# ReviewNudge: free tools for customer reviews

> Free tools for small businesses: draft replies to reviews, write honest review requests, and turn real feedback into QR cards and testimonial images. No account needed.

## Tools

- [Review reply writer](https://reviewnudge.app/tools/review-reply-generator/): Paste a review, get two short reply drafts you can edit and post yourself.
- [Review request message builder](https://reviewnudge.app/tools/review-request-generator/): Build an honest, ready-to-send review request for SMS, WhatsApp or email.
- [Review QR card maker](https://reviewnudge.app/tools/google-review-qr-code/): Turn your Google review link into a QR code and a printable card with your logo and colours.
- [Testimonial card maker](https://reviewnudge.app/tools/testimonial-generator/): Turn a real customer testimonial into a clean image for social media or your website.

## Review reply examples

- [How to reply to a negative review about price](https://reviewnudge.app/replies/negative-review-about-price/): Write the reply for future customers: thank the reviewer, explain briefly and calmly what the price covers, and never offer a discount in public.
- [How to reply to a review about a long wait](https://reviewnudge.app/replies/long-wait/): Say sorry for the wait itself, acknowledge the delay the customer describes without arguing about minutes, and thank them for anything they liked.
- [How to reply to a review that names a member of staff](https://reviewnudge.app/replies/staff-named/): Reply to the experience rather than the person: leave the employee's name and anything about their performance out, apologise for how the visit felt, and take the details offline.
- [How to reply to a review saying you didn't turn up or cancelled](https://reviewnudge.app/replies/no-show/): If you really did miss the appointment, apologise plainly and own it; if your records say otherwise, check them first and state the difference calmly, without accusing anyone.
- [How to reply to a one-star review with no text](https://reviewnudge.app/replies/one-star-no-text/): There's nothing to answer, so don't guess what went wrong: check your records, then post a short, calm reply inviting the person to tell you what happened, or leave it.
- [How to reply to a review you think is fake](https://reviewnudge.app/replies/suspected-fake-review/): Check your records, report the review to Google if you believe it isn't based on a real experience, and meanwhile post a short, calm reply saying you can't find a record of the visit.
- [How to reply to a review from a competitor posing as a customer](https://reviewnudge.app/replies/competitor-posing-as-customer/): Report it to Google if you have real grounds, since posting on a competitor's listing breaks its policy, and keep your public reply short and neutral without naming the rival.
- [How to reply to a review written in another language](https://reviewnudge.app/replies/review-in-another-language/): Make sure you understand the review properly first, then reply briefly and simply, in their language only if a fluent speaker can check the wording.
- [How to reply to a rude or abusive review](https://reviewnudge.app/replies/rude-or-abusive-review/): Report reviews that break Google's rules on profanity, harassment or unfounded criminal allegations, and if there is a real complaint inside the rudeness, answer that part calmly and ignore the abuse.
- [How to reply to a review complaining about your policy](https://reviewnudge.app/replies/complaint-about-a-policy/): Explain the reason for the rule in a sentence, acknowledge how it felt, own it if the rule wasn't made clear, and never make an exception in return for a changed review.
- [How to reply to a negative review after you have already refunded](https://reviewnudge.app/replies/review-after-refund/): Mention the refund or fix only if it's true and confirmed, leave out the amount and anything private, and never ask for the review to change in return.
- [How to reply to a mixed review](https://reviewnudge.app/replies/mixed-review/): Thank them for the specific thing they liked and deal with the specific thing they didn't, in about a sentence each, without over-promising.
- [How to reply when a customer updates their review after you fixed the problem](https://reviewnudge.app/replies/updated-review-after-fix/): Thank them briefly for coming back, edit your earlier reply so it still makes sense, and if the update is worse, treat it as a fresh review.
- [How to reply to a short positive review](https://reviewnudge.app/replies/positive-short/): Keep it short and warm: thank them, mention one real detail if you know the job, sign with your name, and don't paste the same line under every review.
- [How to reply to a long, detailed positive review](https://reviewnudge.app/replies/positive-detailed/): Show you read it by picking up one or two specifics, say thank you, keep it much shorter than theirs, and ask permission before reusing it anywhere.
- [How to reply to a positive review from a regular customer](https://reviewnudge.app/replies/repeat-customer-praise/): Thank them warmly and say you're glad to see them again, but keep out details they didn't share and never offer a reward in the reply.
- [How to reply to a three-star review](https://reviewnudge.app/replies/three-star-review/): Thank them, pick up the one specific word they used, and ask what would have made it better. Keep it short, don't invent a problem, and never ask them to change the rating.
- [How to reply to a bad review when the customer is wrong](https://reviewnudge.app/replies/customer-is-wrong/): Check your records, acknowledge how they felt, state the correct fact once and invite them to get in touch. No accusations, no private details, no back and forth.
- [How to reply to a review from a former employee](https://reviewnudge.app/replies/former-employee-review/): Google's policy bans reviews based on a conflict of interest, including former employment, so report it. If you reply publicly, keep it short and neutral and never discuss their employment.
- [How to reply to a review meant for another business](https://reviewnudge.app/replies/review-for-wrong-business/): Reply kindly, say it may be meant for another business, give the one fact that shows it and invite contact. Don't name the other business. If it stays up, report it.
- [How to reply to a patient review without breaking confidentiality](https://reviewnudge.app/replies/patient-review-confidentiality/): Reply in general terms only: never confirm the reviewer is a patient or mention treatment or appointments. Thank them, describe your general approach and invite them to contact the practice.
- [How to reply to a five-star review with no text](https://reviewnudge.app/replies/five-star-no-text/): You don't have to reply. If you do, keep it short and warm, use the name shown on the review, and don't guess what they liked or mention anything private.
- [How to handle a customer threatening a bad review unless they get a refund](https://reviewnudge.app/replies/review-threatening-bad-review/): Don't pay or bargain for the review. Keep every message, judge the complaint on its merits, post one calm reply if a review appears, and use Google's extortion report form.
- [How to reply to a review about cleanliness or hygiene](https://reviewnudge.app/replies/review-about-cleanliness-or-hygiene/): Check your records first, acknowledge the complaint, state only what you can confirm, say what you've changed only if it's true, and invite them to get in touch.
- [How to reply to a review claiming you caused damage or injury](https://reviewnudge.app/replies/review-claiming-damage-or-injury/): Keep the public reply short and neutral: show concern, don't admit fault or argue the facts, and take it offline. Gather your records first, and consider speaking to your insurer.
- [How to reply to a review about a late or missing delivery](https://reviewnudge.app/replies/review-about-delivery-delay/): Apologise for the wait, check your order records, own the part that was yours, keep order numbers and addresses out, and invite them to contact you to sort out the rest.
- [How to reply to a Google review with photos](https://reviewnudge.app/replies/review-with-photos/): Reply as you would to any review, mention the photo only in terms anyone can see are true, keep private details out, and report the photo separately if it breaks Google's rules.
- [Should you reply to old Google reviews?](https://reviewnudge.app/replies/replying-to-old-reviews/): You can, and Google sets no cut-off. Start with unanswered negative reviews and any where you have something new to say, own the delay in a line, and never claim a change that didn't happen.
- [How to reply to a review demanding a refund](https://reviewnudge.app/replies/review-asking-for-refund-publicly/): Reply once, briefly and politely, give them a way to reach you, and don't confirm, refuse or promise a refund in public. Never link a refund to changing the review.

## Guides

- [How to find your Google review link](https://reviewnudge.app/guides/find-your-google-review-link/): In your Google Business Profile, select Read reviews, then Get more reviews, and copy the link: it takes customers straight to the review box for your business.
- [How to ask customers for an honest review](https://reviewnudge.app/guides/ask-for-an-honest-review/): Ask every customer the same way, soon after the job, with a short message that asks for honest feedback, includes your review link and offers nothing in return.
- [The rules on asking for Google reviews: what UK businesses can and cannot do](https://reviewnudge.app/guides/asking-for-google-reviews-rules/): You can ask any customer for a Google review, but you must ask everyone the same way, offer nothing in return, never pressure anyone and never tell them what to write.
- [How to create a Google review link and QR code for your business](https://reviewnudge.app/guides/google-review-link-and-qr-code/): Copy your review link from Google Business Profile (Read reviews, then Get more reviews), save the QR code from the same screen, test both, and put them where customers already look.
- [How to respond to a negative Google review](https://reviewnudge.app/guides/respond-to-negative-google-reviews/): Reply briefly and politely: acknowledge the complaint, address the specific point, own what is yours, invite them to contact you and sign with your name, and report the review only if it breaks Google's policies.
- [How to report and remove a fake Google review](https://reviewnudge.app/guides/remove-fake-google-review/): Report it from your Business Profile or the Reviews Management Tool, choosing the policy reason that genuinely fits; Google removes only reviews that break its policies, not ones you simply disagree with.
- [How to get more Google reviews: a UK small business guide](https://reviewnudge.app/guides/how-to-get-more-google-reviews-uk/): Ask every customer the same way, soon after the job, with a direct one-tap review link, then reply to the reviews you get and make asking part of every week.
- [How to ask for a Google review by text (with examples)](https://reviewnudge.app/guides/ask-for-google-reviews-by-text/): Text customers who gave you their number during the job, soon afterwards, with a short plain message: their name, your business, the job, a request for honest feedback and your direct review link.
- [How to edit or delete a Google review you wrote](https://reviewnudge.app/guides/edit-or-delete-a-google-review-you-wrote/): In Google Maps, open your contributions, find the review, select More, then Edit review or Delete review. It works on a computer, Android and iPhone.
- [How to say thank you for a review (with examples)](https://reviewnudge.app/guides/thank-you-for-your-review-examples/): Say thanks, pick up one specific detail from the review and sign with your name. Keep it short, leave out offers, and use a staff member's first name only if the reviewer did.
- [How to ask for a review by email (with templates)](https://reviewnudge.app/guides/review-request-email-templates/): Email every customer the same plain request: their name, the specific job, a request for an honest review, your direct Google review link and an easy way to say no. No offers, no rating questions.
- [How to reply to Trustpilot reviews](https://reviewnudge.app/guides/reply-to-trustpilot-reviews/): Claim your free Trustpilot business profile, then go to Manage reviews > Service reviews > Inbox, type your reply and click Post reply. Replies are public, so keep them polite.
- [How to reply to Tripadvisor reviews](https://reviewnudge.app/guides/reply-to-tripadvisor-reviews/): Log in to the Tripadvisor Management Centre, click Reviews, pick the review, type in the response box and click Submit. You get one response per review, and it can take up to 2 days to appear.
- [Fake reviews and UK law: what small businesses need to know](https://reviewnudge.app/guides/fake-reviews-uk-law/): Since 6 April 2025 UK law bans writing or commissioning fake reviews, hiding that a review was incentivised and publishing reviews misleadingly. Asking every customer honestly is fine.
- [How to ask a customer for a testimonial (with examples)](https://reviewnudge.app/guides/how-to-ask-for-a-testimonial/): Ask soon after a good job, with two or three specific questions, then ask separately in writing for permission to publish their words, name or photo. Keep what they wrote.
- [Can you ask customers for a 5-star review?](https://reviewnudge.app/guides/can-you-ask-for-a-5-star-review/): No. You can ask any customer for a review, but asking for five stars tries to set the rating. Ask everyone for an honest review in their own words and offer nothing in return.
- [Do Google reviews help your local ranking?](https://reviewnudge.app/guides/do-google-reviews-help-local-ranking/): Yes. Google says more reviews and positive ratings can help your local ranking, as part of prominence, alongside relevance and distance. Nobody can pay for a better ranking.
- [Google review policy: profile restrictions and how to appeal](https://reviewnudge.app/guides/google-review-policy-restrictions-and-appeals/): Google can restrict a profile for fake reviews and lets you appeal by form. A review report Google rejects gets one appeal through the Reviews Management Tool.
- [How to ask for a review on Facebook](https://reviewnudge.app/guides/how-to-ask-for-a-review-on-facebook/): Facebook Page reviews are now Recommendations: customers click Reviews, then Yes or No, and write a few words. Turn them on in your Page settings, then ask every customer honestly.
- [How to ask for a review on Airbnb (UK hosts)](https://reviewnudge.app/guides/how-to-ask-for-a-review-on-airbnb/): Message every guest through Airbnb around checkout, inside the 14-day review window, and ask for an honest review. Never offer anything or pressure them for 5 stars.
- [How to respond to Airbnb reviews, including bad ones](https://reviewnudge.app/guides/how-to-respond-to-airbnb-reviews/): Go to Profile, Reviews, Reviews about you, then Leave public response. It posts at once under the review. Reply briefly for future guests, and ask Airbnb to remove only policy breaches.
- [How to ask for reviews on Etsy, eBay, Vinted and Depop](https://reviewnudge.app/guides/ask-for-reviews-on-etsy-ebay-vinted/): Ask every buyer once, through the platform's own messages, for an honest review inside its window: 100 days on Etsy, 4 days on Vinted. Never offer anything for a review.
- [How to ask for a Google review in other languages](https://reviewnudge.app/guides/ask-for-a-google-review-in-other-languages/): Copy your Google review link, then send every customer the same short, honest request in the language they use with you. Templates for six languages, to check with a native speaker first.
- [Customer feedback form examples: short samples you can copy for a small business](https://reviewnudge.app/guides/customer-feedback-form-examples/): A good customer feedback form for a small business has three to five questions: an overall rating, one open question about what went well or badly, and an optional way to contact them. Copy the samples below, then keep the form separate from any request for a public review.
- [Do testimonials help SEO? What they can and can't do for a small business](https://reviewnudge.app/guides/do-testimonials-help-seo/): Google's help pages do not say that testimonials on your website improve rankings. They do say that reviews on your Business Profile help local ranking. Use genuine testimonials to win visitors' trust, and collect Google reviews honestly.
- [Google review responses: examples for positive and negative reviews](https://reviewnudge.app/guides/review-response-examples/): A good Google review response thanks the reviewer, mentions one specific detail and is signed with your name. For a negative review, apologise for how it felt, state one fact calmly and give a phone number or email to sort it out.
- [How do Google reviews work for hotels, B&Bs and guesthouses?](https://reviewnudge.app/guides/google-reviews-for-hotels/): Guests leave Google reviews on your hotel's Business Profile, and those reviews show in Search, Maps and Google's hotel results. You can claim the profile, reply to every review, ask every guest honestly and report reviews that break Google's policies. You cannot delete reviews, filter guests by rating or offer rewards.
- [How do you add a 'Review us on Google' sign, button or sticker?](https://reviewnudge.app/guides/review-us-on-google-sign-button-sticker/): Point your 'Review us on Google' sign, sticker or website button at your own Google review link, usually as a QR code, and word it so it invites every customer. You can make one free in minutes, and you never need to pay for reviews.
- [How do you add a testimonial page to your website?](https://reviewnudge.app/guides/testimonial-page-on-website/): Add a page called Testimonials or What our customers say, fill it with real quotes your customers have agreed you can use, and link it from your main menu. Then put two or three of those quotes on the pages where people decide to buy.
- [How do you analyse customer feedback? A simple method for small businesses](https://reviewnudge.app/guides/analyse-customer-feedback/): Put every review, text and comment in one spreadsheet, tag each with a topic and a good, bad or mixed note, count the tags once a month, then fix the most common problem. Count every comment you receive, including the critical ones, or the totals will be wrong.
- [How do you ask customers to review you on Trustpilot?](https://reviewnudge.app/guides/ask-customers-to-review-you-on-trustpilot/): Share a link to your Trustpilot profile or use Trustpilot's invitation tools, and ask every customer in the same neutral way. Rewards and asking only the happy ones are both ruled out by Trustpilot's guidelines, and UK law treats cherry-picking as misleading.
- [How do you design a testimonial that looks trustworthy? Layouts, cards and what to include](https://reviewnudge.app/guides/testimonial-design/): A trustworthy testimonial puts the customer's real words first, in readable type, with their name and a detail that shows who they are. Keep the layout plain, show one quote per card, and never change what the customer meant.
- [How do you get and use dentist testimonials? A guide for dental practices](https://reviewnudge.app/guides/dentist-testimonials/): A dentist testimonial is a patient's own words about their care, published with their permission on your website or in the practice. Ask every patient the same way, get written consent first, never offer a reward, and never change the meaning of what they said.
- [How do you make a testimonial video? A simple phone-and-script guide for small businesses](https://reviewnudge.app/guides/testimonial-videos-for-small-business/): A testimonial video is a short clip of a real customer saying, in their own words, what it was like to use your business. You can film one on a phone in a few minutes: get permission, ask three open questions, film somewhere light and quiet, and publish what they said without paying, scripting or changing its meaning.
- [How do you remove a bad review from your Google Business Profile?](https://reviewnudge.app/guides/remove-bad-reviews-from-google-business-profile/): You cannot delete a bad Google review just because it is negative or unfair. You can report it for removal if it breaks Google's content policies, and if it stays, the best option is a calm public reply.
- [How do you respond to Google reviews? Steps, examples and what to say](https://reviewnudge.app/guides/how-to-reply-to-google-reviews/): Open your verified Google Business Profile, select Read reviews, then Reply next to the review, write your response and select Reply. Keep it short, specific and polite.
- [How do you run a customer feedback survey without breaking review rules?](https://reviewnudge.app/guides/customer-feedback-survey-for-small-business/): A customer feedback survey is a short, private set of questions you send every customer to learn what to improve. Keep it separate from your review request and send everyone the same review link, because sending only high scorers to Google is review gating and is not allowed.
- [How do you see your Google reviews? Ones you wrote and ones about your business](https://reviewnudge.app/guides/how-to-see-your-google-reviews/): Reviews you wrote: in Google Maps, open Menu, then Your contributions, then Reviews. Reviews of your business: sign in to the account that manages your Business Profile, find your profile and select Read reviews.
- [How do you set up Google reviews for your business?](https://reviewnudge.app/guides/set-up-google-reviews-for-your-business/): There is no separate switch for Google reviews: they come with your Google Business Profile. Claim or create the profile for free, verify it, then share your review link, and never buy, filter or reward reviews.
- [How do you write a testimonial? Examples, samples and a simple format](https://reviewnudge.app/guides/how-to-write-a-testimonial/): A good testimonial is two to four sentences in the customer's own words: what they needed, what the business did and what changed, with one specific detail and a name. Below are short and long samples for UK small businesses and a simple format you can copy.
- [How do you write a Tripadvisor review? What a good one includes, and what to tell your customers](https://reviewnudge.app/guides/tripadvisor-write-a-review-what-to-tell-customers/): Customers open your Tripadvisor listing, click Write a Review, give a rating from 1 to 5 bubbles and describe their own visit in their own words. You can tell them where to find you, but Tripadvisor bans businesses from scripting, rewarding or filtering reviews.
- [Reviews.io vs Trustpilot: which should a small business use?](https://reviewnudge.app/guides/reviews-io-vs-trustpilot/): Trustpilot is a public review site where anyone with a genuine experience can review you, invited or not. Reviews.io is a paid tool that online shops use to collect and display company and product reviews. For most local businesses, Google reviews come first.
- [Testimonial or testimony: which word do you use?](https://reviewnudge.app/guides/testimonial-or-testimony/): A testimony is a statement that something is true, usually evidence given in court or an account of religious experience. A testimonial is someone's statement praising a business, product or person, so a customer quote on your website is a testimonial.
- [Tripadvisor review cards: how do you get them, and do you need to pay?](https://reviewnudge.app/guides/tripadvisor-review-cards/): Tripadvisor's own reminder cards are ordered from the Management Center under Marketing Tools, then Promotional Tools, and Tripadvisor says the first 100 are free apart from shipping. If that option is missing, a home-printed card with your listing link and a QR code does the same job. You never need to pay for one.
- [What is a testimonial ad? Examples and how to make one that follows the rules](https://reviewnudge.app/guides/testimonial-ads-for-small-businesses/): A testimonial ad is an advert built around a real customer's words, photo or video instead of your own claims. Use a genuine quote the customer has agreed to, show who said it, and never edit, invent or reward it.
- [What is another word for testimonial? Synonyms and which one to use](https://reviewnudge.app/guides/testimonial-synonyms/): Common synonyms for testimonial are endorsement, recommendation, reference, commendation and tribute, with kind words and customer story as friendlier labels. Pick by meaning: customer praise, a formal reference about a person, or the legal sense of testimony, which belongs nowhere near your website.
- [What is customer feedback? Types, examples and where reviews fit](https://reviewnudge.app/guides/what-is-customer-feedback/): Customer feedback is anything customers tell you, in words, ratings or actions, about their experience of your business. It comes as private feedback (messages, surveys, conversations) and public feedback (online reviews), and a small business needs both.
- [What makes a good student testimonial? Examples and how to collect them](https://reviewnudge.app/guides/student-testimonials/): A good student testimonial says where the student started, what changed and who else it would suit, in two or three honest sentences. Ask every student in your own words, get written permission (from a parent or guardian for under-18s) and never reward, script or rewrite it.
- [What should a testimonial form include? Questions, a copy-paste template and consent wording](https://reviewnudge.app/guides/testimonial-forms/): A good testimonial form asks four to six short, open questions (what they bought, the problem it solved, what changed, who they would recommend you to), then asks permission to publish their words with the name they choose. Offer no reward and send it to every customer, not only the happy ones.
- [Why are my reviews not showing on Google, and what can you do about it?](https://reviewnudge.app/guides/google-reviews-not-showing/): A missing Google review is usually still being checked (Google says this can take a few days), has been removed by the reviewer or by Google for breaking its policies, or is hidden by a problem with your profile. Find out which case you are in, then wait, fix your profile, or use Google's report and appeal routes.

## Principles

- Review requests ask for honest feedback, never a rating, and never offer a reward.
- Every customer gets the same review link: no rating screen diverts unhappy customers (review gating), which Google prohibits.
- Reply drafts use only facts the business confirms and are posted by the business itself.
- Testimonial cards format real feedback; nothing writes endorsements.

Made by Adapt Progress Evolve Limited (UK company 10047328, registered office 5 Brayford Square, London E1 0SG), the studio behind ScriptGrain (https://scriptgrain.com).