Build a review habit: the link, the moment, the message

Here’s a number worth knowing. In BrightLocal’s 2026 survey of US consumers, 83 percent of people who were asked to leave a review went on to leave one.

So if your reviews have gone quiet, start with one question. Is every customer being asked, the same way, at the right moment? In this lesson, we’ll make sure they are.

Three parts. The link, so reviewing takes one tap. The moment, so asking happens every time. And the message, so the words stay fair.

Part one: the link. Every extra step between “sure, I’ll do it” and the review box loses people. So send your direct link, which opens the review form straight away.

On a computer, open your Business Profile and select “Read reviews”, then “Get more reviews”. Select “Copy” to copy your link. To save the QR code, right-click it and choose “Save image as”. Google says the QR code can only be made in a computer browser for now, not on a phone.

If you’re on your phone, or you’d rather not sign in, our free review link tool makes the same link from your business name, plus a QR code.

And customers must be signed in to a Google Account to post a review. Worth knowing when someone says the link “didn’t work”.

Part two: the moment. Google’s own tip is simple: “Remind customers to leave reviews.” The question is when.

Ask every customer soon after the job or visit, while it’s fresh. For a plumber in Bristol, that might be an hour or two after the job. For a dental practice in Perth, or a barber in Chicago, the same day. For a solicitor, when the matter is finished, not after the first meeting.

Here’s what turns it into a habit: tie the ask to something that already happens for every customer. The invoice is marked paid. The appointment is checked out. The receipt prints. Then asking doesn’t depend on anyone remembering, or on anyone deciding who deserves to be asked.

Then send one reminder, two or three days later, if they haven’t got to it. And then stop. That’s our own rule of thumb, not Google’s, but two messages is plenty.

Part three: the message. Keep it short, personal and neutral. Use the customer’s name, say thank you, and ask for a review. Here’s the text template from our guide: “Hi Sarah, thanks for choosing us today! If you have 30 seconds, a quick Google review would really help other local people find us.” Then the link, and your name.

The reminder is just as gentle: “No pressure at all, but if you get a moment, we’d love to hear how your visit went.”

Now, what to leave out. Never suggest a star rating. Never suggest words, like “mention our fast service”. Never ask people to name a member of staff. And watch for a phrase that sneaks onto a lot of signs and emails: “Happy with our service? Leave us a review.” It sounds friendly, but it only invites the happy customers. Ask everyone the same way instead: “How did we do?”

Use the channels your customers read: text for most local businesses, email for professional services. Google also suggests receipts, thank-you emails, the end of a chat, and a QR code on display in your shop. And if you ask in person, keep it light: “If you have a minute later, there’s a card to leave us a review.” Then leave it there. Nobody should feel watched while they write.

Let’s do it together. Open our free review link tool, and type your business name and town, select “Find my business”, and pick yours. Copy the link, and download the QR code. That part’s free. The printable A5 poster asks for your email, and sends you a link to make it again later. Print the code for your counter, tables, van or receipts, or make small cards with our free card maker.

Now the text. Open our free text message templates and choose your type of business. Add your business name, your first name and your review link. Then pick “Review request”. You add the customer’s first name, and you’re ready.

If you send requests automatically, or to a list, add a line like “Reply STOP to opt out”, as our past-customer template does.

If you have a team, brief them once, and keep it simple. Everyone asks every customer, the same way, at the same moment. No targets for the number of reviews. Google bans asking staff to collect a certain number, so no contests or prizes for the most reviews either. No suggested words, and no asking customers to name the person who served them. And no pressure at the counter.

There’s a staff briefing box on your workbook page, W7, so you can pin it up where the team will see it.

A country note, because messaging laws differ. And whether a review request counts as marketing isn’t always clear, so play it safe everywhere. Only message people who gave you their number or email. Say who you are. And make it easy to opt out.

In the US, the FCC’s rules generally need a person’s consent before you send automated texts to their mobile, and written consent for marketing. If someone replies “stop”, honour it within ten business days. In the UK, the ICO says marketing texts and emails to individuals need consent, or the “soft opt-in” for your own customers, with a way to opt out in every message. In Australia, commercial messages need consent, your business details, and an unsubscribe that works within five working days. And if your texts show your business name instead of a number, that name must now be registered, or it shows as “Unverified”.

We cover texting rules again in Lesson 5.1.

Let’s recap. The link: one tap to the review box. The moment: tied to something that happens for every customer, with one reminder. The message: short, personal, and the same for everyone.

Your task: fill in workbook page W7, your review request plan. Print a QR code for where customers pay or wait. And send a request to your last five customers, all five, using the past-customer template and a number or email they gave you. In the next lesson, we’ll answer the reviews that come in.

And if you’d rather this ran by itself, Flexi Local’s review requests send a text or email with a one-tap review link after every visit, to every customer, not just the happy ones. The course works the same either way.