You opened a few months ago. The coffee is good, the regulars are starting to come back, and your Google listing still shows 4 reviews. A new customer walking past has two shops to choose from. One has 4 reviews. The other has 140. You know your shop is good. Google does not know it yet.
This guide is for owners of a new cafe, bubble tea shop, bakery, quick-service spot, salon, barbershop or nail studio. Maybe you have under 30 reviews and paper cards or nothing at all. You will get a plan for your first 20 reviews, three things to say at the register, and the rules Google uses to remove reviews.
The fastest first step costs nothing. The free Google Review QR Code Maker from KANJIN (kanjin.app) checks your review link, then prints a counter card and a table tent with a QR code. Paste the link, print the sheet, and put the card next to the register today. There is no sign-up.
The short answer
Claim your free Google Business Profile. Copy your review link. Put it on a QR card at the register. Then ask every customer, in the same words, at the end of the visit. Offer nothing for a review, and do not choose who to ask. Reply to every review you get.
Key Takeaways
- Your review link comes from your Business Profile: Read reviews, then Get more reviews, then Copy.
- Ask every customer the same way. Google's policy forbids asking only the customers you think are happy.
- Never offer a discount, a free drink or a stamp for a review. Google's policy files it under rating manipulation.
- Do not give staff a number of reviews to collect. Google's policy names this too.
- Reply to every review, short and plain.
Why the first 20 reviews matter so much
A new shop with few reviews has a fragile rating. One bad day can pull it down a long way.
Here is a worked example with simple math. You have 3 reviews, all 5 stars. Then one customer leaves 1 star. Your rating falls to 4.0, because (5 + 5 + 5 + 1) ÷ 4 = 4.0.
Now say you have 20 reviews, all 5 stars, before that same 1-star review arrives. Your rating becomes 4.8, because (20 × 5 + 1) ÷ 21 = 4.81.
More honest reviews make your rating steadier, and they give new customers more real words to read about your food, your service and your prices.
Step 1: Claim and finish your Google Business Profile
You cannot share a review link until you manage your listing. Google says adding or claiming a profile is free (Google Business Profile Help, "Add or claim your Business Profile", read 23 Oct 2026).
If your shop is not on Google yet:
- Go to business.google.com/add.
- Click "Add your business to Google".
- Follow the steps on screen to add your details.
- Pick a verification option and finish the steps.
If your shop is already on Google Maps but nobody manages it:
- On your computer, open Google Maps and search for your shop name and city.
- Select "Claim this business", then "Manage now".
- Pick a verification option and follow the steps.
While you wait for verification, finish the profile. Add your opening hours, your phone number, your trade (for example "Bubble tea store" or "Nail salon"), and real photos of your counter, your menu and your best sellers.
Step 2: Get your review link
Google gives every Business Profile a link that opens the review box directly. Here are Google's own steps (Google Business Profile Help, "Create a Google link or QR code to request reviews", read 23 Oct 2026):
- Go to your Business Profile.
- Select "Read reviews", then "Get more reviews".
- To take the link, select "Copy".
- To take Google's QR code, right-click it and select "Save image as...".
Google says the review QR code can only be made on a computer browser, not on a phone. So do this step on a laptop or desktop.
Do not copy the address bar while you look at your shop on Google. That link is often a search page, so customers can land on a list of other shops. Use the link from "Get more reviews".
Test the link once. Open it on your own phone. The review box for your shop should appear. If it does, the link is right.
Step 3: Put a QR card at the register
A card asks for you on busy days. Put it where people wait: next to the card reader, the pickup shelf or the mirror at your station.
Good counter cards have three things:
- A short, honest ask. "Enjoyed your visit? Please leave us an honest Google review."
- A big QR code. Big enough to scan from where the customer stands.
- Nothing offered. No "free topping for a review", no "show us your review for 10% off".
You can use Google's own QR code from Step 2, or make a printable card with the free Google Review QR Code Maker. That tool checks the link before it draws the code, and its printed words ask for an honest review and offer nothing in return.
If you also run a stamp card or a loyalty offer, keep it on a separate sign. A review sign next to a "free drink after 10 stamps" sign can look like a reward for a review.
Step 4: Ask every customer, the same way
The card helps. Your voice helps more. A customer who liked the visit may be glad to help, but they will rarely think of it on their own.
Who to ask: everyone. Do not pick the smiling customers and skip the quiet ones. Google's policy names this exact thing (more below).
When to ask: at the end of the visit, when you hand over the order, finish the cut or the nails, or give back the card. The customer has just had the whole experience.
How to ask: the same short words every time. Here are three you can copy.
Script 1: For a busy counter
"Thanks for coming in. If you have a minute later, an honest Google review really helps a new shop like ours. The QR code is right here."
Script 2: For a salon, barber or nail chair
"All done. Thank you for trusting us with your [hair / nails]. We just opened this year, so honest Google reviews help people find us. The code is on the card by the mirror. Good or bad, we read every one."
Script 3: For an owner whose English is a second language
"Thank you for coming. We are a new shop. Please write a Google review. Any review, good or bad. The code is here."
What Google does not allow
Google removes reviews that break its rules. Read this part before you print anything. All of it comes from Google's policy page, "Prohibited and restricted content" for Maps user content (Maps User Generated Content Policy Help, read 23 Oct 2026). Google's tips page also calls offering incentives for reviews "strictly prohibited" (Google Business Profile Help, "Tips to get more reviews", read 23 Oct 2026).
| Google's policy says this is not allowed | What it means at your shop |
|---|---|
| Content posted because of an incentive offered by a business | No free drink, discount, extra stamp or prize draw for a review |
| Reviews or ratings paid for, directly or in kind | No buying reviews, and no swapping goods or services for them |
| Selectively soliciting positive reviews from customers | Ask everyone, and do not only ask the people who look happy |
| Discouraging or prohibiting negative reviews | Do not ask unhappy customers to stay quiet or "call us instead of reviewing" |
| Merchants requesting that staff solicit a certain number of reviews | No review targets or quotas for your team |
| Content based on a conflict of interest, which may include current or former employment | Staff and past staff should not review your shop |
| Content posted from multiple accounts by or at the request of one person | Do not write reviews yourself from other accounts, or ask one person to do it |
Google's policy also says contributions should reflect a genuine experience at a place. So a review should come from a real customer, about a real visit.
Step 5: Reply to every review
Replies show the next customer that a real person runs the shop. Google's tips for replies are simple: "Keep it short and simple", "Be conversational, not promotional" and "Respond in a timely manner" (Google Business Profile Help, "Tips to get more reviews", read 23 Oct 2026).
A good reply has three parts. Thank the person and name one thing they said. Answer their point in one or two plain sentences. Then invite them back, or ask them to contact you if something went wrong.
If English is not your first language, our guide on how to reply to Google reviews when English is your second language has 8 replies you can copy. For a first draft in seconds, paste the review into the free Google Review Reply Generator. Read the draft, change any words, and post it yourself.
Do not offer a discount in a reply to a bad review. Fix the problem in private.
How many reviews will move your rating?
If your rating is already below where you want it, the question changes. It becomes: how many new 5-star reviews would it take to reach 4.5 or 4.8?
The free Google Review Calculator works it out. Put in your review count, your rating today and the rating you want. The answer is a number of 5-star reviews, so it gives you a real target for the month. Our guide on how many Google reviews you need to raise your rating explains the formula with six worked examples.
Your first month, week by week
| Week | What to do | Done when |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Claim or add your Business Profile. Start verification. Add hours, phone, trade and real photos. | Your profile shows your hours and photos |
| Week 2 | Copy your review link from "Get more reviews". Test it on your phone. Print a QR card and put it at the register. | The card is at the register and the link opens your review box |
| Week 3 | Pick one script. Teach it to everyone who works the register. Ask every customer at the end of every visit. | Every customer hears the same ask |
| Week 4 | Reply to every review so far. Put your numbers in the review calculator. Set a target for next month. | No review is left without a reply |
Keep asking after week 4. Reviews come from the daily habit.
For the rest of a new shop's first three months, from the window sign to your first regulars, see how to get customers for a new small shop.
Where KANJIN helps
Everything above works with a printed card and your own words. KANJIN (kanjin.app) is a free stamp card and back office for cafes, salons and small shops. We make it, so read this part with that in mind.
The free plan has no time limit and needs no credit card. Two parts help with reviews:
- 20 Google review requests a month, by email. After a visit, KANJIN can email the customer your Google review link. The default wait is 60 minutes, and you can change it. Everyone gets the same message, and nothing is offered for a review. If they do not click, one shorter reminder follows 4 days later, and never a second. After that, the same customer is not asked again for 365 days by default, and never again once they have opened your review page. A request that could not be sent does not count toward your 20.
- A free stamp card on the customer's phone number. Customers download no app. They type their phone number at the register, or scan your poster's QR code. KANJIN prints the stamp poster and the review table tent as two separate sheets, so a reward never sits next to a review request.
The honest limits. Review requests go by email only, with no text messages. Email works in every country. The free plan has a cap of 20 requests a calendar month; the paid plan has no monthly cap. KANJIN does not post replies to your Google reviews for you.
Frequently asked questions
Can I give a discount or free item for a Google review? No. Google's policy does not allow content posted because of an incentive offered by a business. Its tips page names free or discounted goods or services as an example. Ask for an honest review and offer nothing.
Can my staff write Google reviews for my shop? No. Google's policy does not allow content based on a conflict of interest, and it says this may include current or former employment. Reviews should reflect a genuine customer experience, so ask your real customers.
Is it OK to ask only happy customers for a review? No. Google's policy lists selectively asking for positive reviews as not allowed. Ask everyone the same way, and fix problems separately.
How do I make a QR code for Google reviews? On a computer, open your Business Profile, select "Read reviews", then "Get more reviews", then right-click the QR code and save it. Google says this works on a computer browser, not on a phone. You can also paste your review link into the free Google Review QR Code Maker to print a counter card.
Your next step
Open the free Google Review QR Code Maker, paste your review link and print the card. Put it at the register today, and say your script to every customer tomorrow.
Then give new customers a reason to come back: KANJIN's free stamp card works on the customer's phone number with no app to download, and the free plan asks for 20 Google reviews a month for you. Create your free KANJIN account.