How to Get Customers to Leave Reviews on Google (A Complete Guide)
Google reviews directly influence whether customers choose your business over a competitor. The problem isn't that customers don't want to leave reviews. It's that they forget, or don't know how. Here are 7 proven methods to fix that.
In this guide
- 1. Why Google Reviews Matter More Than Ever
- 2. How to Get Your Google Business Review Link
- 3. How to Ask Customers for a Google Review
- 4. How to Send Your Google Review Link via WhatsApp
- 5. Google Review Email Templates That Work
- 6. Create a QR Code for Google Reviews
- 7. Run an Automated Google Review Campaign
1. Why Google Reviews Matter More Than Ever
If you want to know how to get customers to leave reviews on Google, you first need to understand why it matters. Google reviews are the single biggest factor in local search rankings outside of your Google Business Profile itself. More reviews = higher ranking in Google Maps = more customers finding you.
But it goes beyond SEO. 88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. A business with 50 reviews and a 4.7 rating will always beat a business with 3 reviews and a 5.0 rating. Volume and recency matter just as much as the star count.
The impact of Google reviews on local businesses:
88%
Trust reviews like referrals
5x
More clicks with 4.5+ stars
#1
Local SEO ranking factor
The goal isn't just to improve Google reviews once. It's to build a system that consistently generates new reviews every week. That's what separates businesses that dominate local search from those that stagnate.
2. How to Get Your Google Business Review Link
Before you can ask for reviews, you need your Google review link: the direct URL that takes customers straight to the review form. This is the foundation of everything. Without it, you're asking customers to search for your business, find the review section, and figure out how to leave a review. Most won't bother.
Here's how to get your Google My Business review link:
Go to Google Business Profile Manager
Sign in at business.google.com and select your business.
Click "Ask for reviews"
In your dashboard, find the "Get more reviews" card or go to Home > Ask for reviews.
Copy your review link
Google generates a short link you can share anywhere. It looks like: g.page/r/YourBusiness/review
Alternative: use a Google review link generator. If you can't find the link in your dashboard, search for your business on Google Maps, copy the Place ID, and build the link manually:
https://search.google.com/local/writereview?placeid=YOUR_PLACE_IDOnce you have your Google review link for your business, save it somewhere accessible. You'll be using it across every method below: WhatsApp messages, emails, QR codes, and more.
3. How to Ask Customers for a Google Review
Most customers are happy to leave a review. They just need to be asked. The key to how to ask for a Google review is timing, simplicity, and a personal touch. Here's what works:
Ask right after a positive experience
The best time to ask customers for a Google review is within 2-24 hours of their visit. They still remember the experience, and the positive emotion is fresh. Waiting a week drops response rates by 80%.
Make it one tap, not five steps
Never say "find us on Google and leave a review." Always include the direct Google review link. The fewer steps between your ask and the review form, the more reviews you'll get.
Personalise the request
"Hi Sarah, thank you for visiting Bloom Beauty today!" converts far better than "Dear valued customer." Use their name and reference what they bought or the service they received.
Don't offer incentives
Google's guidelines prohibit incentivised reviews (discounts, freebies in exchange for reviews). Your account can be penalised. A genuine, well-timed ask is all you need.
The businesses that consistently get reviews aren't doing anything fancy. They're just asking every single customer, every single time. The trick is making that automatic so it happens without anyone on your team remembering to do it.
4. How to Send Your Google Review Link via WhatsApp
WhatsApp is the most effective channel to send a Google review link because of one stat: 98% open rate. Compare that to email (21%) or SMS (45%). When you send customers your Google review link via WhatsApp, it actually gets seen and acted on.
Here's a proven WhatsApp message template for asking for reviews:
Hi Sarah, thank you for choosing Bloom Beauty Salon! We hope you had a great experience. Would you mind taking a moment to share your feedback? Your review helps other customers find us and helps us keep improving. g.page/r/bloom-beauty/review Thank you for your support!
Reply STOP to unsubscribe
Why WhatsApp beats email and SMS for review requests:
| Channel | Open Rate | Response Rate | Feels Personal? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 98% | 20-30% | Yes | |
| SMS | 45% | 8-12% | Somewhat |
| 21% | 2-5% | No (often spam) |
With a tool like PingLocal's Google Review Campaigns, you can automate this entirely. Every customer gets a personalised WhatsApp message with your Google review link, sent automatically 2 hours after their visit. No manual effort required.
5. Google Review Email Templates That Work
While WhatsApp outperforms email for review requests, email still has a place, especially for businesses that already collect email addresses. Here's a Google review email template you can copy:
Ask for Google review template: Email
Subject: How was your visit, Sarah?
Hi Sarah,
Thank you for visiting Bloom Beauty Salon yesterday. We hope you loved your new hairstyle!
If you have a moment, we'd really appreciate a quick Google review. It helps other customers find us and means the world to our small team.
Leave a Review(links to your Google review page)
It only takes 30 seconds. Thank you for supporting a local business!
The Bloom Beauty Team
Tips for adding your Google review link to email:
- Add the review link to your email signature for passive collection
- Include it in post-purchase confirmation emails
- Use a button (not just a text link), as buttons get 28% more clicks
- Send within 24 hours of the customer's visit
- Keep the email short. Under 100 words performs best
That said, if you're choosing one channel, choose WhatsApp. Our data shows that sending a Google review link via WhatsApp generates 5x more reviews than the same request sent via email.
6. Create a QR Code for Google Reviews
QR codes turn your physical location into a review-generating machine. Create a QR code for Google reviews and place it where customers naturally see it: at the checkout counter, on receipts, on table tents, or on your business card.
How to create a Google review QR code:
Copy your Google review link
Use the link from Step 2 above.
Use a free QR code generator
Any Google review QR code generator works. QR Code Generator, QR Monkey, or Canva all have free options. Paste your review link and generate.
Print and place it
Add a small call-to-action above the code: "Loved your experience? Scan to leave a review!" Place at checkout, on tables, in waiting rooms, or on packaging.
Best places to display your Google review QR code:
Checkout counter
Customers are happy right after paying
Receipts & invoices
They're already looking at the paper
Table tents / menus
Works while they wait (restaurants, salons)
Business cards
Passive review collection at networking events
Product packaging
E-commerce businesses catch the unboxing moment
Follow-up flyers
Hand out after a service appointment
QR codes work best as a complement to an automated system, not a replacement. They catch in-person customers who are already at your location, but they won't reach the customers who left without scanning. For those, you need an automated follow-up, which is where WhatsApp comes in.
7. Run an Automated Google Review Campaign
Every method above works, but they all share one weakness: they require someone on your team to remember to do it. That's where an automated Google review campaign, always running in the background, changes the game.
A review campaign is a sequence of messages that automatically goes out to every customer after their visit. Here's the flow that works best:
2 hours after visit
Send personalised review request via WhatsApp with direct Google review link
3 days later
If no review, send a gentle follow-up reminder
7 days later
Final soft reminder for non-responders (optional)
This is exactly what Google review software like PingLocal does. You set up the campaign once, and it runs on autopilot. Every customer who visits your business gets the right message at the right time, automatically.
What PingLocal's Google Review Campaign includes:
- Automatic WhatsApp messages sent after every customer visit
- Pre-built review request templates (Meta-approved and ready to send)
- Your Google review link embedded directly in the message
- Smart follow-up reminders for customers who haven't reviewed yet
- Real-time tracking: see how many reviews each campaign generates
- Personalisation with customer name, service type, and location
Real result:
A Cape Town salon using PingLocal's automated Google review campaign went from 12 Google reviews to 67 in just 6 weeks, without any manual effort from their team. The reviews boosted their Google Maps ranking from page 2 to the top 3 in their area.
If you're serious about improving your Google reviews, automation isn't optional. It's the only way to get consistent results without creating extra work for your staff.
Putting It All Together
Getting customers to leave reviews on Google comes down to three things: ask at the right time, make it easy with a direct link, and automate so it happens consistently. Here's your action plan:
Get your Google Business review link and save it
Create a QR code and place it at your checkout counter
Add the review link to your email signature and confirmation emails
Set up an automated WhatsApp review campaign with PingLocal
Let the automation run. Monitor and adjust timing as needed
The businesses dominating Google Maps aren't necessarily better at their craft. They're better at asking for reviews. With the right system in place, you can be one of them.
Get 5x More Google Reviews on Autopilot
PingLocal sends automated WhatsApp review requests to every customer, with your Google review link, personalised and timed perfectly.
Get StartedPublished by the PingLocal Team