The pick-up is when a client is happiest with you: a clean dog, a tired one, or one that had a good night away. That is the moment to ask for a Google review, and it only works if the link is ready to send.
This guide covers how to get your Google review link, where people go wrong copying it, and how to ask every client without it turning into a chore.
Where we stand. We make Petboost, so weigh the steps that use it accordingly. Finding your link works the same whatever you use.
How to get your Google review link
- Sign in to the Google account that manages your Business Profile.
- Search Google for your business name. Your Business Profile panel appears.
- Select Ask for reviews or Get more reviews. Google shows a short link and a QR code.
- Copy the link. It looks like
https://g.page/r/<your code>/review.
That short link opens the review form straight away, with the stars ready to tap. Google also accepts a longer form, https://search.google.com/local/writereview?placeid=<your Place ID>, which does the same thing.
The common mistake is copying the address bar while looking at your business on Google Maps. That link opens your listing, not the review form, so the client has to find the button themselves. Plenty will not bother.
Save it once in your booking system
Put the link where your reminders and receipts come from, so nobody on the team has to hunt for it.
In Petboost:
- Open Marketing & Tracking in Settings.
- Paste the link into Google Review URL. A green Set badge appears when it is valid.
- Select Publish Changes, tick the box in Before You Publish, and select Publish Changes again.
If you paste a Maps address bar link, the field says Please enter a valid Google Review URL. The same link also tells Google which listing is yours for the Book online button on Google, so it is worth getting right once.
How to ask for Google reviews
Ask everyone, the same way. Google's own policy is that you should not ask only the clients you expect to be happy, and a steady trickle of honest reviews reads better than a burst of perfect ones anyway.
Timing matters more than wording. Good moments:
- Grooming: at pick-up, or the evening after, when the photos are on their phone
- Daycare: after the first few visits, once the dog runs in the door
- Boarding: the day after collection, when they have settled back home
- Walking and sitting: after the first month of a regular run
Keep the message short. Their name, the pet's name, a thank you, the link. In Petboost every request greets the client by first name, names the pet, thanks them for the visit and ends with your review link.
Send the request from the booking
Petboost does not send review requests on a timer for you: you choose who to ask. There are 2 places to do it.
From the appointment. Once the visit is In Progress, Completed, Ready to Pay or Paid, open it, then Manage and Google Reviews. Select Send Google Review SMS to text the link, or Send Google Review Email to copy a ready request to paste into your own email app. After an email, select Mark as Sent so the team knows it went.
From the client's profile. Open the customer in Customers & Pets, then Manage Owner, and select Text Review Request or Email Review Request. Once a request is out, a badge beside their name shows it, so nobody asks twice by accident.
Texting a request needs the Communications Booster. Email requests are on every paid plan.
The Pet Owner App adds a prompt of its own. When a client who has been to you before makes a new booking, its confirmation asks them to review you on Google and copies a suggested review for them to edit. A first-time client sees the same ask after their first paid visit.
Getting more Google reviews over time
The businesses with the most reviews are rarely the ones with a clever script. They ask every week and they reply to what comes in.
- Put the QR code from step 3 on a card at the front desk or on the van
- Ask new clients after a good second visit, not the nervous first one
- Reply to every review, good and bad, within a couple of days. Our guide to replying to Google reviews has wording that works
- Never offer a discount or a gift for a review. Google does not allow it, and reviews can be removed
Frequently asked questions
Where do I find my Google review link?
On your Google Business Profile. Search for your business while signed in, select Ask for reviews or Get more reviews, and copy the short link.
Why does my Google review link open Maps instead of the review form?
You copied the listing address from Google Maps. Use the link from Ask for reviews instead, which starts with g.page/r/.
Can I put my Google review link in a text?
Yes. Keep it to one message with the client's name, the pet's name and the link. In Petboost, texting needs the Communications Booster.
Is it allowed to offer a discount for a Google review?
No. Google's policy does not allow incentives for reviews, and reviews gathered that way can be removed.
How often should I ask a client for a review?
Once is usually enough. If they have not left one after a gentle reminder, leave it.
Do I need a Google Business Profile first?
Yes. Create and verify one at business.google.com, then come back for the link. Our Google Business Profile guide walks through setup.
The full steps are in the Petboost Academy guide to Google review requests, and the Google reviews page shows each request in the product.