How to get more Google reviews (and why they win you bookings)
Google reviews decide whether you show up in local search and whether a new client books. A simple system to earn more of them — with a request template.
For a local, appointment-based business, Google reviews are the closest thing to free marketing there is. They decide whether you show up in the map pack, and they are the first thing a new client reads before they book. The good news: getting more of them is a system, not luck. Here is the system.
Why reviews win you bookings
Two reasons. First, ranking: the number, recency and rating of your reviews are among the strongest signals in Google’s local results — more good, recent reviews means you appear more often. Second, trust: a would-be client comparing three salons or clinics almost always picks the one with more and better reviews. Reviews compound — every one you earn keeps working for months.
The system: ask every happy client, at the right moment
- 1.Ask right after the visit. The best moment is when the client is happiest — just after a great appointment, or an hour later by message. Momentum matters.
- 2.Make it one tap. Send a direct link to your Google review form. Every extra step loses people. Never make them search for you.
- 3.Personalise the ask. Use their name and the service. A human message beats a generic blast.
- 4.Ask consistently, not in bursts. A steady trickle of recent reviews beats a one-off pile — recency is a ranking signal.
- 5.Respond to every review. Thank the good ones, address the bad ones calmly. It signals an active, caring business — to clients and to Google.
A review request that works
SMS / WhatsApp
“Thanks for coming in today, {name}! 🙏 If you have 20 seconds, a quick Google review really helps our small business — here’s the direct link: {review_link}. Thank you!”
Don’t buy or fake reviews
Fake or incentivised reviews violate Google’s policies, get removed, and can suspend your profile — and savvy clients smell them. There is no shortcut worth that risk. The volume you want comes from asking every real, happy client, every time.
Automate the ask
The reason most businesses have too few reviews is simple: they forget to ask. Automate it, and the problem disappears. TimeKey sends a review request automatically after each visit — to Google and your own page — so the ask happens every time without anyone remembering. It is part of the appointment platform, alongside reminders and rebooking.
