How to get more Google reviews, the right way

In this post

1. Ask right after the appointment
2. Make it one tap
3. Ask every customer, not just the happy ones
4. Reply to every review
5. Put your review link where customers already are
6. How Ongati helps

When someone searches "barber near me," your Google reviews are often the first thing they see. Fresh reviews give new customers a reason to pick you. Most happy customers will leave one. They just need to be asked at the right time, in the right way.

Ask right after the appointment

The best time to ask is shortly after the appointment, while the visit is fresh. Wait a week and most people forget.

Keep the ask short and neutral: "Thanks for coming in. If you have a minute, we'd appreciate your honest feedback on Google."

Make it one tap

Every extra step loses people. Send a direct link to your review form instead of asking customers to search for you. You'll find a shareable review link in your Google Business Profile.

Ask every customer, not just the happy ones

It's tempting to ask only the customers you know loved their visit. Don't. Google's review policies prohibit selectively asking for positive reviews, and the FTC has warned businesses against it too. Ask everyone the same way.

Google's policies also rule out:

• Offering discounts, freebies or payment in exchange for a review
• Pressuring customers to review while they're still at your business, or handing them your own device to do it
• Setting review quotas for your staff
• Telling customers what to write, including asking them to mention a specific employee
• Discouraging or blocking negative reviews

Reviews that break these rules can be removed, and Google can restrict profiles involved in review manipulation. A slower stream of honest reviews is worth more than a burst that disappears.

Reply to every review

Thank people for good reviews. Answer critical ones calmly, once, and offer to make it right. Future customers read your replies as closely as the reviews themselves.

Put your review link where customers already are

• In your follow-up message after each appointment
• On a small card or QR at your station or front desk
• In your Instagram highlights and link in bio

How Ongati helps

When automatic review requests are enabled and delivery requirements are met, Ongati sends the same neutral request to every eligible customer after a completed appointment. The request can lead to an Ongati review. Eligible paid businesses can also include a Google review link.

Each eligible customer gets the same request, so you're asking everyone the same way without having to remember. And because Ongati reviews come from completed appointments, the reviews on your page come from people who booked you.