about the customer or their order.
- Offer a way to sort it out offline: a name and a phone number or email.
- If you fix it, the customer may choose to update their review — don’t ask them to remove it as a condition.
Only report a review when it genuinely breaks Google’s policies — spam, conflicts of interest, offensive content — not just because it’s negative.
How do you build a steady flow of reviews?
- Get the link — From your Google Business Profile.
- Pick the moment — Right after the job or after delivery.
- Automate the ask — An email or text from your booking or store system.
- Train the team — A friendly in-person ask, every time.
- Reply to all — Good and bad, within a few days.
Questions we get asked
Can I offer a discount for leaving a review?
No. Google’s policies prohibit incentives for reviews, even for honest ones, and consumer-protection rules in many countries say the same.
Can I ask only my happiest customers?
No. Filtering who gets asked based on whether you expect a positive review is called review gating, and Google’s policies don’t allow it. Ask everyone.
Can I delete bad Google reviews?
You can’t delete them yourself. You can report a review that breaks Google’s policies, and you can reply publicly. Genuine negative reviews stay.
Is it okay to send review requests by text?
Yes, if the customer has agreed to receive texts from you and you follow the SMS rules for your country, including a way to opt out.
Something else on your mind? Ask us directly →
