You get more Google reviews by asking every customer once, politely, after the work is done, with a link that opens the review window in one click. Don't offer discounts or gifts, and don't ask only the happy ones, because Google prohibits both. A common reason for few reviews is simply that nobody asks.
A good dentist, tradesperson or hairdresser usually has satisfied customers. Those customers don't write a review on their own. They get home, put the phone down and forget about you. The reviews that do appear often come from angry people and a few enthusiasts someone asked. If nobody asks, your Google profile gives a random picture of your business.
What does Google allow, and what not?
The rules are shorter than you'd expect. Google's Maps user-contributed content policy prohibits businesses from offering incentives for reviews, such as payment, discounts, or free goods or services. It also prohibits a business from "discourage or prohibit negative reviews, or selectively solicit positive reviews".
In practice:
| What you do | Allowed? |
|---|---|
| Politely ask every customer for a review after the job | Yes |
| Send a link that opens the review window | Yes |
| Offer a discount, a coffee or a gift for a review | No, that is an incentive |
| Send the request only to customers you think are happy | No, that is selectively soliciting positive reviews |
| Ask a customer to send bad feedback to you instead | Careful. If it amounts to discouraging a review, it is prohibited |
| Reply to reviews, including bad ones | Yes, and worth doing |
Policies change, so read the original page once a year.
When and how should you ask?
The moment matters more than the wording. Ask when the customer has seen the result: after the repair, after the delivery, after the visit. Not earlier, and not three weeks later.
A short message is enough. For example:
Hello, Mrs Novak. Thank you for visiting us. If you have a minute, it would help us a lot if you wrote how it went: [link]. Thank you and kind regards, Luka
What works:
- One request, one reminder. If the customer doesn't respond within a few days, send one short reminder. Not a third.
- A link that opens the review window. Every extra step (searching for your business, logging in) loses some customers. You'll find the review link in your Google Business Profile.
- A name and a human tone. A person signs the message, not "the team".
- The same rule for everyone. Every customer gets the request after the work is done, whatever you feel about them.
How should you reply to a bad review?
The reply is public. People who didn't write the review read it too, and the tone tells them what kind of business you are. Reply within a day, calmly, without excuses. Thank them, admit what is true, and offer a conversation by phone or email. Don't ask the customer to delete the review.
Can you send review requests by SMS or email automatically?
Answer this before you automate, not after. According to an opinion of the Slovenian Information Commissioner (30 Sept 2024), Article 226 of the ZEKom-2 act allows email for direct marketing only with the subscriber's or user's prior consent, and the AKOS agency supervises that article. Whether a review request counts as direct marketing is a judgement call, and this is not legal advice. If in doubt, ask your lawyer.
A safe route is simple:
- send the request personally, right when the work ends, while you are already in contact with the customer about the order,
- where messages go out through a system, use it only for customers who agreed to receive them, and give every message a clear way to opt out.
How to start today
- Open your Google Business Profile and copy the review link.
- Write one short message and save it as a template.
- Fix the trigger: "every customer after the work is done".
- For two weeks, count how many requests you sent and how many reviews came in.
- Reply to every new review, including the ones you don't like.
How fast to answer an enquiry, long before a review ever happens, is covered in Speed to lead: what the research says. What can be automated without losing the personal tone is in What is AI automation, and the overview of solutions is on the homepage.
Frequently asked questions
Can I offer a discount for a Google review?
No. Google's policy on user-contributed content prohibits businesses from offering incentives for reviews, such as payment, discounts, or free goods or services. You can ask a customer politely, but you cannot reward the review.
When is the right moment to ask a customer for a review?
Right after the customer has seen the result and is satisfied: after the job is done, the delivery arrives or the problem is solved. They still remember the experience, and you need no special campaign, just one short message.
Can I ask only my happy customers for a review?
No. Google's policy forbids businesses from discouraging or prohibiting negative reviews, and from selectively soliciting positive ones. Send the request to every customer by the same rule, whatever you think they felt about the work.
Sources
Luka Tomič · Founder of Alra
Luka builds AI systems for Slovenian businesses that want to get more done with the same team. He writes about what he sees with clients: where time gets lost and how to get it back.