The simplest way to get more Google reviews is to ask every happy customer, at the right moment, with a direct link that takes them straight to the review box. Google gives you that link and a QR code free from your Business Profile. Reply to every review, show the best ones on your website, and never offer anything in return, because incentivised and fake reviews break both Google’s rules and UK consumer law.
Below, we explain how to set up your review link, when and how to ask, how to reply, and where the legal lines are.
TL;DR
- Create your review link or QR code from your Google Business Profile, then put it on receipts, emails, invoices and your counter.
- Ask straight after a job goes well, in person if you can, and follow up with the link the same day.
- Reply to every review, good and bad, politely and briefly.
- Don’t offer discounts or freebies for reviews, don’t ask only happy customers, and don’t write reviews yourself. Since April 2025 the CMA can fine firms directly for fake review practices.
- Show genuine reviews on your website, without hiding the less flattering ones.
Table of Contents
- Why Google reviews matter for a small business
- Set up your review link and QR code
- When and how to ask for a review
- Replying to reviews, good and bad
- What is not allowed
- Showing your reviews on your website
- Our view: steady beats sudden
- Getting started
- FAQ
- Sources
Why Google reviews matter for a small business
When someone searches “plumber Kettering” or “nail salon Northampton”, the first thing they often see is a map with three or four businesses, each with a star rating and a review count. Before they visit a single website, they’ve already started judging you.
Reviews do three jobs at once:
- They give new customers a reason to trust you before they’ve met you.
- They tell people what you actually do well, in other people’s words.
- They show you’re active. A business with a review from last week feels very different from one whose latest review is from 2021.
Google itself says that a mix of positive and negative feedback often seems more trustworthy than a wall of perfect scores. So the aim isn’t a flawless 5.0. It’s a steady flow of honest reviews from real customers.
Reviews are one part of being found locally. If you want the wider picture, our local SEO quick wins guide covers the rest.
Set up your review link and QR code
Most customers are happy to leave a review. What stops them is the faff of finding your profile, scrolling to the right button and working out where to type. A direct link removes all of that.
How to get your link
Google’s own help page sets out the steps for creating a review link or QR code:
- Sign in and open your Business Profile.
- Select Read reviews, then the share option labelled Get more reviews.
- Copy the link, or save the QR code image.
One catch: Google says the QR code can only be generated from a desktop browser, not a phone. So do this one at your computer.
Also worth knowing: customers need to be signed in to a Google Account to leave a review. Google points out that someone without a Gmail address can still create an account using another email, so it’s not a dead end for Hotmail or Outlook users.
Where to put it
Once you have the link, put it everywhere a customer already looks after buying from you.
| Place | Link or QR code? | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Invoice or receipt | Both | Trades, cleaners, consultants |
| Thank-you email or text | Link | Anyone who takes bookings online |
| WhatsApp follow-up | Link | Sole traders who chat with customers |
| Counter card or till sign | QR code | Salons, cafés, shops |
| Back of a business card | QR code | Face-to-face services |
| Van window sticker | QR code | Mobile trades and valeters |
A digital business card is a neat way to carry your review link around, because the customer can tap through to your reviews, your website and your contact details from one place. We explain how that works in our post on the QR code business card.
When and how to ask for a review
Timing matters more than wording. Ask while the good feeling is fresh.
The right moment
- A Kettering plumber: when the boiler fires up and the customer says “brilliant, thank you”.
- A Rushden window cleaner: in the text that confirms the job is done, with a photo of the sparkling conservatory.
- A Northampton salon: at the till, when the client is admiring their hair in the mirror.
- A bookkeeper: the day after the tax return is filed and the client can breathe again.
Asking in person first, then sending the link the same day, works far better than an automated email three weeks later.
What to say
Keep it short and human. Something like:
“Thanks again, Sarah. If you’ve got a minute, a Google review really helps a small business like mine. Here’s the link, it goes straight to the box: [link].”
That’s it. You’re asking for an honest review, not a five-star one, and that difference matters (more on that below).
Make it a habit
The businesses with lots of reviews rarely did a big push. They just asked every customer, every time. Add the link to your email signature and your standard “job done” message so you don’t have to remember. If you take bookings through your website, the confirmation email is a natural place for it too.
Replying to reviews, good and bad
Google advises replying to reviews, and future customers read your replies as closely as the reviews themselves.
Positive reviews
Google suggests keeping replies polite and short, avoiding generic thank-yous, and not using replies to push offers. Mention something specific from their review: “Glad the new patio is getting plenty of use, Dave. Enjoy the summer.”
Negative reviews
This is where people panic. Take a breath and follow Google’s own guidance:
- Don’t share private information or make it personal.
- Apologise where it’s fair to, and admit genuine mistakes.
- Don’t accept blame for things outside your control. Explain calmly what you can and can’t do.
- Move the detail to a phone call or email.
- Reply promptly, use their name, and sign off with yours.
A calm, fair reply to a one-star review can win you more work than the review loses you. People can see who is being reasonable.
If a review breaks Google’s content policies (it’s abusive, for example, or clearly not from a customer), you can flag it for Google to look at. You can’t have a review removed just because you disagree with it.
What is not allowed
This is the bit many small businesses get wrong without realising. There are two sets of rules: Google’s policies, and UK law.
Google’s rules
Google’s prohibited content policy for Maps treats these as fake engagement:
- Offering incentives, such as payment, discounts or free goods or services, in exchange for a review, or for changing or removing a negative one.
- Discouraging negative reviews, or selectively asking only happy customers.
- Asking staff to collect a set number of reviews, or reviews with specific content.
- Pressuring customers to leave a review while they’re still on the premises.
- Reviews from people with a conflict of interest, such as current or former employees.
So “10% off your next visit if you leave us a review” is out. So is a prize draw for reviewers. So is asking your mum.
UK law: the DMCC Act 2024
The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 added fake review practices to the list of banned commercial practices. According to a summary from law firm CMS, the rules came into force on 6 April 2025 and ban:
- Writing, or paying someone else to write, a fake review, including one that hides the fact it was incentivised.
- Publishing reviews in a misleading way, such as hiding unfavourable reviews and showing only favourable ones.
- Offering services that commission or facilitate fake reviews.
The Competition and Markets Authority published its fake reviews guidance (CMA208) for businesses that publish reviews or information about them. That includes testimonials on your own website, not just Google.
The stakes are real. When the CMA secured changes from Google in January 2025, it noted that the new law lets it fine firms up to 10% of their global turnover for breaking consumer law, without going to court first. As part of the same agreement, Google agreed to put warning alerts on profiles of businesses found boosting their ratings with fake reviews, and to switch off their ability to receive new reviews.
A warning label on your Google profile would do far more damage than a few honest three-star reviews ever could. This is general information, not legal advice. If you’re unsure about a specific scheme, check the CMA guidance or speak to a solicitor.
Showing your reviews on your website
Your Google reviews are doing their best work on Google. But plenty of visitors arrive at your website from a social post, a leaflet or a word-of-mouth recommendation, and never see your profile. Bring the proof to them.
- Quote real reviews with the customer’s first name and town, near your call to action.
- Link to your Google profile so visitors can read the full list for themselves.
- Use a live feed if you want new reviews to appear automatically.
- Keep it honest. Don’t edit the wording, and don’t pretend to have reviews you don’t have. The CMA’s rules on misleading presentation apply here too.
We go into layout, placement and wording in our guide to testimonials on your website, and reviews are one of the biggest signals covered in what makes a website feel trustworthy.
Our view: steady beats sudden
We’ve worked with a lot of local businesses, from car valeters to cleaners to consultants, and the pattern is always the same. The ones with strong review profiles didn’t run a campaign. They asked every customer, made it easy, and replied to everything.
We’d rather see a business with 40 honest reviews built up over two years than one that jumps from 5 to 60 in a month. Customers notice that kind of jump, and it invites the wrong kind of attention. The new UK rules have made the shortcuts genuinely risky, and they were never worth it anyway.
Our honest advice: print the QR code, add the link to your invoices and your “job done” text, and set a reminder to reply to new reviews once a week. That’s ten minutes of work, and it keeps paying back for years.
— Mark Jones
Getting started
If you’d like help with this, our Local Visibility service looks after your Google Business Profile, citations and local listings for £59.99 a month + VAT, with no setup fee and on a monthly rolling basis. We can set up your review link and QR code as part of it.
If you want us to look at how your website shows off your reviews, ask for a free, no-obligation website review. You can also see how one local client takes bookings straight from their website in our Ruby’s Car Valeting case study.
FAQ
How do I get a direct link for Google reviews?
Sign in to your Google Business Profile, choose Read reviews, then Get more reviews. Google lets you copy the link or save a QR code. The QR code option only works from a desktop browser.
Can I offer a discount for a Google review?
No. Google’s policy says offering payment, discounts or free goods or services for a review is not allowed. Under UK law, hiding the fact that a review was incentivised is also a banned practice.
Is it illegal to buy Google reviews in the UK?
Buying or commissioning fake reviews is a banned practice under the DMCC Act 2024, and the CMA can fine firms up to 10% of global turnover for breaking consumer law. Google can also deactivate reviews on your profile and display a warning.
Should I reply to every Google review?
Yes, if you can. Google recommends replying to reviews, including honest and balanced ones. Keep replies short and specific, and take any detailed complaint offline.
Can I only ask happy customers for reviews?
No. Google’s policy specifically bans selectively asking for positive reviews. Ask every customer and let them say what they genuinely think.
Sources
- Create a Google link or QR code to request reviews (Google Business Profile Help)
- Tips to get more Google reviews (Google Business Profile Help)
- Prohibited and restricted content (Google Maps User Contributed Content Policy)
- Fake reviews guidance, CMA208 (Competition and Markets Authority, GOV.UK)
- CMA secures important changes from Google to tackle fake reviews (GOV.UK)
- No more faux five-stars: the DMCC Act bans fake reviews (CMS)
