After a matter has been concluded successfully, many clients are happy to share their experience, but hardly anyone goes looking for the right form on their own. A direct link and a QR code take that step off their hands and open your firm’s review window with one click or scan.
Why reviews matter for firms
Anyone looking for a tenancy lawyer or a tax adviser for their first income tax return usually ends up on Google Maps first. There, every listing shows the average star rating and the number of reviews. For people who have never dealt with a law or tax firm before, these experiences are often the only point of reference before the first call.
Google itself names the number and average of reviews as one factor in the order of local search results. Honest, recent feedback therefore works in two places: in the searcher’s decision and in your firm’s visibility in the area.
How to find your firm’s Place ID
For the link to lead straight to the review form, the tool needs the Place ID: a string Google uses to uniquely identify every place on Maps. Google provides the Place ID Finder for this. Enter your firm’s name there, click the matching result and copy the ID, which usually starts with “ChIJ”.
Add the finished link to your email signature, your closing letter or your website, and put the QR code on the desk card at reception. Anyone who scans it lands directly on your firm’s stars without searching.
What firms should keep in mind when asking for reviews
Google’s rules are clear: nothing in return for reviews, so neither a discount nor a free service, and no pre-sorting in which only satisfied clients receive the link. What is allowed is offering everyone the same link or QR code. Fake or purchased reviews are also prohibited by unfair competition law in Austria and Germany.
Then there is confidentiality: reply to reviews factually and without details of the matter, and do not confirm that someone was your client. Particularly strict rules on advertising and confidentiality apply to notaries and mediators. If in doubt, check with your chamber or professional association how actively you may ask for reviews.
