Guide · 5 steps
How to get more Google reviews for your grooming salon
Almost every happy client intends to leave a review. Most forget by the time they have got the dog into the car. That gap is the whole problem, and it is a timing problem rather than a satisfaction one.
Reviews are also the closest thing an independent groomer has to advertising that works while you are grooming.
The five steps
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Claim and complete your Business Profile
Reviews attach to a Google Business Profile, so that has to exist and be yours before anything else matters. Claim it, set the right category, confirm your hours.
Then add real photographs of your own work. A profile with fifteen before-and-after grooms converts a browser into an enquiry in a way that a stock photo never will.
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Get your short review link
Google Business Profile gives you a direct link that opens the review box. Use it. Do not ask people to search for you.
Every extra step loses people. "Search for us on Google and leave a review" is three steps and a decision; a link is one tap.
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Ask while the dog still looks good
The window is short. Shortly after the appointment, the client is still pleased with how their dog looks and is likely to say so. A week later, the coat has been rained on and the moment has gone.
Asking in person while they are paying works too, but only if you also send the link. Verbal agreement is not a review.
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Keep the request short and specific
Two sentences, the dog's name, one link. Naming the dog is what separates a real message from a template, and it costs you nothing because the name is already on the appointment.
A worked example
Thanks for bringing Bella in today — she was very good for her trim. If you have a minute, a Google review really helps a small salon like ours.
Do not offer anything in exchange. Google's policies prohibit incentivised reviews, and reviews obtained that way can be removed. A discount for a review risks the reviews you already have.
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Automate it
Asking by hand works fine on a quiet Tuesday. It stops working in the week you have eleven dogs booked, which is exactly the week you would most like the reviews.
SmartGroom sends a Google review request after the appointment automatically, so it happens on your busiest days rather than only on your calmest ones.
What else SmartGroom automates
FAQ
Review questions
Can I offer a discount in exchange for a Google review?+
No. Google's policies prohibit incentivised reviews, and reviews obtained that way can be removed. Ask without offering anything in return.
What should I do about a bad review?+
Reply once, briefly and without defensiveness, and move the conversation off the platform. Future clients read the reply as much as the review, and a calm response does more for you than the review costs.
How many Google reviews does a grooming salon need?+
There is no threshold that guarantees anything. A steady flow of recent reviews generally reads better to a prospective client than a larger number of old ones, because recency suggests the business is still busy.
Related: charging no-show fees · switching grooming software
Let the request send itself
Automated Google review requests after every appointment. $599 once for the first 20 salons.