How patient reviews work: Google, verified reviews, or both

AesthetiClinic can email eligible patients for a review after a completed visit, normally around 72 hours after the appointment's start time. Patients need an email address and marketing-email consent. You can choose Google reviews, reviews held here, or a choice of both. Everything about reviews now lives on one page: Settings, Reviews.

Turning review requests on

1. Go to Settings, Reviews.
2. Switch on Automatic review requests at the top of the page (owners only).
3. If listing lookup is available under Your Google listing, type your business name or paste a Google Maps link into Business name or Google Maps link, press Find my listing, then press Connect beside your clinic. If you had no review link yet, requests now link to your Google profile automatically.
4. Under Review requests, choose a destination (see below), check your review link and press Save.

Prefer your own link, such as the one from Ask for reviews in your Google Business Profile? Press add a custom link, Use a custom link or Change, depending on what is already saved, and paste your link into Google review link. It must be one of Google's accepted review links: other web addresses are refused, and the page warns if a saved link no longer passes that check. A blank Google link prevents direct Google requests, but does not stop requests collected here. Switch off Automatic review requests to stop them.

Requests also depend on the automation and its email channel being enabled, and on visit grouping, previous reviews and waiting periods. See Collecting reviews automatically. The wording and timing of the request email are still edited in Settings, Messaging, on the review request card in the Marketing section.

The three options

Under Where do review requests send patients?, pick one. Whichever you pick applies to every patient the same way, and every review is published whatever its rating. That keeps you on the right side of UK review rules.

• Both (recommended): patients choose a public Google review, or a verified review here without their full name. Google grows how you are found; the here option captures reviews you would otherwise never get.
• Google only: the request links straight to your Google review page. Best if your priority is growing your Google profile, though patients who will not review publicly simply will not review.
• Here only: verified reviews on your booking page and directory profile, with the patient's name optional. No Google option is offered, so this will not grow your Google presence.

What the patient sees

On Both, a valid Google review link opens a short page asking "How would you like to review us?" with two choices: Review us on Google (public, shown with their Google name), or Review here, without your full name. Patients make this choice before giving any rating, so it is offered in the same way whatever their experience. Without a valid Google review link, they go straight to the review form here.

On Here only, the patient goes straight to the review form. On Google only, they go straight to your Google review page.

The review form here asks for a star rating from one to five and an optional few words about their visit. They then choose how their name appears: their first name, their initials only, or fully anonymous (shown as "Verified patient"). A note tells them the review will be shown publicly on your booking page and directory profile, whatever the rating.

An invitation to review here stays open for 90 days. An expired invitation shows This review link is no longer valid. Once a review has been submitted, reopening its link shows Thank you. This expiry does not apply to direct Google links.

Where reviews appear

• Your booking page. Verified reviews left here show with their star rating and the name option the patient chose. Quotes appear in the page only once you have at least three written reviews. Untick Show review quotes on the booking page if you would rather show only the rating, the review count and a link to read recent reviews. The booking page carries up to 20 reviews in total, taking reviews collected here first and filling remaining places with imported or manually published text reviews; the rating and count can cover more.
• Your directory profile, if you are listed. Verified reviews show there too. With a Google listing connected, up to five reviews chosen by Google can also show, exactly as written; untick Show my Google reviews on my directory profile to show only your Google rating and count.

Reviews patients leave here are listed under Reviews left here on the same page, where clinic owners can reply to reviews that are not hidden. See Moderating and replying to reviews.