When people look for a hairdresser, a dentist or a plumber nearby, the first thing they compare is the stars and the number of reviews. Most happy customers would gladly leave one. They just aren’t asked at the right moment, or the link is too hard to find.
Ask at the right moment
The best time to ask is right after a good experience: when the customer says thank you, compliments the work or pays. A week later the feeling is gone and so is the review.
Make it part of the routine at the counter or at the end of a job, not something you remember now and then.
Make it one tap
Every extra step loses people. “Search for us on Google, find the reviews, then tap write a review” is three steps too many.
Your Google Business Profile gives you a direct review link. Use it:
- Put it on your digital business card as a button, so a customer can tap your card or scan your QR at the counter and land straight on the review form.
- Add it to the message you send after a job or a booking.
- Print the QR on a small stand at the till.
Say it simply
You don’t need a script. Something like this works:
If you were happy today, a short Google review would help us a lot. You can do it right here, it takes a minute.
Then show them the button. Asking in person, with the link ready, works far better than a link in a newsletter.
Answer every review
Reply to reviews, the good ones and the bad ones. A short thank-you shows future customers that someone is listening. For a bad review, stay calm, apologize for the experience and offer to fix it. Many readers judge you more by the reply than by the review.
What not to do
Google’s rules are clear, and breaking them can get reviews removed:
- Don’t pay for reviews or offer discounts, gifts or rewards in return.
- Don’t ask only happy customers through a filter that hides the unhappy ones.
- Don’t write reviews for yourself or ask staff to.
Honest reviews from real customers, collected steadily, are worth more than a sudden pile of five stars.
Put the button where customers already are
With Minodo’s Google review button, the review link sits on your digital business card next to WhatsApp and booking. The customer taps your NFC card or scans your QR, sees the button and leaves a review in seconds, with no app to install.