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Getting more Google reviews

How to get more Google reviews (a system, not begging)

Ask every customer, ask within a day or two, and make the review one tap away. Here is the whole system for contractors, with scripts and the rules to stay inside.

The getmitch team 10 min read

To get more Google reviews, ask every customer, ask within a day or two of finishing the job, and send a direct link so leaving the review takes one tap. Do that on every job and the count climbs on its own. Everything below is how to set that up so it happens even in your busiest month.

Most contractors already do work worth reviewing. The customer says "great job, thanks," and nobody asks them to say it on Google.

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Why reviews matter for a contractor

When someone searches "plumber near me" or "roof repair" and sees three businesses on the map, the star rating and review count sit right next to each name. People compare those before they ever visit a website. A profile with 12 reviews next to one with 140 gives the customer far less to go on, even if the work is identical.

Reviews also give you words customers wrote themselves. A review that says "fixed our water heater the same day and cleaned up after" does more than any line on your website.

Google says plainly that it uses business information, including reviews, to decide how local results are ordered, along with relevance, distance and prominence. Nobody outside Google knows the exact weight of each, so be wary of anyone who gives you a precise number. What you can say safely: recent, real, detailed reviews help, and a steady flow beats a burst.

A direct review link opens Google's review box for your business. The customer taps it and the star selector is right there. No searching for your name, no hunting for the right profile, no wrong "Smith Plumbing" down the road.

You can get yours from your Business Profile (there is an option to share a review form) or use our free review link generator. The step-by-step is in how to find your Google review link. Open the link yourself once to confirm it goes to your business.

One more thing to know: customers need to be signed in to a Google account to post. Most already are on their phones. If someone is not, they can create an account with any email address, which is a reason to make the rest of the process as short as possible.

Step 2: Decide who asks and when

This is where most systems fail. If "someone" is supposed to ask, nobody does. Pick one rule and write it down:

  • Owner-operator: you ask at the end of every job, before you leave the driveway, then send the link by text that evening or the next morning.
  • Crew of two to five: the lead on the job asks in person. The office sends the link after the invoice goes out.
  • Office handles it: every closed job triggers a text 24 to 72 hours later. That gap is long enough that you are not hovering over the customer and short enough that they remember you.

Whichever you pick, ask everyone, including the customers who seemed lukewarm. It also makes practical sense: a profile that is all 5.0 looks suspicious, and a few 4-star reviews with honest comments look real.

Step 3: Ask in the channel the customer actually uses

Pick the channel based on how you talked to the customer during the job.

Text message

A good fit for most home service work. The link opens right in Google Maps or the browser. Keep it short and personal.

Text right after the job

Hi Maria, it's Dale from Dale's Plumbing. Thanks for having us out today. A quick Google review would really help a small business like ours. Here's the link, it takes about a minute: [your link]

Follow-up if there is no review after a week

Hi Maria, Dale again. No pressure at all, but if you get a minute, this link takes you straight to the review box: [your link]. Thanks again for your business.

Send one reminder at most. A second nudge is the point where a polite ask starts to feel like pestering.

Email

Better for larger projects, commercial customers and anyone who gave you an email but not a cell number. Put the link on its own line near the top.

Email after a bigger project

Subject: Quick favor after your project Hi Tom, Thanks for choosing us for your bathroom remodel. It was a pleasure working with you and your family. Would you mind leaving us a short Google review? It helps other homeowners find us, and it tells us what to keep doing. Review link: [your link] Thanks again, Dale

Face to face

Asking in person works well because the customer is looking at the finished work and at you. Do it while you are walking them through the job.

What to say at the door

Glad it all came out well. If you have a minute tonight, a Google review makes a real difference for us. I'll text you the link right now so you don't have to search for us.

For more scripts and variations, see how to ask for a Google review.

Not every customer will respond to a text. Give them other places to find you.

Add a QR code to the truck, invoices and cards

A scannable code on the tailgate, the invoice and your business card lets a customer review you from their phone while they are still thinking about the job. Our free tool makes one, and the code points straight at Google. Details in the guide to Google review QR codes.

Put the link in your email signature

Every quote, invoice and reply carries it. Costs nothing and takes two minutes.

Add it to the receipt or the thank-you page

If you take payment online, the page that confirms payment is a natural place for one line asking for a review.

The Google review QR codes guide covers sizing and where each placement works best.

Tip: Do not send everyone to a "feedback" page first

Some tools ask "how was your experience?" and only send happy customers to Google. That is review gating, and it breaks Google's review policy (below). Send everyone to the same review link.

Step 5: Reply to every review

Replying does two jobs. It tells the reviewer you noticed, and it shows the next customer how you treat people when things go well or badly.

To reply, you need a verified profile. Open your Business Profile, go to the reviews section and use the reply option beside the review. The reply appears as your business, and the reviewer gets notified. Google says replies usually take up to 10 minutes to review, though some take longer.

A good reply is two or three sentences. Use the customer's first name, mention the specific job, and thank them. Do not paste the same reply under every review. Examples to copy are in positive review responses.

For a bad review, slow down and read how to respond to a bad review before you type anything. Never argue, never share customer details, and move the conversation offline.

The rules you need to stay inside

These are the points that get contractors into trouble. Check them against anything a marketing company or software vendor suggests. This is the full version of Google's review policy, and the other guides in this series point back here.

No incentives. Google does not allow reviews posted because a business offered payment, discounts or free goods or services. That covers offers to post a review, to change one, or to remove a negative one. "Leave a review and get 10% off your next job" is out.

No gating. Google's policy says businesses must not discourage or prohibit negative reviews, or selectively solicit positive ones. Do not ask only your happy customers, and do not route unhappy ones somewhere else.

No scripting the review. You can ask for a review. You cannot ask for specific content in it, or tell staff to collect a set number of reviews.

No fake reviews, and none from people with a conflict of interest. Reviews have to reflect a real experience. Google lists current or former employees, family members and competitors as conflicts of interest. Having your crew post reviews is out. So is buying reviews. See why buying Google reviews backfires.

The FTC has a rule too. The FTC's Consumer Review and Testimonials Rule took effect on October 21, 2024. It bans writing or buying fake reviews, incentives that require a particular sentiment, undisclosed reviews from company insiders, and fake social media followers. It also bars intimidation and groundless legal threats used to stop or remove a review. Courts can impose civil penalties for knowing violations. The FTC's business guidance on the rule has the details.

This is general information, not legal advice.

Texting is the most direct channel for review requests, and it has legal rules attached.

Get the customer's consent before texting. Consent rules apply to business texts, including the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) for texts sent with automated systems. A review request is a message from a business asking for something, so the cautious approach is to treat it like a marketing text and get clear consent first.

Practical steps that keep you on the safe side:

  1. Collect the customer's mobile number on the job paperwork, and add a line that says you may text them about their job, including to ask for feedback.
  2. Keep a record of when and how they agreed.
  3. Include your business name in every text.
  4. Honor "STOP" right away.
  5. If you use a texting platform, expect it to ask you to register your business and use case with US carriers (A2P 10DLC registration). Unregistered business texting can get blocked.

The rules and court decisions around texting consent change, so do not assume what you read last year still holds.

This is general information, not legal advice. If you plan to text at volume, ask a lawyer to review your consent wording.

How many reviews is enough

There is no universal target. Look at who shows up when you search your main service and town. Count their reviews and read their latest dates. Your goal is to beat the contractor just above you, then keep a steady pace. Ten new reviews spread over three months do more for you than 30 in a week followed by silence, since a long gap makes a profile look stale.

Say you do 20 jobs a month and five customers leave a review. That is 60 new reviews a year without any trick. Your own number will differ with the trade, the customer and how personal the ask feels, so track it for a few months before you plan around it.

Doing this every week without thinking about it

The system above works when you remember to run it. The trouble is that remembering is the first thing to go in a busy week. You are on a roof or under a sink, and the text to Maria never gets sent.

That is the part Mitch handles. On the Local and Complete plans, you submit the finished job from your phone, with the customer's mobile number and a consent tick, and Mitch texts them your review link 24 to 72 hours later. When a review comes in, Mitch drafts a reply for you. You can edit the reply before it goes out, and nothing posts until you approve it.

Plan: Review requests are on the Local plan

Local adds Google Business Profile posts, automatic review requests, AI-drafted replies to every review, an inbox and 5 seats. It is $189 a month, month to month, with a 14-day free trial and no card needed. See the [pricing page](/us/pricing) for the details.

If you would rather run it by hand, the scripts above will do the job. The only thing that matters is that every customer gets asked.

All the guides in this series

Browse everything in the Google reviews hub, or see how review requests work in Mitch. Your profile itself matters too, so see our Google Business Profile guide.

Ask every customer without having to remember

Submit the job from your phone. Mitch sends the review request 24 to 72 hours later and drafts the reply. Try it free for 14 days, no card needed.

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Sources

Keep reading

Why buying Google reviews backfires

You can find sellers of Google reviews, but buying them breaks Google's policy and, now, federal rules. Here is what the risks are and what to do with that money instead.

How to see all your Google reviews in one place

Where to read, filter and reply to every Google review for your business, whether you are the owner or just checking your own account.

How to respond to Yelp reviews (including the negative ones)

How replying works on Yelp, when to answer in public and when to message privately, and copyable replies for good and bad reviews.

Questions answered

How many Google reviews do I need?
There is no magic number. What matters is how you compare with the other contractors in your service area. Search your trade in your town, look at the top three results, and aim to pass the one just above you. After that, aim for a steady trickle of new reviews, because a profile with nothing new in a year looks inactive.
Can I offer a discount or a gift card for a review?
No. Google's policy prohibits offering free or discounted goods or services in exchange for reviews. The FTC's consumer review rule also prohibits incentives that depend on a review saying something positive or negative. Say thank you afterward if you like, but never make it a trade.
Is it okay to only ask my happy customers?
Google's policy bars selectively soliciting positive reviews. Ask everyone the same way. If you ask every customer, your rating will be honest, and the occasional 3-star review makes the 5-star ones more believable.
How long after the job should I ask?
Within a day or two, while the customer still remembers the work. Asking the same day at the door works well in person. For a text or email, the next morning or the day after is a good default.
Do I need special software to get reviews?
No. A direct review link, a text template and a habit will get you most of the way. Software helps when you are too busy to remember to ask every time, which is the usual reason reviews stall.
Why did my new reviews not show up?
Google checks reviews against its policies and this can take a few days. If one is still missing after that, see our guide to why a Google review is not showing up.

Try it on your next job.

Start the trial, take a photo when you finish tomorrow's job, and see what Mitch does with it.

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