Reviews do two jobs for a home service business. They help you rank higher on Google Maps, and they are what homeowners read before deciding who to call. Two companies with the same price and the same service area are not equal if one has 15 reviews and the other has 200.
Most contractors do great work and still have few reviews. The reason is almost never unhappy customers. It is that nobody asked, or they asked at the wrong time, or they made it hard.
Ask at the right moment
The best time to ask is right after the job is finished and the customer is happy: the tree is down and the yard is clean, the new roof is on, the water heater is running. A few hours later is fine. A few weeks later and most people will not get to it.
Make it one tap
Every extra step loses people. Do not tell customers to "look us up on Google". Send them a direct link that opens your review box. You can get this link from your Google Business Profile under "Ask for reviews". Text works better than email for most home service customers, because they read it right away.
Keep the ask short and personal
A good review request sounds like it came from you, not a corporation. For example:
"Hi Sarah, it's Mike from Rivera Tree Service. Thanks for having us out today. If you were happy with the work, would you mind leaving a quick review? It really helps a small business like ours. [link]"
That is it. Use their first name, your name, one line of thanks and the link.
Ask every customer, every time
The businesses with hundreds of reviews are not luckier. They ask every single customer, as a habit. The easiest way to do that is to automate it, so a review request goes out on its own whenever you mark a job complete. Then it never depends on someone remembering at the end of a long day.
Follow up once
Many people mean to leave a review and forget. One friendly reminder a couple of days later, only to people who have not reviewed yet, often brings in as many reviews as the first ask.
Reply to every review
Thank people for good reviews, and mention the job ("Glad the new gutters are holding up through the rain!"). Respond calmly and professionally to bad ones, and offer to make it right offline. Future customers read your replies as closely as the reviews themselves.
What you must not do
- Do not offer discounts, gift cards or anything else in exchange for reviews. It is against Google's rules and can get reviews removed.
- Do not only ask customers you think will leave 5 stars while steering others away. Google calls this review gating and does not allow it.
- Do not write reviews for yourself or have friends and family review jobs they did not hire you for.
- Do not buy reviews. Google is good at spotting them, and the penalty can be worse than having few reviews.
Put your reviews to work
Once the reviews are coming in, show them off. Add your best ones to your website, mention your rating in your quotes, and share new ones on social media. A strong rating makes every other piece of your marketing work better.
What to expect
A business that asks every customer by text, right after the job, typically sees several times more reviews than one that asks occasionally. Over a few months that steady flow is what moves you up the map and makes homeowners pick you over the next result.
Curious how your reviews stack up? Our free Google audit compares your count and rating to the top three businesses in your area.