Quick answer
Ask every customer at the moment they are happiest, and make reviewing take one tap. A direct review link on an NFC card or QR stand at the counter removes the search step that stops most customers.
12 tips that work
- Ask in person at billing or after the service — a polite, specific request works best.
- Use a direct review link so customers land on the review box, not the map.
- Keep an NFC + QR stand at the counter and table tents on tables.
- Train staff to hand over the card with one line: “Would you mind leaving us a quick Google review?”
- Add the link to WhatsApp messages, invoices and thank-you notes.
- Reply to every review, good or bad, within a few days.
- Ask regularly, not in bursts — steady new reviews look natural and help rankings.
- Make it easy on every phone: QR for older phones, NFC for one-tap.
- Track what works — compare scans by location and by QR vs NFC.
- Share private feedback options with everyone, alongside the Google link.
- Never offer discounts or gifts for reviews — Google prohibits incentivised reviews.
- Never filter unhappy customers away — “review gating” breaks Google policy.
What Google does not allow
Paying for reviews, rewarding customers for reviews, posting reviews yourself or by staff, and asking only happy customers. These can lead to review removal or profile restrictions.
Why reviews matter
More recent, genuine reviews improve how often you appear in Google Maps and the local pack, and they persuade more searchers to choose you.