The essentials
- The principle: ask every customer, at the right moment, with a direct link, and make it easy.
- Expected result: 10 to 30% of the customers asked leave a review when the request is well made; under 2% spontaneously.
- Quality: a detailed review (the service, the place, what they liked) weighs more than a rating alone, for Google as for readers.
- Forbidden: rewards, filtering customers, fake reviews, collection kiosks in store.
The Google reviews don't come on their own: fewer than 2% of customers leave one spontaneously, and they are often the unhappy ones. A business that organises the request gets 10 to 30% of responses, mostly positive, and a steady flow that feeds its local pack ranking and reassures its prospects. This method describes how to obtain reviews that are numerous and detailed, within Google's rules and the law.
Step 1: prepare the link and the medium
- The direct link : from your Google Business Profilelisting, "Ask for reviews" supplies a short URL that opens the rating form directly. That is the link to circulate, not a search for your name.
- The QR code : generated from the link, printed on the invoice, the receipt, a card on the counter, the shop window, the vehicle.
- A "reviews" page on the site with the link, for customers who prefer to go there themselves.
Step 2: choose the moment
| Business | Best moment | Timescale |
|---|---|---|
| Tradesperson, home services | At the end of the job, when handing over the invoice | On the spot then a reminder at 24 h |
| Restaurant, retail | At payment, or in the thank-you message | Immediately or that evening |
| Health, wellbeing | After the session, by SMS | 2 to 24 h |
| E-commerce | After delivery is confirmed | 3 to 7 days |
| B2B, a long engagement | At project close, after the review meeting | Within the week |
The worst moment is "later": a customer asked three weeks on has forgotten the details and the inclination.
Step 3: write the message
A good message is short, personal, explains why the review matters, and steers towards a detailed review without dictating it. An SMS example:
"Hello Mrs Martin, thank you for trusting us with your bathroom renovation. Your review really helps people find us in Rennes: if you have two minutes, you can leave one here [link]. Do say which work we did and what you liked. Have a good day, Julien, Dupont Plumbing."
By email, the same content with a button, and possibly a photo of the finished job. Asking in person, by whoever served the customer, followed by the SMS, is the most effective combination.
Step 4: automate
Regularity rarely holds without automation. Three levels:
- Your business software : many till, booking, invoicing and CRM tools send a review request message after the transaction. Check that option before any other tool.
- An email automation (Brevo, Mailchimp) triggered by adding the customer to a list.
- A dedicated tool for review management, useful for a network of locations; see tools for monitoring reviews.
Send a single reminder, a week later, if no review has been left. No more than that.
Step 5: get detailed reviews
A "Very good" review counts towards the rating; a review saying "Julien redid our bathroom in Rennes in a week, tidy site, quote respected" counts towards the rating, towards relevance on queries ("bathroom Rennes") and towards convincing readers. Three levers: the guiding sentence in your message ("do say which service and what you liked"), the spoken question ("what pleased you most?") that primes the customer, and the detailed response you will write, which shows future authors what is appreciated. Photos added by customers strengthen the review further.
The rules to respect
| Practice | Verdict |
|---|---|
| Asking every customer, several times a year for repeat customers | Allowed |
| Making it easy with a link, a QR code, a reminder | Allowed |
| Offering a discount, a gift or a prize draw entry in exchange for a review | Forbidden by Google |
| Only asking satisfied customers ("gating") through a prior survey that filters | Forbidden by Google |
| Installing a collection kiosk or tablet in store | Forbidden by Google (grouped reviews from the same IP address) |
| Writing reviews, buying them, having employees write them | Illegal in France, and detected by Google |
Measuring and maintaining
Track each month the number of reviews received, the response rate (reviews / requests sent), the average rating and your local pack position. A response rate under 5% signals a message or a moment to revisit. Respond to every review within 48 h, using the method described in responding effectively to reviews ; that is also what encourages the next ones. Reviews are the first of the local SEO KPIs.
How GreenRed helps
Rather than juggling several tools, GreenRed's Google Business Profile module brings these metrics together in a single dashboard, compares them over time and tells you which actions come first. You can try it free, with no card, from the Pricing.
Frequently asked questions
How do you get the direct link for leaving a Google review?
From your Google Business Profile listing (searching your business name on Google, signed in to the managing account), click "Ask for reviews": Google supplies a short URL that opens the rating form directly. You can turn it into a QR code for printed materials.
How many customers leave a review when asked?
Between 10 and 30% depending on the sector and the quality of the request, against under 2% spontaneously. Asking in person followed by an SMS with the direct link, sent the same day, gives the best rates. A single reminder a week later adds a few points.
Can you offer something in exchange for a Google review?
No. Google forbids any consideration (a discount, a gift, a prize draw) and French law penalises reviews obtained misleadingly. You may thank someone afterwards, without having promised it. Reviews detected as incentivised can be deleted and the listing suspended.
How do you get more detailed reviews?
Simply ask for it in your message ("do say which service and what you liked"), put the question in person before sending the link, and respond in detail to the reviews you receive: subsequent customers align with what they read. Reviews with photos are particularly useful.