KARDINAL
Reviews · Guide
A review page for your small business: more Google reviews, handled honestly
Most happy customers would leave a review if you made it one tap. Most unhappy ones would rather tell you first. A good review page does both, honestly.
By Harrison Holt · · 2 min read
Ask a happy customer for a Google review and most say "sure." Then they get home, can't find your listing, give up on the third tap, and the review never happens. The problem usually isn't willingness. It's friction.
A review page removes it: one link, or one QR code, that opens a page where the customer rates you and goes straight to the right place to post.
How an honest review page works
- The customer taps a star to say how satisfied they were.
- 4 or 5 stars: they're invited to share it publicly, with your Google link right there.
- 1 to 3 stars: they're offered a private note that goes straight to you, and a direct phone call, so you can make it right.
- The public review links stay visible to everyone, whatever they tap. Anyone can post a public review at any time.
That last step is the line between service recovery and review gating.
Why not gate reviews?
"Review gating" means only sending happy customers to Google and hiding the public link from unhappy ones. Google's review policies don't allow it, and it can cost you the reviews you earned. It also doesn't work for long: an unhappy customer who can't find your link will find it anyway, angrier.
A private note first, with the public links still showing, gets you most of what gating promises (the chance to fix a problem before it's public) without hiding anything.
Where to share your review page
- Text it after the job, the closing or the appointment, while it's fresh.
- Print the QR code on the invoice, the receipt or a counter card.
- Put the link in your email signature and your follow-up emails.
What a Review Site is
A Review Site is that page, set up for your business: your name, your Google listing, your satisfaction flow. Private notes go to your email. It's $39 a month. You can open ours and try it: 1 to 3 stars sends us a real note.
If you want more than reviews (customers who can call, text, request work and send photos from their home screen), the Kardinal App includes a Customer Feedback pack during launch.
Straight answers
Is this review gating?
No. Unhappy customers are offered a private note first, but the public review links stay visible to every customer, whatever they rate.
Do you write or post reviews for us?
No. We never post, edit or remove reviews, and never offer anything in exchange for a rating.
How much is a Review Site?
$39 a month.