Ask contractors where their best customers come from and most will say referrals. Today, many of those referrals still end with a Google search. The customer types in your name, sees your rating, reads a few reviews and only then picks up the phone. Reviews have become a referral that works around the clock.
The contractors with hundreds of reviews did not get lucky. They ask every customer, at the right moment, in a way that takes a minute. This guide covers when to ask, exactly what to say, how to reply and the rules you need to stay inside.
Why reviews matter so much for contractors
Reviews do three jobs at once.
- They help you show up. Google says the number of reviews and your rating are part of how it ranks local results. Reviews also feed your ranking in Local Services Ads.
- They help you get picked. When three companies sit side by side in the map results, the one with more recent, detailed reviews usually gets the first call.
- They answer objections before you hear them. A review that says “they showed up when they said they would and cleaned up every day” does more than any sales pitch.
Customers also notice when reviews stop. A company with 80 reviews and nothing new in a year looks like it might have slowed down, changed hands or closed. A steady trickle of fresh reviews tells them you are busy and doing good work right now.
When to ask
Ask at the moment the customer is happiest. That is almost always the day the job is finished. They have just seen the result, and your crew is still in the driveway. A week later they are back to normal life, and your request is one more message to ignore.
Good moments to ask:
- During the final walk-through, when the customer says they love it.
- Right after a service call that fixed an urgent problem, like no heat or a burst pipe.
- When the final payment comes in, along with a thank-you.
- Any time a customer compliments your crew by text or email. Reply with thanks and the link.
On long projects like remodels, additions and new homes, ask near the end, once the customer can see the finished result. If they mentioned being thrilled at a milestone, such as the day the cabinets went in, remind them of that moment when you ask.
Who should ask
The person the customer trusts most should ask. On service calls and small jobs, that is usually the technician or crew lead. On big projects, it is the owner or project manager. A request from someone the customer knows gets far more responses than an automated email from “The Team.”
Then back up the spoken request with a text that includes the link, so the customer can do it in a minute while the job is still fresh in their mind.
What to say: scripts you can use
Keep it short, personal and specific. Ask for an honest review, not a five-star one. Change the wording so it sounds like you.
In person, at the walk-through
In person
“Thanks again for having us. Most of our customers find us on Google, so reviews make a big difference for a company our size. Would you be willing to leave us an honest review? I’ll text you the link right now so it only takes a minute.”
Text message, the same day
Text
Hi [first name], it’s [your name] from [company]. Thanks again for having us out today. If you have a minute, an honest Google review would really help us: [link]. Thank you!
Email, after final payment
Subject: Thank you from [company]
Hi [first name],
Thank you for trusting us with your [project]. It was a pleasure working with you, and we hope you enjoy it for years.
Most of our customers find us through Google, so reviews from people like you help us more than any ad. If you have a minute, we would be grateful for an honest review here: [link]
And if anything is not right, reply to this email or call me directly at [number]. We will make it right.
[Your name]
[Company]
One reminder, a few days later
Reminder text
Hi [first name], quick reminder in case the link got buried: [link]. No worries if you don’t get to it, and thanks again for choosing us.
One reminder is plenty. More than that starts to feel like pressure.
Make it easy
- Use a direct link. In your Google Business Profile, choose the option to ask for reviews. It gives you a short link that opens the review form directly. Save it in your phone, your email signature and your invoicing software.
- Print a QR code that opens the same link. Put it on invoices, leave-behind cards and the back of your business card.
- Text first. Texts get read. Emails get buried. Send the email as a backup.
- Do not make them hunt. “Look us up on Google” loses a lot of customers before they ever find the review button.
Turn asking into a system
The difference between 30 reviews and 300 is rarely the quality of the work. It is whether asking happens on every job or only when someone remembers.
- Tie it to a step that always happens, like closing out the job in your scheduling software or sending the final invoice. Many field service and CRM apps can send the request automatically when a job is marked complete.
- Track it. Count requests sent and reviews received each month, by crew or technician if you can.
- Share the wins. Read good reviews in your crew meeting or post them in the group text, and name the people mentioned. Crews ask more often when they see the results.
Rules you need to follow
Review rules have tightened, and the penalties are real: removed reviews, limits on new reviews, a suspended profile and, for fake reviews, federal fines. Stay well inside the lines.
- Do not offer anything in exchange for a review. No discounts, gift cards, drawings or free service. Google does not allow incentives, even when you ask for an honest review.
- Ask everyone, not just the happy customers. Google does not allow “review gating,” where you screen customers first and send only the satisfied ones to Google.
- Do not write reviews for yourself, or have employees, family or friends review you as if they were customers.
- Never buy reviews or use services that promise them. The Federal Trade Commission’s rule on fake reviews lets it fine businesses that buy, sell or create fake reviews.
- Do not pressure customers to change or remove a review, and never review your competitors.
- Let customers post from their own phones. A tablet passed around the office, or a stack of reviews posted over your office Wi-Fi, can look suspicious and get filtered.
How to reply to reviews
Reply to every review. Customers read your replies to see how you treat people, and a calm reply to a bad review can earn more trust than another five-star review.
Replying to good reviews
Thank them by name, mention the job and keep it short. Naming the service and town is fine when it reads naturally. Stuffing in keywords is not.
Reply to a good review
“Thank you, Dave. We enjoyed working on your patio and driveway, and we’re glad the crew left everything clean. Enjoy the new space this summer!”
Replying to bad reviews
- Wait until you are calm. Do not reply in the same hour you read it.
- Find out what happened. Check the job file, talk to the crew and look at your notes.
- Reply briefly and professionally. Thank them, acknowledge the problem, state facts without arguing and offer to talk directly.
- Keep private details private. Never post the price they paid, their address or anything about their payment history.
- Fix it if you can. Customers can update their own reviews. If you solve the problem, you can let them know that option exists, but never make it a condition.
Reply to a bad review
“Tom, thank you for the feedback, and I’m sorry the cleanup didn’t meet your expectations. That isn’t our standard. I’d like to make it right, so please call me directly at [number] and we’ll set up a time to come back out. – [Name], Owner”
The real audience for your reply is the next customer reading it. Calm and fair wins jobs. Defensive and sarcastic loses them.
Fake or unfair reviews
If a review comes from someone who was never your customer, includes hate speech or personal information, or is clearly from a competitor, report it from your Google Business Profile. Google removes reviews that break its policies, not reviews that are simply negative. Reply professionally while you wait, because customers will see the review in the meantime.
Beyond Google
Google matters most for most trades, but customers check other sites depending on the job:
- Facebook, especially for residential trades in smaller towns.
- Houzz for remodeling, design-build, kitchens, baths and custom homes.
- Angi, Nextdoor, the Better Business Bureau and Yelp, depending on your area and trade.
Get Google right first. Once those reviews are flowing, point some customers to the second site your future customers use most. Read each site’s rules before you ask. Some, including Yelp, do not allow businesses to ask for reviews at all.
Put your reviews to work
- On your website. Show recent reviews near your call button and on the matching service pages.
- On social media. Share good ones with a photo of the finished job.
- In estimates. Include two or three reviews from similar jobs when you send a proposal.
- In your ads. Read reviews for patterns. If customers keep praising your communication or cleanup, that is your message.
We set up review generation for contractors: direct links, automatic requests tied to your job software, help with replies and monthly tracking. To see how your reviews stack up against the competitors in your area, ask for a free marketing audit.