Reviews are the single biggest trust signal a new customer sees, and one of the top ranking factors for local search. The businesses with the most recent, most detailed, highest rated reviews win the call. The businesses with a handful of reviews from three years ago do not.
2 of 3 · 8 stepsAsk every customer for a Google review by text, within an hour of finishing the job, with a link that opens straight to the review box. Send one follow up, reply to every review, and set it to fire automatically when a job is marked done so it never depends on someone remembering.
When two businesses show up side by side on Google Maps, people call the one with more and newer reviews. Reviews also feed what Google's AI and ChatGPT say when someone asks who to hire.
The businesses with the most reviews are usually not the best ones. They are the ones that ask every customer, every time.
This link opens the star rating box directly, so the customer skips searching for you.
Google moves these buttons around from time to time. If you do not see 'Ask for reviews,' open business.google.com and look for 'Get more reviews.'
The best trigger is the moment the work is done: a job marked complete, an invoice paid, or a customer checked out. Pick one that already happens every time in your software.
Real estate investors: send after closing, and also to buyers, agents, and sellers who had a good experience even if they did not sell to you.
Use the customer's first name, your name, and the company name. One ask, one link.
Hi {first name}, it's {your name} with {company}. Thanks for having us out today. If we did a good job, would you leave us a quick Google review? It takes about a minute and helps a small local business a lot: {review link}Set the request to go out 30 to 60 minutes after the trigger, while the job is fresh. Only send between 8 AM and 8 PM in the customer's time zone. If a job finishes at 9 PM, hold the text until morning.
If they have not left a review after two days, send one reminder. Then stop. More than one reminder costs goodwill.
Hi {first name}, a quick follow up from {company}. If you have a minute, a review here helps us a lot: {review link}. Thanks either way.Google shows your replies to everyone who reads your reviews. Thank happy customers by name and mention the job. Keep replies to bad reviews short, calm, and offline.
Dave, I'm sorry this was not the experience you should have had. I'd like to make it right. Please call me directly at {number}. Brad, owner
Thanks, Maria. Glad we got the leak fixed the same day. Call us anytime. Brad, Henley Roofing
Send the review request to every customer, happy or not. Google does not allow asking only the people you expect to leave good reviews. When a customer replies with a complaint, or leaves a low rating, call them that day and fix it. A fair reply under a bad review often wins more trust than another five star review.
Add a live Google reviews feed to your homepage and your booking or quote page. Put your star rating and review count near your phone number. Most website builders and CRMs have a reviews widget that updates on its own.
No. Google does not allow any incentive for reviews, even for honest ones. Ask, make it easy, and thank people who do.
Only if it breaks Google's rules, for example spam, a fake account, someone who was never a customer, or hateful language. Flag it from your profile. If it is a real customer's opinion, reply calmly and fix what you can.
Look at the top three businesses on Google Maps for your main service in your town. Aim to pass their review count and keep adding new ones every month. Our free Google profile audit shows the number for your area.
Yes, especially for AI answers, which pull from several review sites. Google comes first because it controls the Maps results.