How to get more Google reviews (without breaking the rules)

The short answer

Most satisfied customers never leave a review because nobody asked, or because asking meant finding your listing, scrolling and tapping through several screens. Getting more Google reviews comes down to three things: ask everyone, ask at the right moment, and make it as close to one tap as possible. Then reply to the reviews you get, so future customers can see someone's listening.

Ask at the right moment

Timing matters more than wording. Ask while the good experience is fresh, but after the customer has actually experienced what they paid for.

• Salons, barbers and clinics: at the end of the appointment, or a few hours later the same day.
• Trades and home services: once the job is finished and the customer has had a chance to check it.
• Restaurants and cafés: at the table or till when they say how much they enjoyed it, followed by a link later.
• Online shops: a few days after delivery, once they've had time to use the product.

A spoken ask works well in person ("It would really help us if you left a quick Google review; I'll send you the link"), but always follow it with the link. Customers forget within minutes.

Make it easy with a direct link

Google lets you share a link that takes customers straight to the review form for your business. You'll find the option to share a review link in your Business Profile; check Google's current help if you can't see it. Once you have it, put it everywhere customers already are:

• In the message or email you send after a visit or delivery.
• As a QR code on a small card at the till, on receipts or on packaging.
• In your email signature and on your website's contact page.
• As a saved reply in WhatsApp, so you can send it in two taps.

What to say when you ask

Keep it short, personal and honest. You're asking for their opinion, not a five-star rating. A hypothetical example for a salon:

"Hi Sam, thanks for coming in today. If you have a minute, we'd really appreciate a quick Google review; it helps other people find us. Here's the link: [link]. Thanks!"

• Use their name and mention the visit, so it doesn't read like a mass mailing.
• Say why it matters to you: it helps other people find a small business.
• Don't tell them what to write or what rating to give.

Follow up once, then stop

People mean to leave a review and then get distracted. One polite follow-up a few days later is reasonable and often works. More than that starts to feel like pressure, and pressure is how you get a short, irritated review instead of a thoughtful one.

What not to do: Google's rules in general terms

Google's review policies exist to keep reviews genuine, and breaking them can get reviews removed or your profile restricted. In many countries fake or incentivised reviews can also break consumer protection law. The policies change, so check Google's current review policies, but these principles have been stable for a long time:

• Don't buy reviews, or pay anyone (including agencies) to post them.
• Don't offer discounts, freebies or prize draws in exchange for reviews.
• Don't gate reviews: asking customers how they felt first and only sending the Google link to the happy ones. Ask everyone, or no one.
• Don't write reviews of your own business, or ask staff, friends or family to post reviews as if they were customers.
• Don't review competitors, positively or negatively.
• Don't post several reviews from one device or location at a review station in your shop; reviews should come from customers on their own devices, in their own time.

The honest approach is also the most useful one. A mix of reviews, including the occasional critical one with a calm reply, reads as more believable to new customers than a wall of identical five-star ratings.

Make asking automatic

The hardest part isn't the wording; it's remembering to ask every customer, every time, when you're busy. That's the part worth automating. In Darvix AI, customers can be asked for a review by email or WhatsApp after a visit. The message links to a page that helps them write their review and sends them on to Google, Facebook, Trustpilot or the other review sites you use. Every customer gets the same request, so you're not choosing who to ask. See how it works on the reviews feature page.

Darvix AI sends the request; it doesn't post, edit or reply to reviews on Google. Replies stay with you, in your Business Profile.

The bottom line

Ask every customer, right after a good experience, with a direct link, and follow up once. Don't pay for reviews, reward them or filter who you ask. Then reply to what comes in: our guide on how to reply to Google reviews has example replies for positive, neutral and negative reviews.