# Get Google reviews: ask for honest feedback | BrandHoop

Quelle: https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/get-google-reviews/

Ask customers for honest Google reviews with neutral invitations, sample wording and a simple process, including guidance for emails and SMS in Austria.

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- Collecting Google reviews: How to ask customers for honest feedback

[ SEO](https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/seo/)Updated 17 October 2026

# Collecting Google reviews: How to ask customers for honest feedback

Reading time: about 5 minutes for the main text. Use templates and details as needed.

[Full version with templates, calculations and further checks](https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/get-google-reviews/full/)

After completing a job, you can invite customers to share their experience on Google. We suggest starting with a neutral card when you hand over the work in person. Customers can take it away and decide for themselves later. Record that you offered the card in the job record. In this suggested process, you make one invitation, even if no review follows. [[b]](https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/get-google-reviews/#quellenhinweis-empfehlungen)

**Your plan for this guide**

- [The same invitation for praise and criticism](https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/get-google-reviews/#core-ehrliche-bewertungen)

- [Prepare a card for the next completed job](https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/get-google-reviews/#core-karte-vorbereiten)

- [Confirm the contact channel before a digital invitation](https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/get-google-reviews/#core-digitale-einladung)

- [Fictional example: Criticism at a bathroom handover](https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/get-google-reviews/#core-beispiel-kritik)

- [Record the invitation against the job](https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/get-google-reviews/#core-notiz-beim-auftrag)

- [Start with your team and use the feedback](https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/get-google-reviews/#core-feedback-nutzen)

## The same invitation for praise and criticism

A Google review is public feedback that potential customers can read in Search and on Maps. It adds a customer's experience to your description of your services. [[2]](https://support.google.com/business/answer/3474122?hl=de)

Google allows requests for reviews based on real experiences. You must not offer anything in return or influence the content or star rating. This rules out discounts and gifts for reviews, as well as instructions such as “Five stars, please”. Pressuring customers to leave a review immediately on site also goes against the rules. [[1]](https://support.google.com/contributionpolicy/answer/7400114?hl=de)

A conversation about working together must not become a way to decide who receives the Google link. Inviting only satisfied customers creates a filter based on ratings, often called “review gating”. Customers who criticise the scheduling should also be free to share their experience publicly. The invitation stays the same. [[1]](https://support.google.com/contributionpolicy/answer/7400114?hl=de)

Customers can still contact your business directly with questions about the job. But this contact must not steer customers with criticism away from the Google link. A sentence such as “If you were happy, leave us a review; otherwise, write to us” would make precisely that selection. Customers can discuss a problem with you regardless of whether they leave a public review. [[1]](https://support.google.com/contributionpolicy/answer/7400114?hl=de)

The card makes it easier to reach the review page. It cannot promise a particular number of new reviews, star ratings or a better position on Google. [[b]](https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/get-google-reviews/#quellenhinweis-empfehlungen)

## Prepare a card for the next completed job

We suggest using completion of the agreed work as the common point for invitations, such as the handover of a renovated bathroom. If work is still outstanding, the invitation waits. Once everything is complete, do not delay the request because of critical feedback. This process does not need a fixed deadline in days. [[b]](https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/get-google-reviews/#quellenhinweis-empfehlungen)

In the final conversation, first establish whether all agreed tasks are complete. Record outstanding points against the job, along with who will deal with them. This conversation has a purpose of its own, even if no review request follows. You do not need to estimate a satisfaction score. [[b]](https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/get-google-reviews/#quellenhinweis-empfehlungen)

You can use this wording for your card. It is a suggested invitation; customers write their own reviews. Replace the placeholders with your business details and the checked link or code for leaving a review. [[a]](https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/get-google-reviews/#quellenhinweis-beispiele)

Your experience with [Business name]

Would you like to share your experience with our business on Google? The link or QR code on this card takes you to the review page. Your feedback is voluntary. You decide what to write.

Thank you for working with us!

[Business name]

[Checked review link or QR code]

Before printing, use a smartphone to check that the link and scanned code lead to the right business and that the text is readable. The [guide to review links and QR codes](https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/google-review-link-and-qr-code/) helps you set this up. [[b]](https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/get-google-reviews/#quellenhinweis-empfehlungen) Customers need a Google Account to leave a review, but they do not need a Gmail address. [[2]](https://support.google.com/business/answer/3474122?hl=de)

Offer the card for later. The team should neither wait for a review nor take the customer's smartphone. Customers can decline the invitation without giving a reason. [[b]](https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/get-google-reviews/#quellenhinweis-empfehlungen)

You can use these words when handing over the card. This complete sample is suggested wording for inviting voluntary feedback: [[a]](https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/get-google-reviews/#quellenhinweis-beispiele)

Thank you for working with us. If you would like to, you can share your experience with our business on Google later. Here is a card with the link or code for leaving a review. Whether you write anything, and what you write, is entirely up to you.

You can mention the completed service in your thanks, for example, “Thank you for choosing us to renovate your bathroom”. This does not prescribe what the customer should write in a later review. The card can stay with the handover documents. [[a]](https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/get-google-reviews/#quellenhinweis-beispiele)

[](https://brandhoop.at/ratgeber-materialien/A08/assets/ehrliches-feedback.png)Figure: The same point for inviting all customers with comparable completed jobs. Customers decide on the content and rating; an unanswered invitation does not trigger an automatic follow-up. [[c]](https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/get-google-reviews/#quellenhinweis-illustrationen)

## Confirm the contact channel before a digital invitation

At the final conversation in person, the card can go with the customer's documents. If the customer has instead consented to a one-off email request and you have evidence of that consent, you can prepare the email template. The same applies to the agreed channel for SMS or messaging apps. Check the conditions for using the digital templates before choosing the wording. [[b]](https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/get-google-reviews/#quellenhinweis-empfehlungen)

Having an email address on file is not evidence of consent to a review request. [[3]](https://www.wko.at/dsgvo4kmu/datenschutz-direktwerbung) For electronic direct marketing, § 174(3) TKG 2021 generally requires prior consent. The law contains an exception for existing customers, with conditions that must all be met. A previous job alone therefore does not establish whether that exception covers a particular review request. [[5]](https://www.ris.bka.gv.at/eli/bgbl/i/2021/190/P174/NOR40238632)

The [detailed conditions for electronic requests](https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/get-google-reviews/full/#digital) help with this assessment. A request for a public Google review cannot automatically be treated in the same way as an internal satisfaction survey. [[6]](https://www.wko.at/information-consulting/werbung-marktkommunikation/werbung-per-telefon-fax-e-mail-sms-was-ist-erlaubt)

The [complete email and SMS or messaging app templates](https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/get-google-reviews/full/#mustertexte) explicitly require prior, demonstrable consent to a one-off request through the specific channel concerned. If that evidence is missing, do not use the digital templates. Other contact details on file are not a reason to send further invitations. [[b]](https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/get-google-reviews/#quellenhinweis-empfehlungen)

Choose the template for the agreed channel. The email needs your full business signature and a reply address that actually works. For SMS or messaging apps, the free way to opt out must work before you use the template. If the customer has already declined or objected, do not send another review request through a different channel. [[b]](https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/get-google-reviews/#quellenhinweis-empfehlungen)

Customers must give consent voluntarily and actively, and be informed about the use of their data and their right to withdraw consent. This includes, in particular, the purpose and retention period, as well as possible recipients of the data. Consent should be documented. An unauthorised marketing email asking for consent is not a permissible starting point. Opting out must be simple and free. [[3]](https://www.wko.at/dsgvo4kmu/datenschutz-direktwerbung) The sender and a working address for requests to stop these messages must also be identifiable. [[5]](https://www.ris.bka.gv.at/eli/bgbl/i/2021/190/P174/NOR40238632)

## Fictional example: Criticism at a bathroom handover

A small trades business hands over a fully renovated bathroom. All agreed work is complete. The customer found the scheduling difficult. The person responsible records this criticism and discusses with the team how to improve the planning.

The customer receives the same neutral card as other customers. She can mention the scheduling problems in her review; the business does not wait for a more favourable opinion. Without consent to a digital request, no email follows.

The job record says: “Complete; card offered; no follow-up.” Any later complaint is dealt with independently. Resolving it does not depend on a review or on the customer changing one. The case is fictional. Whether the customer actually publishes a review remains open. [[a]](https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/get-google-reviews/#quellenhinweis-beispiele)

## Record the invitation against the job

Use your existing job list. Colleagues need to see whether the work is complete and which permitted contact channel was used for the invitation. Digital requests also need a reference to the evidence of consent. A refusal or withdrawal of consent must be visible too, so that no further request follows. The [complete list of fields](https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/get-google-reviews/full/#ablauf) provides a template. You do not need dedicated review software for this. [[b]](https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/get-google-reviews/#quellenhinweis-empfehlungen)

Use the same factual labels across the team, such as “Pending”, “Card offered” or “Sent once”. The entry belongs against the right job and can be found using the internal job ID. For a digital request, the channel, purpose and time of consent, along with a reference to the evidence, should be traceable. Also record who made the invitation. [[b]](https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/get-google-reviews/#quellenhinweis-empfehlungen)

If no reply comes, colleagues do not search for that customer's review or send an automatic reminder. This is part of our suggested approach of making one invitation. For the next completed jobs, you can instead check whether refusals have been recorded and whether the notes prevent duplicate requests. [[b]](https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/get-google-reviews/#quellenhinweis-empfehlungen)

This process does not require you to match public reviews to individual customers. [[b]](https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/get-google-reviews/#quellenhinweis-empfehlungen) Limit access to the people responsible and define when notes that are no longer needed will be deleted. Data minimisation, limited retention and confidentiality are data protection principles. [[4]](https://dsb.gv.at/rechte-pflichten/ihre-pflichten-als-verantwortlicher)

## Start with your team and use the feedback

Before using the card, work through one sample job involving praise and another involving criticism. Agree who will make the invitation and record it against the job. A particular star rating is not a target for the team. [[b]](https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/get-google-reviews/#quellenhinweis-empfehlungen) Requiring employees to request a certain number of reviews also goes against Google's rules. [[1]](https://support.google.com/contributionpolicy/answer/7400114?hl=de)

Feedback can lead to specific tasks. Recurring criticism of scheduling, for example, belongs in the next planning meeting. Record who will take care of the improvement. [[b]](https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/get-google-reviews/#quellenhinweis-empfehlungen)

Start the discussion with the process raised in the feedback. If handover documents are unclear, focus on the information customers receive at the end. Check with the team which explanation is missing or needs to be clearer. You can return to this task when the next project is completed. [[b]](https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/get-google-reviews/#quellenhinweis-empfehlungen)

A public reply should be helpful and polite, and must not disclose private customer data. [[2]](https://support.google.com/business/answer/3474122?hl=de) The [examples of replies to Google reviews](https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/respond-to-google-reviews/) help you find the right wording.

There is no need for a public thank-you beneath every review. Reply when you can add helpful or new information, and keep it short. [[2]](https://support.google.com/business/answer/3474122?hl=de) Resolving matters relating to a particular job remains separate from the public review text. [[b]](https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/get-google-reviews/#quellenhinweis-empfehlungen)

Sources for the previous version checked as at 16 October 2026; editorially revised on 17 October 2026. Numbers lead to sources; letters explain editorial examples or recommendations. Each note states what the source supports.

**[b] Practical recommendations.** The suggested processes and decision aids are editorial applications of the principles cited. Their specific effect on enquiries or jobs has not been measured here.

**[c] Editorial illustration.** The illustration shows how things relate. It is neither a real customer reference nor evidence of a measured effect.

**[a] Editorial examples.** Content labelled as a sample or fictional illustrates possible situations. These are not real customer cases or evidence of a measured effect.

Sources and context (6 sources)

- [Verbotene und eingeschränkt zulässige Inhalte](https://support.google.com/contributionpolicy/answer/7400114?hl=de) — Google

Confirms the requirement for real experiences and the bans on fabricated or purchased reviews, artificially posting multiple reviews, incentives, preventing negative reviews or selectively requesting positive ones, prompting or pressuring customers to review on site, and specifying review content. Also prohibits requiring employees to request a certain number of reviews. Using the same completion point and making exactly one invitation without a reminder are editorial suggestions for applying the rules; the policy does not prescribe them as a fixed procedure. Checked: 2026-10-16.

- [Tipps für mehr Rezensionen](https://support.google.com/business/answer/3474122?hl=de) — Google

Confirms that reviews appear in Search and Maps, that a Google Account is required but a Gmail address is not, and that a link and QR code are available. Also provides guidance on helpful public replies and protecting private data. Does not establish the effect of an individual invitation or any increase in revenue, star ratings or rankings. Checked: 2026-10-16.

- [Direktwerbung Datenschutz: DSGVO richtig umsetzen](https://www.wko.at/dsgvo4kmu/datenschutz-direktwerbung) — Wirtschaftskammer Österreich

Confirms the requirements for clear, voluntary and active consent, information on data processing and withdrawal of consent, the recommendation to document consent, and a free, simple way to opt out. Explains that an unauthorised first marketing email is not a way to obtain consent and that consent applies only within the agreed scope. The four invitation texts and the limit of one message are our own templates. The point about a charged reply SMS follows from the requirement for a free way to opt out; the WKO does not give this specific SMS example. Checked: 2026-10-16.

- [Ihre Pflichten als Verantwortliche:r](https://dsb.gv.at/rechte-pflichten/ihre-pflichten-als-verantwortlicher) — Österreichische Datenschutzbehörde

Confirms data minimisation, storage limitation, confidentiality, protective measures appropriate to the risk, and the ability to demonstrate compliance. Limiting access to the list to the people responsible is a practical application. The authority gives no specific retention period for review notes in this source; the template claims no such period. Checked: 2026-10-16.

- [Telekommunikationsgesetz 2021 § 174 – Unerbetene Nachrichten](https://www.ris.bka.gv.at/eli/bgbl/i/2021/190/P174/NOR40238632) — Republik Österreich / Rechtsinformationssystem des Bundes

Paragraph 3 confirms that prior consent is generally required for electronic direct marketing, including SMS. Paragraph 4 sets out the four cumulative conditions for the exception; paragraph 5 requires, among other things, an identifiable sender and a genuine address for requests to stop the messages. This provision alone does not determine the legal classification of every particular Google review request. The templates explicitly use prior consent as their basis. Checked: 2026-10-16.

- [Werbung per Telefon, Fax, E-Mail und SMS: Was ist erlaubt?](https://www.wko.at/information-consulting/werbung-marktkommunikation/werbung-per-telefon-fax-e-mail-sms-was-ist-erlaubt) — Wirtschaftskammer Österreich, Fachverband Werbung und Marktkommunikation

Confirms the broad definition of direct marketing and the distinction from market and opinion research that does not promote sales directly or indirectly. The article cautiously applies this distinction to review requests; the WKO page does not give a blanket ruling on every possible Google review request. Checked: 2026-10-16.

About the author

Ilian Mykhailets

Web projects since 2020 · more than five years of experience

We build and improve websites for trades businesses in Vienna and across Austria. Our work focuses on technical setup, content and SEO.

[Our services](https://brandhoop.at/en/leistungen/) · [How we work](https://brandhoop.at/en/arbeitsweise/)

BrandHoop · English edition for Austria · Practical guide

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