Blog · Google reviews
How to get more Google reviews in 2026: what is allowed, what is banned and message templates that work
Reviews are the strongest reason a customer picks you rather than the business next door. They are also one of the few map ranking factors you directly influence. This guide shows how to collect them steadily, without begging messages and without the risk of Google removing your profile.
By Boris Capić, founder of Digital MomentumPublished 8 min read
In short
- Most happy customers never leave a review because nobody asked or they do not know where. Fix both and the number grows on its own.
- Ask right after the job, in person, and with a direct link from your Google profile. Every extra click loses people.
- Not allowed: paying for or rewarding reviews, asking only happy customers, writing them yourself or through friends, and buying review packages.
- Reply to every review within two days. To a bad one: calmly, with facts and an offer to fix it.
- The goal is not hundreds of reviews but more than the top three businesses on the map in your town and at least one new review every month.
Why reviews matter to Google and to customers
Google publicly lists a business’s “prominence” among local ranking factors, and review count and rating are part of it. For customers reviews matter even more: before calling they check the rating, the number of reviews and a few of the latest. A business with 4.8 and forty reviews gets the call before one with 5.0 and three.
Reviews do a third job too: customers describe the service in their own words (“fixed our air conditioning in Tribunj fast”). Those words help Google understand what you do and where.
What is not allowed
Google’s policies and EU consumer protection rules ban fake and paid reviews. Google removes them, can restrict new reviews and can show customers a public warning on the profile.
- Rewards for reviews: a discount, gift, prize draw entry or free service.
- Selective asking: asking only happy customers, or “filtering” them first with a survey and sending only five-star ones to Google.
- Reviews from staff, family and friends who were not customers, and reviews you write yourself from other accounts.
- Bought review packages and the “agencies” selling them. Google detects them by patterns and removes them in waves.
- Pressuring a customer to change or delete a negative review in exchange for a refund.
You may ask every customer, remind them once and make leaving a review easy. That is all it takes.
How to get your review link and QR code
- Sign in to the Google account that manages the profile and search for your business name on Google, or open the Google Maps app.
- In the profile dashboard choose “Ask for reviews” (or “Read reviews”, then “Get more reviews”).
- Copy the short link. It opens the review form directly, without searching for the business.
- In the same menu download the QR code, or create one from the link. Put it on the counter, invoice, quote, business card and a vehicle sticker.
- Save the link on your phone as a ready message so you can send it in ten seconds.
When and how to ask: 6 steps
- Ask in person at the end of the job. “If you’re happy, a Google review would mean a lot to us.” A five-second sentence brings more reviews than any email.
- Send the link the same day by text, WhatsApp or email. Customers are happiest right away; in a week they forget.
- Ask everyone, not only those you expect to give five stars. It is the rule, and good practice: an occasional criticism adds credibility.
- Remind once, after three to five days, then stop.
- Make it easy for foreign guests: a message in English or German. A review in their language also helps, because other guests with the same language see it.
- Build a habit, not a campaign. Ten reviews in one week and then nothing for six months looks suspicious to Google and customers. Two to four every month is better.
Message templates
Short, personal and with the link. Replace the name and service.
Text or WhatsApp, same day
Dear Mr Horvat, thank you for choosing us for your air conditioning service today. If you’re happy, a Google review really helps others find us: [link]. Kind regards, Ivan
Email with the invoice
Thank you for your trust. If you have a minute, let others know how it went on Google: [link]. If anything was not right, just reply to this email and we will fix it.
Guests, in German
Vielen Dank für Ihren Aufenthalt. Wenn es Ihnen gefallen hat, hilft eine kurze Google-Bewertung anderen Gästen, uns zu finden: [Link]. Gute Reise!
How to reply to good and bad reviews
Future customers read the replies more than the reviewer does. Reply from the business profile, with your name, within two days.
| Review | How to reply | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Five stars | Thank them, mention the service and place in natural words, invite them back | The same copied reply to every review |
| Average | Thank them, admit what could be better, say what you changed | Excuses and explaining why the customer is wrong |
| Bad, justified | Apologise, give brief facts, offer a fix and a contact outside Google | Arguing, the customer’s personal data, threats |
| Bad, untrue | Calmly state the facts (“we have no record of your order”), then report the review | An angry reply that stays visible for years |
Fake and abusive reviews
Reviews that break Google’s policies can be removed: fake ones, from people who were never customers, from competitors or former employees, abusive ones, ones with personal data or off-topic. You report them from the profile (“Report review”), and if Google declines, through the review management tool, where you can request another check and attach evidence. A review that is merely negative but true is not removed. See how we handle it for clients on Negative Google review removal.
Reviews are only part of the work on Google Maps. The rest, from category to verification, is in our guide How to get your business on Google Maps in Croatia.
How we do it
We set clients up with a short link and QR code, message templates for their trade and their guests’ languages, and reply to reviews on their behalf within two working days. Review management starts from €190 + VAT one-off and €90 + VAT a month, and together with the Google profile from €150 + VAT a month. Details are on Google Business Profile and local SEO.
Request a free review checkor call +385 95 534 5685
Frequently asked questions
Can I give a discount for a Google review?
No. Any reward for a review breaks Google’s policies, whether you ask for a positive review or any review. Such reviews can be removed and the profile restricted.
How many Google reviews does a local business need?
Enough to be ahead of the top three businesses on the map for your service and town. In most Dalmatian towns that is 20 to 50 reviews, with a rating above 4.5 and new reviews every month.
Can I delete a bad review?
The profile owner cannot delete a review. You can report it if it breaks Google’s policies. A true negative review stays; the best you can do is a calm reply and fixing the problem.
Why did a review disappear?
Google’s automatic filter sometimes removes reviews that look suspicious: sent from the same Wi-Fi network as the business, from new accounts, or many in a short time. So do not ask customers to write a review on your premises, on your device.
Should I reply to reviews without text?
Yes, briefly. A reply shows someone manages the profile, and future customers see that the business values every customer.
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