How to get more Google reviews in the UAE (the right way)

With Google handling 93.5% of searches in the UAE (StatCounter, September 2026), your Google rating is often the first thing a new customer sees. Yet finding the review button takes several steps, and every extra step makes a customer more likely to put it off.

This guide shows how to make leaving a review easy for every customer — with your review link, a QR code and an NFC review card or stand — while staying within Google's rules.

What is a Google review card?

A Google review card is an NFC card set up to open your business's Google review link. When a customer taps it with their phone, the review form opens directly — no searching for your business, no app. A review stand does the same from a counter or table, so it's there for every customer at the end of their visit.

Step 1: find your Google review link

Google gives every Business Profile a link that opens its review form (Google Business Profile Help).

1. Sign in to the Google account that manages your Google Business Profile, and open your profile on Google Search or Google Maps.
2. Select Read reviews, then Get more reviews. Google renames these menus from time to time.
3. Copy the link. On a computer, Google can also show it as a QR code.
4. Test it on your phone: it should open the review form for your business.

Want a printable QR code and table card? Our free Google review QR code generator turns your link into one, in English and Arabic.

Step 2: choose how customers reach it

Cardly.ae review cards and stands are set up to open your review link and delivered across the UAE. For what other UAE sellers charge, see our NFC business card price guide.

Step 3: place them where every customer passes

• Restaurants and cafés: at the till, in the bill folder or on tables.
• Salons and spas: at reception during checkout.
• Clinics: at reception after the appointment — and check your healthcare regulator's advertising rules first.
• Retail: by the payment terminal or on the packing table.
• Hotels: at the front desk during checkout and in the lobby.

One stand per service point is usually enough. Keep it clean and visible, and make sure staff know it's there.

Step 4: know what to say

A short, neutral line works better than a hard sell — and it's the same for every customer:

• “We'd value your honest feedback — tap here to leave a Google review.”
• In Arabic: «يسعدنا رأيك الصريح — المس هنا لتقييمنا على Google.»

Say it to every customer at the same point in their visit — not only the ones who look delighted — and never tie it to anything in return.

Stay within Google's rules

Google's policy on reviews exists to keep ratings trustworthy. In short, businesses must not:

• Offer incentives. No discounts, freebies or prize draws in exchange for reviews (Google Business Profile Help).
• Ask selectively. Ask all customers, not only those you expect to be positive. Filtering who you ask (“review gating”) isn't allowed.
• Pressure customers on the premises. Don't require or pressure customers to leave a review before they go.
• Set staff review targets. Don't give staff a quota of reviews to collect, or ask customers to mention a staff member by name.
• Write or buy reviews, or ask staff, friends or family to review your business.

Google can remove reviews that break these rules. Genuine reviews, collected consistently, build a rating customers trust.

Step 5: respond to reviews

• Reply to every review, ideally within a week — a short thank-you is enough for positive ones.
• Answer criticism calmly and helpfully. Acknowledge the issue, explain what you'll do and invite the customer to contact you directly.
• Reply in the reviewer's language where you can. In the UAE that often means Arabic or English.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Hiding the stand. A stand behind the till or under a pile of menus won't be used. Put it where guests naturally pause and can see it.
• Asking at the wrong moment. Don't ask while a guest is queueing, paying in a hurry or waiting for a delayed order. Ask when the service is complete — at the same moment for everyone.
• Using an old link. If you moved location or merged Business Profiles, test the link before you order and after any change.
• Forgetting new staff. Add the one-sentence ask and the stand's location to onboarding, so the habit survives staff turnover.
• Ignoring what reviews say. Reviews are free feedback. Share recurring comments with the team every month and fix what keeps coming up.

Measure what's working

Note your review count and average rating at the start of each month. After placing a stand, you should be able to see whether review volume changes. Ask staff which moments and phrases work best, and move stands to where they get used.

Look beyond the star average, too: the number of recent reviews and how quickly you reply both shape how new customers judge you. A steady flow of fresh, genuine reviews usually matters more than a perfect score from years ago.

What about phones without NFC?

iPhone XS and later read NFC tags without an app (Apple Developer), and so do Android phones that have NFC, once it's switched on. Android accounts for about 78% of UAE mobile page views (77.5%, StatCounter, August 2026), but not every Android phone has NFC — so display a printed QR code of your review link next to your stand as a backup.

Beyond reviews: give your venue a digital card

A review stand gets you reviews; a digital business card answers everything else guests ask — opening hours, menu, location and WhatsApp reservations — on one bilingual link. It's free on Cardly.ae. See Cardly.ae for hotels and restaurants.

Sources

• Google — Maps user-generated content policy: prohibited and restricted content (checked 28 September 2026)
• Google Business Profile Help — create a Google link or QR code to request reviews (checked 28 September 2026)
• Google Business Profile Help — tips to get more reviews (checked 28 September 2026)
• StatCounter — search engine market share in the UAE (September 2026; checked 13 October 2026)
• StatCounter — mobile operating system market share in the UAE (August 2026; checked 28 September 2026)
• Apple Developer — background tag reading on iPhone (checked 28 September 2026)