Google Review Management: How to Get More Reviews and Handle Bad Ones

Get your review link and QR code from Google

In your Business Profile, go to “Read reviews” and then “Get more reviews” to copy your review link or download a QR code. Google notes that review QR codes can only be generated on a computer browser, not on mobile devices.

Google suggests putting the link on your receipts, in thank-you emails, at the end of a chat conversation, and on a printed QR code in your store. It also mentions sending requests by email, WhatsApp message, or Facebook post.

If you work at the customer’s home or job site, you don’t have a counter to put a QR sign on. Use the things every customer already gets from you: the final invoice and the follow-up email. One more detail worth knowing: customers must be signed into a Google Account to leave a review, and they can create one with a non-Gmail email address.

Ask everyone, at the same point in your process

Pick one moment that happens for every customer: the job is finished, the order is delivered, the appointment is over. Ask at that moment, every time. That’s how you avoid “selectively” asking, and it keeps reviews coming in steadily instead of in bursts.

It also lines up with both sets of rules. Google bans selective asking. The FTC’s Q&A says its insider-review section exempts “generalized solicitations to purchasers,” which is exactly what asking everyone is.

To choose your moment, I’d run three tests. Does it happen for every customer, including the ones who seemed unhappy? Does it come after the work is done, so the review can reflect a genuine experience, which is what Google’s policy requires? And is it something you’ll still do on your busiest day? If a moment fails any of the three, pick a different one.

Asking works. In BrightLocal’s 2026 survey, 78% of consumers were asked to leave feedback for a business, and 83% of the people who were asked went on to leave a review. And 28% said they’ll “always” write a review if asked.

Make it easy, then get out of the way

Google’s policy gives you the standard to test your ask against. Merchants may “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.” Read your ask back against that sentence.

A clean ask has four parts: it includes the direct link, it offers nothing in return, it gives no hint about the rating, and it doesn’t tell the customer what to write. Google says merchants shouldn’t “request that specific content be included,” and the FTC’s own example of an ask that implies a positive review is “Tell us how much you loved your visit to John’s Steakhouse and get a $5 coupon.” If a word in your ask points toward a happy review, cut it.

Two more limits. Google says merchants shouldn’t “require or pressure users to leave ratings or write reviews while on the premises.” And don’t hand your staff a review quota: Google lists “Merchants requesting that staff solicit a certain number of reviews” as a prohibited practice, along with asking for reviews that name a staff member.

I’m not giving you a script here on purpose. Write the ask the way you’d say it out loud to a customer. It’ll sound like you, and that matters more than perfect wording.

First, decide which kind of bad review it is

Read it twice before you do anything. A negative review is one of two things: a real customer describing a real bad experience, or a review that breaks Google’s rules. Google says plainly that it allows “content that describes negative experiences in a respectful manner.” Those reviews stay up, and your reply is your only move.

If it’s a real complaint, reply and fix it

Google’s guidance for negative reviews: acknowledge any mistakes, but “don’t take responsibility for things outside your control.” Never share the reviewer’s private information. For anything complicated, invite them to contact you by phone or email and sort it out there.

Fixing it can change the review. Google notes that constructive replies and follow-up “may even encourage the customer to update their review,” and the FTC’s Q&A confirms the rule doesn’t stop you from contacting customers who post negative reviews to resolve the problem. What you can’t do is offer a refund or discount in exchange for removing or changing the review. Google’s policy bans incentives for the “removal of a negative review,” and the FTC says offering such incentives could violate the FTC Act.

If it breaks Google’s rules, report it

You can report any review, but “only those that violate Google policies are eligible for removal.” Google also says: “Do not report a review just because you disagree with it or dislike it.”

Reviews that can be removed include fake reviews, reviews from someone with a conflict of interest (including competitors), harassment, hate speech, personal information, and off-topic content. Review evaluation typically takes several days, and you can follow each report in Google’s Reviews Management Tool. If Google decides a review doesn’t break the rules and you disagree, you get a one-time appeal, and you can include up to 10 reviews in it.

If someone demands money to remove reviews

Google has a page for this exact scam: a sudden wave of 1-star and 2-star reviews, followed by someone demanding money, goods or services to remove them. Google’s instruction is “Do not engage with or pay the malicious individuals.” Report it through Google’s extortion report form with screenshots and links to the reviews.