A useful Google review process starts with a clear link and a fair invitation. This guide helps you set up your review sign, explain Google sign-in and check the Business Profile customers will see.
1. Use the right review link
Open your Google Business Profile, choose Read Reviews, then Get more reviews. Copy the link and open it on your phone. Check the business name and location before sharing it, especially if you manage several branches.
When your sign arrives, test both the QR scan and the NFC tap with a compatible phone. They should take you to the same business. Stop before submitting a review. Our Google review link instructions explain the steps in more detail.
2. Put your sign where people can use it
Think about where a customer naturally pauses after a visit or service. Leave enough room for them to reach the sign with their phone and read the instructions.
- A Google review stand can sit on a reception desk or counter.
- A flat, self-adhesive review plate suits tables and other fixed positions. Test it in position before fixing it.
- A review card is easy to keep with your handover kit for jobs and appointments.
Try the position yourself. If someone has to lean over a display or ask where to scan, move it. Read our guide to using review signs for setup and troubleshooting.
3. Ask for honest feedback
Choose a normal point after a completed service or visit. Invite feedback fairly across genuine customers, including those whose experience may not have been perfect.
If you would like to share your experience, this opens our Google review page. You can tap or scan it whenever it suits you.
For a follow-up message, you could use:
Hi [name], thank you for choosing [business]. If you would like to share your experience, you can leave an honest Google review here: [review link]. Thank you, [your name].
Use a communication channel you are entitled to use for that customer. Keep requests optional. Do not offer rewards, request a particular rating or wording, select only happy customers, pressure people to write on the premises or set staff review-request quotas.
4. Help with Google sign-in
Customers need to sign into a Google Account before posting a review. They do not need a Gmail address: a Google Account can use another email address.
A tap or scan cannot bypass this requirement. If a customer is signed out, let them use their own phone and give them time. Never ask for their password or sign in for them.
Google may ask you to sign in first. There is no rush; you can come back to it when it suits you.
Our Google review sign-in guide explains both journeys.
5. Check your Google Business Profile
Look at the profile as a customer would. Can someone understand what you do, find the right place and contact you?
- Name: use your real-world business name without added search keywords.
- Category: choose one that accurately describes your core business.
- Location: check the address if customers visit you. Hide it if you only travel to customers, and check your service area.
- Hours: check normal hours and upcoming special hours.
- Contact details: test the phone number and website link.
- Services and photos: show what you actually offer and help people recognise the business.
- Reviews: agree who will check and reply.
Google says more reviews and positive ratings can help local rankings. Relevance, distance and prominence also matter. Neither a review sign nor this checklist guarantees a position.
6. Keep a manageable routine
Read new feedback and respond to the point the person raised. Keep private details out of public replies. If a complaint needs a longer conversation, invite the customer to contact you privately.
Report reviews that appear to break Google's policies for assessment. A negative review is not eligible for removal simply because you dislike it.
Check that the sign is still visible and working. Note changes you try, the questions customers ask and the reviews you receive. Review counts alone do not prove how many sales the sign created.
Choose your next step
Compare personalised Google review stands, plates and cards. If you would like help with your Google Business Profile and website, see how Get Found works.
Sources and updates
Written by Found Online, adapted from our Reviews 2026 material. Checked against Google guidance on 24 October 2026.
- Google review links and QR codes
- Google review and sign-in guidance
- Google review policies
- Business Profile guidelines
- Local ranking guidance
- Reporting reviews
We help people find your business and choose you.
Found Online builds websites and works on local SEO and Google Business Profiles. Your review sign is one part of that. If you want help with the rest, here is what we can do.
Your Google Business Profile
We review how your business appears, check the details and work on the services, information and customer journey that need attention.
Your local search visibility
We look at the services and places that matter to you, then work on the website pages and technical issues that affect how people find you.
Your website
We improve what you have or build a new site, with clear words, useful pages and a straightforward way for customers to get in touch.
How we work with you
- We look at your profile, website and what you want the business to achieve.
- We explain what needs attention and agree the work and cost with you.
- We make the agreed improvements. With ongoing SEO, we review progress and adjust the priorities.
Website and ongoing SEO services are available separately.