How soon after a purchase or appointment should I send a review request?

Within 24 to 48 hours is the most reliable window for most businesses. The experience is still clear, the goodwill is fresh, and the customer is more likely to act before other things crowd it out. For longer engagements — a building project, an ongoing service relationship — send the request once the work is clearly finished, not partway through.

Can I send review requests to all my existing customers at once?

A large bulk send to a dormant contact list can work, but approach it carefully. A sudden spike in review requests — especially from people who haven't interacted with you recently — can look unusual to Google's spam filters and result in some legitimate reviews being removed. It's generally better to begin a consistent forward cadence than to run a single large retrospective blast.

Should my review link go to Google, or to a feedback page first?

Go directly to Google. Routing customers through a feedback page that then forwards only happy reviewers to Google is review gating — which Google explicitly prohibits. Every customer should receive the same direct link to the same Google review form, regardless of how you expect them to rate you.

Google Reviews

How to Ask for Google Reviews by Email or Text

The moment a job is done or a customer says thank you is the most powerful opportunity you have to earn a review. A short, well-timed follow-up message — with one clear link — converts far better than hoping customers remember.

Updated 23 June 2026 · 5 min read

Why a follow-up message outperforms an in-person ask alone

Asking in person at the right moment is ideal — but even a customer who genuinely intends to leave a review still has to remember to do it, find your business on Google, and follow through once they're home. Most don't.

A well-timed email or text removes almost all of that friction. It arrives when the customer is near their phone, includes a link that takes them directly to the review box, and creates an actionable moment while goodwill is still fresh. The message doesn't need to be elaborate — it just needs to be there.

When to send

The most effective window for most businesses is within 24 to 48 hours of the experience, while the memory is still clear and the feeling is recent. For service businesses — a tradie who finished a job, a salon after an appointment — a message that evening or the following morning works well.

For retail and hospitality where collecting contact details at the point of sale is harder, a short time after an email receipt or loyalty programme interaction is a reasonable substitute.

A single follow-up a few days later is reasonable if the first message went unanswered. Beyond that, persistence tips into pressure — which neither earns reviews nor leaves a good impression.

What a good request looks like

Keep it short. The best review requests are three or four sentences at most. They don't need to explain why reviews matter, rehearse your credentials, or include compliance disclaimers. They need to feel like a message from a real person, with one clear link to click.

Email example: Hi [name], thanks again for coming in this week. If you enjoyed your experience, we'd really appreciate a Google review — it only takes a minute and means a lot to a small business like ours. [Your review link] Thanks, [your name].

Text example: Hi [name], great to see you today. If you have a moment, a Google review would mean a lot to us: [your review link]. No worries if not — hope to see you again soon.

Neither asks twice, neither pressures, and both sound like they came from a human rather than an automated system. That tone is what gets them read and acted on.

Your direct review link

Every Google Business Profile has a short link that opens the review box directly — the customer doesn't need to search for you first. You'll find it in Google Business Profile Manager under "Get more reviews" or the "Share review form" option.

Keep this link somewhere easy to access and drop into any message quickly. Test it from your own phone before you send it anywhere — the behaviour can differ between devices, and the last thing you want is a broken link in a review request.

What you can't say

Asking every customer for an honest review is allowed and encouraged. Where businesses get into trouble is in how they ask:

Don't offer any reward, discount, or incentive in exchange for a review — this breaches Google's policies and is a risk under Australian Consumer Law
Don't send review requests only to customers you expect to rate you highly, while skipping unhappy ones — this is review gating, which Google explicitly prohibits
Don't frame the request to steer toward a positive outcome — phrases like "if you loved your visit, leave us a review" are subtle gating and still count
Don't ask staff, friends, or family to post reviews as though they were customers — these are detected and removed, and enough of them can affect your whole profile

Automating the ask without losing the human touch

Sending individual review requests by hand is effective when you remember to do it. Consistency is usually the first thing to slip when you're busy. Automation helps maintain the cadence — but the messages still need to be specific enough to not read as obviously templated.

Tools like Cedric can handle the follow-up send so every new customer gets a timely request, while keeping the message in your voice. The goal is the same whether you're doing it by hand or with a tool: the customer should feel like a real person reached out to them, not a system.