How to ask for a Google review by email, text, or QR code
Most businesses don't have a review problem. They have an asking problem. Customers are happy to leave a review. They're just never asked, or asked so awkwardly that they don't bother.
Here's how to ask in the three ways Google explicitly allows, with templates you can use today, and the small things that decide whether you get a reply or get ignored.
Quick version: a good Google review request is one open question and one direct link, sent while the visit is fresh, with no incentive attached. Email, SMS, and a QR code are the three methods Google explicitly allows, though since April 2026, a request sent after the visit is the safer default. Copy the templates below.
First, what Google allows
Good news: asking is encouraged, not frowned on. Google's own tips tell you to ask customers for reviews and to make it easy with a direct link. Its Best Practices Playbook tells you to create QR codes for reviews and put them on receipts, menus, and your storefront window.
Two rules keep you safe. No incentives, you can't offer a discount, freebie, or anything of value in exchange for a review. And no scripting, you can't tell the customer what to write or ask them to name a staff member. Ask, link, done. The wording below stays inside both rules.
The three things that make any ask work
Before the templates, the mechanics. These matter more than the exact words.
Timing. Ask while the experience is fresh, same day for a meal or appointment, within a day or two for a service. A request that lands a week later gets forgotten.
One link, one tap. The message should contain a direct link to your Google review page and nothing else competing for attention. Every extra step loses people.
An open question, not a demand. "Mind sharing how it went?" pulls a fuller, more natural review than "Leave us a 5-star review." It also keeps you clear of dictating content.
Email template
Subject: How was your visit?
Hi [first name],
Thanks for coming in on [day]. If you've got a spare minute, I'd really value hearing how it went, it helps other people nearby decide to give us a try.
You can leave a quick review here: [direct Google review link]
Either way, thanks for choosing us. [Your name], [business name]
Keep it short. No preamble, no marketing, no "we strive for excellence." One ask, one link.
SMS template
Hi [first name], thanks for visiting [business name] today. If you've a moment, we'd love to hear how it went: [direct Google review link]
That's it. Text is read in seconds, so respect the seconds. Don't add an incentive, and don't send it five times.
QR code
For walk-ins, a QR code that opens your Google review page is still allowed, and Google's playbook still recommends it. One caution for 2026: a code scanned on your store Wi-Fi sends every review from the same connection, which can read as coordinated and get a batch removed. Print it on the receipt or a takeaway card so people scan it later, on their own data, from home. Pair it with one plain line: "Scan to tell us how we did." Better still, send a text or email a few hours after the visit, the review then comes from the customer's own phone and location, the pattern Google trusts most. Here's why that matters.
How RealGoodWords does the asking for you
Templates work, until the day gets busy and you forget to send them. That's the real failure point, and it's the one RealGoodWords removes.
Customer details go in, and the request goes out automatically by SMS or email, each one carrying a direct link to your Google review page and one open question. A QR code covers the walk-ins. No incentives, no scripting, nothing for you to remember. It keeps a steady flow going on its own, without anyone having to remember.
If you'd like to see where your profile stands before you start asking, the free Local Standings tool at realgoodwords.app compares you to nearby competitors. No signup, no card.