Plenty of happy customers will leave a review if you ask. Almost none will if you don’t. That’s the whole gap between the business down the road with 240 reviews and yours with 19, and it’s nothing to do with how good the work is.
The fix is a system: ask everyone, at the right moment, with a link that works, and do it the same way every time. Below is how we set that up for clients, plus the rules that trip people up, because a few common “tricks” breach both Google’s policies and Australian consumer law.
Get your link first
Before you ask anyone, get a direct link to your review form. Without one, you’re asking customers to search for you, find the right profile, scroll to the reviews and find the button. Most give up.
On a computer, go to business.google.com, open your profile, choose Read reviews, then Get more reviews. Copy the link and download the QR code. Google’s help page notes that the QR code can currently only be generated on a computer, not on a phone.
Save the link somewhere everyone in the business can grab it: a saved reply on your phone, your invoicing software, your email signature. If your profile isn’t set up properly yet, start with our Google Business Profile setup guide.
When to ask
Ask when the customer is happiest, which is usually just after the result, not just after the payment.
- Trades: when you’re packing up and they’re looking at the finished job, or the same evening by text. Our article on Google reviews for tradies goes deeper on this.
- Cafes, restaurants, retail: at the counter, with a QR code on a small sign, or on the receipt.
- Professional services: when you deliver the thing they hired you for (the finished plans, the tax return lodged, the website live).
- Accommodation and tours: within a day of checkout, while it’s still fresh.
- Health practitioners: Google is fine with it, but AHPRA has its own rules about testimonials and reviews. See Google reviews for health practitioners before you start.
Then follow up once, a few days later, if they haven’t left one. Once. A second reminder starts to feel like pestering.
What to say
Short, personal and specific beats a template that sounds like a template. These are versions we’ve seen work well.
By text, after a job:
Hi Sarah, thanks for having us out today. If you’re happy with the new hot water system, would you mind leaving us a quick Google review? It helps other locals find us. [link] Cheers, Dave
By email, after a project:
Thanks again for working with us on the new site. If you’ve got two minutes, a Google review would mean a lot to a small business like ours. Here’s the direct link: [link]. And if anything wasn’t right, reply to this email and tell me, so I can fix it.
In person:
If you’ve been happy with everything, we’d really appreciate a Google review. There’s a QR code on the counter, it takes about a minute.
Notice what these don’t do. They don’t ask for five stars. They don’t tell people what to write. And the email doesn’t send unhappy people somewhere else instead of Google. It invites them to tell you directly as well, but the review link goes to everyone.
What breaks the rules
This is where good intentions go wrong. Google’s prohibited and restricted content policy and the ACCC are both clear on the main points.
No incentives. Google doesn’t allow offering payment, discounts, free goods or services in exchange for reviews. That includes “leave a review and go in the draw”, “10% off your next visit for a review” and a free coffee for showing the barista your review. The ACCC’s position is that incentives risk misleading consumers unless they’re offered regardless of whether the review is positive or negative and are clearly disclosed, but on Google the simpler rule wins: just don’t.
No review gating. Google prohibits discouraging negative reviews or selectively asking for positive ones. That covers the common software trick of sending customers a “How did we do?” survey and only showing the Google link to people who click four or five stars. It also covers only asking the customers you know are happy. Ask everyone.
No staff quotas or scripted reviews. As of 2026, Google’s policy also prohibits businesses asking staff to collect a set number of reviews, or to request reviews with specific content. That includes asking customers to mention a staff member by name, which has been a popular tactic in hospitality and real estate. Reward your team for good service, not for review counts.
No fake or conflicted reviews. Reviews from yourself, staff, former staff or family are a conflict of interest under Google’s policy. Under Australian Consumer Law, the ACCC says it’s illegal to write fake reviews or arrange for others to write them, and reviews from people connected to the business shouldn’t hide that connection. Buying reviews, swapping reviews with other businesses, and using an agency that “generates” reviews all fall in the same bucket.
No suppressing genuine negatives. The ACCC’s guidance on online reviews also says businesses shouldn’t suppress or remove genuine negative reviews. Its case studies include penalties for businesses that got this wrong, among them a $2.9 million penalty against HealthEngine.
Google does remove reviews that break its policies, sometimes in bulk, and can restrict a profile that’s been gaming them. This is general information rather than legal advice. If you’ve already run an incentive or a gated survey, stop it now, and get advice if you’re worried about what’s already been posted.
Reply to every review
Replying shows future customers that a real person is paying attention. It doesn’t need to be long.
A good review:
Thanks Sarah, it was a pleasure. Enjoy the hot showers, and give us a call if you need anything.
Use their name, mention the job if you can, and keep it human. Don’t paste the same “Thank you for your kind words!” under 50 reviews.
A bad review:
Hi Mark, I’m sorry the job ran late and that we didn’t call to let you know. That’s not how we want to work. I’d like to sort it out, so please call me directly on 0400 000 000. Dave
Acknowledge the specific problem, don’t argue in public, and take it offline. Future customers read negative reviews to see how you handle them, and a calm, decent reply often does more for you than another five stars.
A review you think is fake: Report it through your Business Profile as breaking policy (for example, as spam or a conflict of interest), and reply briefly and neutrally in the meantime: “We can’t find any record of working with you, but please get in touch so we can look into it.” Don’t accuse anyone publicly.
Make it automatic
The businesses with hundreds of reviews have taken the decision out of it. Pick one or two of these and make them part of how the job finishes:
- The review link in your invoice or “job complete” email.
- A text sent automatically after the job is marked done in your job management software.
- A QR code sign at the counter, on the table or on the back of business cards.
- A “Leave us a review” button on your website’s contact or thank-you page.
On the website side, a thank-you page after a booking or enquiry form is a natural spot for the link, and it’s a quick addition when our web design team builds or updates a site.
This week
Get your link. Write one message in your own words. Send it to your last ten customers, all of them, and to every customer from now on. Reply to every review that comes in, good or bad. In a couple of months you’ll have a profile that looks like a busy, trusted business, because it is one.
Reviews are one part of local visibility. Once the asking runs on its own, our local SEO work covers the rest of the map pack picture. Not sure whether a review request you’re using crosses a line? Ask us a question.