Ask every customer, in person, at the moment they’re leaving, and hand them a link or QR code that goes straight to your Google review page. Don’t offer anything in return. Reply to each review in your own words. It’s slow and unexciting, and it adds up, a bit like saving or going to the gym.
We run three tanning salons, so we know the awkward part is the asking. This is the how-to. Our guide to getting more customers shows where reviews fit among everything else.
Set up your link
Google lets customers leave a review through a link or a QR code, which you can get from your Business Profile. Put the code on a card at reception and keep the link handy for text messages. Customers need a Google account to post, so a few will say they can’t, and that’s fine.
What to say
Keep it short and leave it to them. Say it to everyone, on every shift.
- At the desk: “Thanks for coming in. If you’ve got a minute, an honest Google review really helps us. Here’s the link.”
- In a follow-up text, if they’ve agreed to hear from you: “Thanks for visiting us today. If you’d like to leave an honest review, here’s the link.”
The word “honest” earns its place. Asking for five stars is a favour with strings attached.
Make it part of the routine, and don’t let the team pick their favourite customers. Ask at quiet times and busy times alike. If you only ask on good days, that’s selective, and it’s a rule you don’t want to break.
What you can’t do
The rules come from two places. Google’s policy covers what stays on Maps, and the Competition and Markets Authority’s fake reviews guidance covers UK law.
- No rewards. No discounts, free minutes or lotion samples for a review. Google bans it, and a concealed incentive is a problem under UK law.
- No reviews from staff, or from friends who’ve never visited. The CMA says commissioning a review could include asking a member of staff to write it.
- No asking only happy customers. Both Google and the CMA treat that as a problem.
- No paying to change a review. Offering a refund or gift card to remove a bad review is one of the CMA’s own examples of what not to do.
- No threats. Don’t pressure someone into taking a review down.
The CMA says a prize draw is unlikely to count as commissioning, but Google still bars incentives. We’d leave it alone. This is general information and isn’t legal advice.
How to reply
Google’s advice is to keep replies short, polite and specific, and to avoid sending everyone the same thank-you. Don’t use a reply to sell anything. These two are made up.
- A good review: “Thanks Sam, glad the new stand-up worked out. See you next time. Jo”
- A moan about a wait: “Sorry about the wait on Saturday, Sam. We were short-staffed and should have told you. Please ask for me next time. Jo”
Keep it human and sign your name. A reply is also read by everyone else who’s deciding whether to visit, so write it for them too.
When a review stings
Have a brew before you reply. Then apologise if you got it wrong, and say what you can do. If it’s complicated, ask them to call or email.
Take anything about a burn, a reaction or a customer’s health offline straight away. Don’t discuss it in public, don’t share their details, and don’t make claims about sunbeds in your reply. Follow your usual process for recording it.
If a review breaks Google’s rules, for example because it’s from someone who was never a customer, you can report it to Google. A genuine bad review stays up, however unfair it feels. The CMA warns against suppressing genuine negative reviews.
Using reviews on your website
Reviews on your site should be genuine and fairly chosen. The CMA warns against showing only favourable reviews where they don’t reflect what customers say overall. Link to your Google profile so visitors can read the lot, and keep the wording exactly as written. If a review mentions a health benefit, leave it off your site, because the Advertising Standards Authority’s sunbed advice still applies.
Next, make sure your Google Business Profile is doing its share of the work.
Sources
Checked on 30 October 2026: