Reviews help prospective clients understand how a company works: whether it honours agreements, explains terms and resolves problems. They also give the business feedback it can use to improve its service.
A reliable process starts with asking people to share their real experience. There is no need to pursue a prescribed rating or turn the company's response into an argument with the reviewer.
Check that you are requesting a review for the right company or branch. The name, contacts and service information should help the client recognise the business they dealt with.
Assign someone to manage new reviews and arrange cover for their absence. Google requires a verified Business Profile to reply on behalf of the company. Guidance on managing reviews.
If the profile is not yet ready, start with the guide to local SEO for service businesses. Requesting reviews will not fix incorrect contacts or confusion between branches.
Choose a point when the client can already assess the experience: after receiving an order, completing a service or reaching an agreed project stage. Asking before delivering the service will not produce meaningful feedback.
Apply the same rule to clients in comparable situations. Do not send a Google link only to people who gave a high rating in an internal survey while directing dissatisfied clients exclusively to a private form.
Google prohibits rewards for posting, changing or removing a review, as well as selectively requesting positive reviews. You must not demand a particular rating, pressure a client or ask for prescribed content. Google Maps policies.
Do not write the review for the client or ask employees to pose as customers. The author should describe their own real experience independently.
You can obtain a direct review link and QR code from the Business Profile. A link can go in a message after the work is completed; a QR code can be placed where it is useful to the client. Google's instructions for a review link and QR code.
Check the link on a phone: it should lead to the right profile. Do not create an intermediate survey that releases the link only after a positive answer.
Neutral request template:
“Thank you for choosing our company. If you have a moment, please share your experience of working with us on Google. Your review will help other clients make a decision: [review link].”
Replace the placeholder with the actual link from the profile. Do not add a request for five stars, a discount promise or instructions to include specific words.
For an international audience, send the message in the language you use with the client. Keep the meaning of the request consistent across versions.
Briefly thank the author and, where appropriate, respond to a specific point they mentioned. Do not turn the reply into a list of services and search keywords.
Reply template:
“Thank you for sharing your experience. We are glad that [the aspect mentioned by the client] was useful to you. Thank you for your trust.”
Remove the bracketed section if the review contains no details. Do not add project information the author has not disclosed. The reply should sound natural rather than identical beneath every review.
First check the circumstances within the company. Then give a calm public response: show that you have read the message, identify the next step and offer a safe channel for discussing the details.
Do not publish the client's phone number, order number, correspondence or other personal information. Google recommends protecting privacy, avoiding personal attacks and moving the discussion to private communication when necessary. Guidance on replying.
Reply template before establishing the facts:
“Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We would like to look into your concern. Please contact us through [official contact channel] so we can check the details and suggest the next steps.”
Adapt this text to the specific complaint. If an error is confirmed, acknowledge it and explain the solution available. Do not promise a refund, replacement or deadline the company cannot deliver.
If the author cannot be found in your records, that does not prove the review is fabricated: they may have used a different name or interacted with the company without making a purchase.
Report a policy violation rather than simply a low rating. Google does not remove a review just because the company disagrees with it. How to report inappropriate reviews.
Assess more than the average rating. Look at recurring concerns, how quickly the team responds and whether the identified problems are being resolved. Do not attribute every new enquiry to reviews without data on its source.
Work on the profile and reviews can form part of SEO and organic visibility development. When discussing an SEO commercial proposal, agree on the responsibilities of the team and provider. A provider can help organise the process, but order facts and service decisions must come from the business.