Playbook
How to get more Google reviews
Ask at the end of the visit. Put a QR in one place staff will actually point at. Let AI do the typing. Keep unhappy customers on a private line. That is the whole system.
Why reviews stall
Customers will not hunt for your listing. Staff forget to ask. The Google form is a blank box on a small screen. That is why a good Saturday still produces two reviews.
Google review software only works if the ask is in the last step of the visit. Google review software for restaurants puts the QR on the check. Google review software for local businesses puts it on the desk or the bag.
01
Ask while the visit is still warm
The review happens in the last two minutes of the visit, or in the SMS you send the same day. Waiting until they are home is how you get zero reviews.
02
Give them a scan, not a search
A Google review QR code on the counter, the bill, or the bag opens the flow. Do not ask people to type your business name into Maps.
03
Skip the blank Google form
Most people will not write a paragraph on their phone. They tap what stood out. AI drafts the Google review in about 20 seconds. They read it, edit it, and post from their own Google account.
04
Put your keywords in the prompts
Google reads the words inside reviews. If you want to rank for “same-day crowns” or “wagyu Ottawa,” those phrases have to show up in real customer reviews. You set the prompts so the draft has something true to work with.
05
Keep a bad visit off Google first
A 1-star review from a table you could have fixed that night is expensive. Route a poor experience to the manager privately. Anyone can still post publicly.
06
Reply to every review
Volume, recency, rating, and replies all move the map pack. AI can post an on-brand reply in seconds so the queue never sits.
What that looks like in the wild
200+
Google reviews in two months
Two new Ottawa stores. Search “smoothies Ottawa” and they hold the top 5. Juice Dudez case study.
5 → 2,000+
Reviews across the network
Via Cibo went from a handful of Google reviews at 4.2 to more than 2,000 at 4.7. Volume and recency are the ranking job.