How to Ask Customers for Google Reviews (With Templates)

Ask right after the customer has finished the experience, through the channel they already use with you, with one short message and one link. Send the same request to everyone eligible, never ask for five stars, and never attach a discount or gift. Follow up once at most, then reply to the reviews that come in.

Google itself encourages this. Its tips to get more reviews recommend reminding customers to leave reviews through a Google link or QR code, replying to reviews, and valuing all reviews, because a mix of positive and negative feedback often feels more trustworthy. What it forbids is covered later in this guide.

Every request in this guide relies on one direct link. Google's help article on creating a review link or QR code explains the steps: on a computer browser, go to your Business Profile, select Read reviews, then Get more reviews, and select Copy to copy the link. To save the QR code, right-click it and choose Save image as. Google notes that review QR codes can currently be generated only on a computer, not on a mobile device.

Customers need to be signed in to a Google Account to post a review, and Google notes they can create one with a non-Gmail email address. Keep that in mind for older customers or anyone who does not use Gmail: a short note such as "you may be asked to sign in to Google" avoids surprises.

Timing depends less on the calendar than on the customer journey. Ask when the customer has enough experience to say something useful and the memory is still fresh. As a rule of thumb:

• Shops, salons, and restaurants: shortly after the visit or purchase, often the same day.
• Home and field services: once the job is confirmed complete, not while the crew is still packing up.
• Hotels and rentals: at checkout or shortly after the stay.
• Professional services and B2B: after a meaningful milestone, such as a closed file or a delivered project.

We cover the reasoning for each sector in a separate guide on the best time to ask for a review, by industry, and for restaurants specifically in when to ask restaurant guests for a review.

Use the channel where the customer already hears from you. A dentist who confirms appointments by text should ask by text; an online store that sends order confirmations by email should ask by email. Google's help pages mention receipts, thank-you emails, the end of a chat, a printed QR code in your store, and requests by email, WhatsApp, or Facebook.

In person

A spoken ask at the counter or at the end of a job is personal and costs nothing. Keep it an invitation, not a task: Google's policy says merchants should not require or pressure customers to leave ratings or write reviews while on the premises. Hand over a card or point to a QR code instead of a tablet.

Text message (SMS)

Texts are read quickly and work well for appointments and services. Identify your business, keep it short, include one link, and offer a way to opt out. For wording details specific to texts, see our guide to writing a review request text message. Only text customers who agreed to hear from you, and follow the messaging rules that apply to your program.

Email

Email suits online orders, B2B, and longer customer relationships. It leaves room for a sentence of context and a clear subject line. Send it from an address the customer recognizes.

QR codes, receipts, and printed cards

A QR code on a receipt, a table tent, an invoice, or a leave-behind card lets customers review when it suits them. It produces fewer reviews than a direct message but needs no contact details.

Replace {Name}, {Business}, and {Link} with your details. Each template is neutral: it asks for honest feedback, offers nothing in exchange, and works whether the experience was great or not.

Google's Maps content policy and the FTC rule at 16 CFR Part 465 set the limits. These are the requests that cross them:

• Offering an incentive. Google prohibits offering payment, discounts, or free goods and services in exchange for posting a review, or for changing or removing a negative one. If the reward depends on the review being positive, section 465.4 of the FTC rule also applies.
• Review gating. Google does not allow merchants to selectively solicit positive reviews or to discourage negative ones. Sending a survey first and forwarding only happy customers to Google is selective solicitation.
• Asking only happy customers. Even without a survey, choosing who to ask based on how you think they feel is the same practice. Ask every eligible customer.
• Requesting a rating or specific content. Google says merchants should not request that specific content be included, including content that names a staff member.
• Pressuring customers on the premises. No tablets passed across the counter and no waiting until the customer posts.
• Staff quotas. Google lists asking staff to collect a certain number of reviews as a violation.
• Reviews from employees, relatives, or partners. Google removes conflict-of-interest reviews, and the FTC rule requires insiders to disclose their relationship (§465.5).
• Writing or posting reviews for customers. A review written by the business misrepresents the reviewer's experience, which §465.2 prohibits.

For the full legal picture, including penalties and profile restrictions, read is it legal to buy Google reviews?

A single reminder recovers customers who meant to respond but forgot. More than that starts to feel like pressure. A simple rule set keeps follow-ups respectful:

• Send one reminder, a few days after the first request, and say it is the last one.
• Skip the reminder for anyone who has already reviewed, replied, or opted out.
• Use the same channel and the same neutral wording as the first message.
• Never follow up only with customers you expect to be positive; the reminder rules are the same for everyone.
• Send at normal business hours, and pace requests in steady batches rather than one large blast, since Google flags unusual volumes or patterns of reviews.

Replying is part of asking: customers who see thoughtful replies know their feedback is read. According to Google's help page on managing customer reviews, you must verify your business before you can reply. Replies are checked against Google's content policies, usually within 10 minutes but sometimes up to 30 days, and the reviewer is notified when you reply.

Google's tips for replies are practical: be professional and polite, keep it short, make each reply specific rather than pasting the same thank-you, and stay conversational rather than promotional. For negative reviews, protect the reviewer's privacy, explain limitations honestly, apologize when appropriate, and invite the customer to continue the conversation by phone or email.

For ready-made wording, see our negative review response templates. If you believe a review violates Google's policies, flag it instead of arguing in public.