How to ask for Google reviews (scripts and templates that work)

Most businesses lose reviews at the ask. Either nobody says anything, or the ask is so awkward that staff quietly stop doing it. The fix is a short, boring, repeatable line — plus a link that lands the customer on your review page in one move. Below are ready-to-use scripts for in person, SMS and email, written to stay inside Google's rules.

What does Google actually allow?

Worth reading before you copy anything. Google's contributed content policy permits you to "Solicit or encourage the posting of content that does represent a genuine experience, without offering incentives to do so or attempting to influence the rating or the contents of the review." The same policy states that "Merchants should not require or pressure users to leave ratings or write reviews while on the premises, nor should they request that specific content be included."

Google also prohibits offering "payment, discounts, free goods and/or services - in exchange for posting any review or revision or removal of a negative review." And on the mechanics, Google's Business Profile help is explicit: "To leave reviews, you can ask customers to visit a Google link or scan a QR code."

Sources: Google contributed content policy and Google Business Profile review help.

So the rules for every script below are the same: invite, don't pressure. No stars mentioned. No staff names requested. No incentive. Sent to everyone, not just the customers you expect to be happy.

What should I say when I ask for a review?

Short beats polished. One sentence, said while you hand something over or close out the visit. Pick one and use it every time so it becomes automatic.

• The standard ask: "If you have a minute, a Google review really helps us. You can tap here, or I can text you the link."
• The low-key ask: "We're a small business, so reviews matter a lot to us. No pressure at all — the link's right here whenever you have a moment."
• The handoff ask (works when you're busy): "Thanks for coming in. If you want to leave us a Google review, just tap your phone here on your way out."

Notice what's missing: no "five stars," no "mention me by name," no "it would really mean a lot if you could say how fast we were." Those cross from inviting into influencing the content, which the policy prohibits.

Text message templates

SMS gets read. Keep it under two lines, identify yourself, and put the link at the end. Replace [LINK] with your direct Google review link.

• Template 1 — plain: "Hi [Name], thanks for visiting [Business] today. If you have a minute, you can leave us a Google review here: [LINK]"
• Template 2 — after a completed job: "Hi [Name], [Business] here — your [service] is all done. Reviews help other people find us, so if you'd like to leave one: [LINK]"
• Template 3 — very short: "Thanks for choosing [Business]. Leave a Google review here if you'd like: [LINK] — reply STOP to opt out."

Add an opt-out to any automated or bulk texting. It's good practice in Canada and the US, and it keeps you on the right side of your messaging provider.

Email templates

Email works well when the job finished away from the customer, or when you want a paper trail with the link in it.

Template 1 — short. Subject: "A quick favour from [Business]"

"Hi [Name], thanks for choosing [Business]. If you have a minute, you can leave us a Google review here: [LINK]. It genuinely helps people find us. Thanks either way. — [Business]"

Template 2 — slightly warmer. Subject: "Thanks for visiting [Business]"

"Hi [Name], it was good to have you in on [day]. We're a small team and most of our new customers come from people finding us on Google, so a review — whatever you thought — makes a real difference. If you'd like to leave one, here's the link: [LINK]. If anything wasn't right, just reply to this email and we'll sort it out. Thanks, [Your name], [Business]"

The follow-up: one reminder, easy to ignore

Send it two to four days later, once, and then stop. A second reminder starts to feel like pressure, and pressure is exactly what the policy warns against.

• Follow-up template: "Hi [Name], just bumping the review link in case it's useful: [LINK]. No worries at all if you'd rather not — this is the last we'll mention it. Thanks, [Business]"

Templates for specific business types

• Restaurant or café: "Glad you enjoyed it. If you have a second, you can leave us a Google review by tapping here — it helps a lot." Bring the device to the table with the bill rather than pointing at a sign.
• Salon or barber: "Thanks [Name], see you next time. Reviews are how new clients find us, so if you'd like to leave one, just tap here at the desk."
• Trades and home services: "All finished — here's the warranty info. I'll also text you a Google review link, in case you want to leave one once you've had a chance to use it."
• Clinic or professional services: "If you're comfortable leaving a Google review about your experience with the practice, the link is on this card. Completely optional." Keep it about the practice, never about a specific patient outcome.

When is the best time to ask?

Ask when the customer is visibly satisfied and the experience is still fresh — the meal is finished, the haircut is done and they like it, the repair is working. Wait a day and both the enthusiasm and the memory fade.

But give people room. Google's wording is that merchants should not "require or pressure users to leave ratings or write reviews while on the premises." In practice that means: make the ask, then move on. Don't stand there watching them type, don't hand them your own phone with the form open, don't hold up the transaction until they've posted something. Offer the link and let them act on their own time.

Remove the friction between the ask and the review page

A willing customer and a good script still lose to a bad path. Every step between "sure" and the review form drops people: "search for us on Google, scroll, tap reviews, sign in" is four chances to give up. Google itself points to a link or a QR code as the way to do this.

• A direct review link in your text or email, so there's nothing to search for.
• A QR code on the receipt, table tent or invoice — good for print and remote asks.
• A tap device at the counter or in a pocket. The customer holds their own phone near it and the review page opens. That's what our counter stand and wallet card do — nothing clever, they just remove the searching. You can see the full range in the shop, or read how the tap works.

Whichever you use, the same link goes to everyone. That's the part that keeps you compliant.

Mistakes that cost you reviews (or get them removed)

• Offering an incentive. A free coffee, a discount, a draw entry. Google prohibits payment, discounts or free goods in exchange for a review, and it applies to positive reviews too.
• Gating. Surveying customers first and only sending the happy ones to Google is prohibited. Send the same link to everyone.
• Scripting the content. Asking for five stars, for a staff member's name, or for a specific detail to be mentioned is "requesting that specific content be included."
• Making staff chase reviews. Quotas turn a polite invitation into pressure at the counter, which is exactly what the policy calls out.
• Bulk-blasting old customers. A sudden pile of reviews from visits nobody remembers looks unnatural and gets filtered. Steady beats spiky.

The takeaway

Pick one in-person line, one text, one email and one follow-up. Say the same thing every time, to every customer, with a link that takes one move to open. That's the whole system — and it's the version that keeps working, because nothing in it depends on bending a rule. For the wider playbook, see how to get more Google reviews.