Google's Business Profile Help explains the main route: on a computer, go to your profile, choose Read reviews, then Get more reviews, and copy the link or save the QR code. That is Google's own link for your business, and it is the one we recommend. Paste it in the first tab and the tool checks it looks like a Google link, then builds the QR code and messages around it.
The second route uses a Place ID. Google documents Place IDs and offers a Place ID Finder to look yours up; they are text strings that usually start with ChIJ. The review link built from a Place ID, search.google.com/local/writereview?placeid=, is widely used, but as of November 2026 we could not find it described in Google's own documentation. It has worked for businesses for years, so we offer it as a backup. Open it with the test button before you print or send it.
Google's policy on fake engagement says businesses may not offer incentives such as payment, discounts or free goods and services in exchange for reviews. It also bans selectively soliciting positive reviews, which means you cannot ask only the customers you know are happy. Ask everyone, in the same way, and let the reviews be honest. Reviews that break the rules can be removed, and repeated breaches can put your profile at risk.
Do not tell people what to write or pressure them to review while they are standing in your shop. A simple, polite message after the job is done is enough.
Send the link by WhatsApp or SMS the same day the job is finished, while the experience is fresh. Add it to your email signature and receipts. Print the QR code on a counter card, a menu or a delivery note. Use the messages on the right as a starting point and change the words to sound like you.
Reviews also help the rest of your online presence. They are part of how your Business Profile appears in local results, which is why we cover them in our local SEO work.
Pasting a link from a Google Maps search page that opens your listing but not the review box. Printing a QR code before testing it on two different phones. Asking staff to hand out the link only to customers who smiled. Offering a coupon for a five-star review, which breaks the policy. And sending the request weeks after the visit, when the customer has forgotten you.
