Library·SOP·SEO
Share a neutral Google review invitation with customers and respond to published reviews with clear, privacy-safe replies.
Last reviewed: · Editorial review
Clarity, structure and references reviewed in this version. This is not a test in a live account.
Share a neutral Google review invitation with customers and respond to published reviews with clear, privacy-safe replies.
This SOP covers:
This does not cover:
Choose one normal moment after a genuine purchase or completed service, such as the receipt or the usual thank-you message. Make the same optional invitation available to every eligible customer in that situation, following the communication preferences you already use for that channel. Do not select customers based on how happy you think they are or send repeated reminders just to get a review.
Create the review link for the correct profile. If you want a printed QR code, generate and save it from a computer browser too.
On a computer, sign in to the Google Account that manages the business. Open the verified Business Profile you want customers to review; if the account manages several locations, match the business name and location before continuing.
Select Read reviews, then Get more reviews. Select Copy to copy the Google review link.
If printed materials suit your business, right-click the QR code and choose Save image as. Save it in the folder your team uses for customer-facing print files, with the business name in the filename. If there is no such folder, create a folder called Review QR in the business’s normal shared marketing-files location. Google currently provides QR-code download in a computer browser.
In your usual customer follow-up template, add one short invitation and the copied link. If you do not have a reusable template, add it to the next normal thank-you message instead of creating a new sequence. For example, the fictional Willow Lane Garden Care could write: “Thank you for choosing Willow Lane Garden Care for your garden tidy. If you’d like, share an honest review of your experience here: [Google review link]. We welcome all feedback.” Keep the request optional and do not ask for a star rating or particular words.
Open the link in a private browser window, or scan the saved QR code with a phone. Confirm that Google opens the right business’s Maps listing. If you are signed out, Google may ask you to sign in before you can write a review; that is normal. If you are already signed in and the blank review form appears, confirm the business name and stop without entering or submitting a review.
When you send the normal thank-you for a completed purchase or service, include the review invitation once for each eligible customer in that touchpoint. If you use a QR code, make it available with the usual receipt or printed materials without asking customers to review while they are still receiving service. Do not create a separate reminder series.
Open the intended Business Profile and select Read reviews. Choose Unreplied to find reviews that still need an answer, or use All and sort by Newest. Open one review and read its words, not only its star rating.
Use the substeps to choose whether a specific policy concern needs a report or the review should receive a reply.
Compare the review with Google’s prohibited and restricted content policy. Ordinary negative feedback, disagreement, or a low rating without a specific policy issue is not a reason to report; continue to the reply step. If you can identify a specific possible policy violation, use the next substep.
Only when the review appears to break a specific policy, select Report beside that review, choose the closest accurate reason, and submit the report. To check its status later, open the Reviews Management Tool and find the report for that business.
Draft a short reply that addresses the exact review, stays polite, and protects customer privacy. Use the positive or negative pattern that fits the review.
For a positive review, thank the customer and mention one true detail. In this fictional example, a Willow Lane Garden Care customer says, “The seasonal pruning visit was helpful.” A suitable reply is: “Thanks, Jordan! We’re glad the pruning visit was helpful. We appreciate you choosing Willow Lane Garden Care.”
For a negative review, acknowledge the concern, apologize when the business made a mistake, and offer one useful next step. In this fictional example, a customer says, “The appointment started later than planned.” Willow Lane Garden Care could reply: “We’re sorry the appointment started later than planned. We understand how frustrating that is. Please contact Willow Lane Garden Care through the contact details on our profile so we can understand what happened.”
Beside the correct review, select Reply, enter the finished response, and select Reply again to submit it.
Return to the review and check that the business reply appears beneath it. If Google asks you to edit a reply or it has not appeared yet, read the message in the profile and follow its instructions before trying again. Google says reply reviews usually take up to 10 minutes but can sometimes take up to 30 days.
