Getting, answering, reporting and understanding Google reviews. Every article answers one question, checked against Google’s own help pages, with the date.
Your review link is inside your Business Profile: select “Read Reviews”, then “Get more reviews”, and select “Copy”. Paste it into a text message, an email, a receipt or a chat with one plain sentence asking for a review, and never attach a reward or send it only to the customers who seemed happy.
Every review of your business is in your Business Profile: sign in with the Google Account that manages it, search Google for your business name or “my business”, and select “Read reviews”. You reach the same profile in the Google Maps app by tapping “Business” at the bottom right, and each review has “Reply” and “Report” next to it.
You respond to a Google review from your Business Profile: open it, select “Read reviews”, select “Reply” next to the review, type your answer and select “Reply”. Only a verified profile can reply, Google checks the reply before it goes public, and the customer who wrote the review is notified.
You get Google reviews by asking customers to open your review link or scan your QR code; Google gives you both under “Read Reviews” and then “Get more reviews” in your Business Profile. Paying or pressuring for reviews is banned, so the lasting way is to ask every customer after the visit and to reply to what comes in.
Your Google review link is inside your Business Profile: sign in, open the profile, select “Read Reviews” and then “Get more reviews”, and select “Copy”. The same screen gives you a QR code; Google says the code can only be generated in a computer browser, not on a phone.
You dispute a Google review by reporting it: open your Business Profile, select “Read reviews”, select “Report” next to the review, choose the reason and select “Send report”. Google removes it only if it breaks a content rule; if the answer is no, you get one appeal in the Reviews Management Tool, and nothing more.
You do not need a separate QR code tool: Google makes the code for you. Open your Business Profile on a computer, select “Read Reviews” and then “Get more reviews”, right-click the QR code on that screen, choose “Save image as…”, and print it; anyone who scans it lands on the form to review your business.
Yes, you can ask customers for Google reviews: Google’s policy lets merchants “Solicit or encourage the posting of content that does represent a genuine experience”, provided you offer nothing for it and do not steer the rating or the wording. Ask after the visit, in one plain sentence with your review link or QR code, and ask everyone.
Google says that evaluating a reported review typically takes several days, and you can watch the status in the Reviews Management Tool. There is no fixed number of days: a review can be blocked by automatic checks before anyone sees it, or removed months later when a pattern shows up, or never, if it breaks no rule.
Google detects fake reviews with automated systems that check every review before it posts and keep watching afterwards, plus human operators who examine flagged content. Google says its machines look from three angles: the text of the review, the account’s history, and unusual activity at the business, such as many reviews in a short time.