The short version
- Most happy customers will leave a review. They just need asking, at the right time, with a link that takes one tap.
- Ask at handover, while they’re pleased, then send the link the same day.
- Don’t pay for reviews or offer discounts for them. Google doesn’t allow it.
- Reply to every review, and show the best ones on your website as well.
When I was on the tools, plenty of customers told us how pleased they were. Far fewer put it in writing. That wasn’t because they didn’t want to. Nobody asked, and nobody made it easy. Getting reviews is mostly a habit: ask every customer, the same way, every time.
Why reviews matter so much for trades
Letting someone into your house for a week, or handing over thousands for a new roof, is a big decision. Reviews are how people decide whether to trust a name they don’t know. BrightLocal’s 2026 survey found 97% of people read reviews for local businesses.
They matter on Google too. Your rating shows next to your name in the map results, side by side with other trades, and Google says reviews are part of how it decides which local businesses to show.
When to ask
- At handover. When you’re walking them round the finished job and they’re saying how good it looks, that’s the moment. Ask in person: “If you’re happy with it, a Google review would really help me.”
- Send the link the same day. A text that evening, while it’s fresh, works far better than an email a fortnight later.
- Follow up once. If nothing comes in a week, one friendly reminder is fine. Leave it there after that.
- Ask everyone. Make it part of finishing every job, not just the ones that went perfectly.
On longer jobs, like an extension or a loft, you can ask at a milestone too, for example when the structure is done. Don’t wait months for the very end if the customer is already delighted.
Make it one tap
Telling someone to “search for us on Google and leave a review” loses most of them. Send a link that opens the review box directly.
- Sign in to the Google account that manages your Business Profile.
- Search for your business name on Google, or open your profile in Google Maps.
- Look for the option to ask for reviews. Google gives you a short link to copy and share.
- Save the link in your phone’s notes so it’s always there to paste.
You can also put that link on your invoices, your website and your email signature, or turn it into a QR code for your business cards.
What to send
Keep it short and personal. Use their name and mention the job. Something like:
By text or WhatsApp
“Hi Sarah, thanks again for having us in for the bathroom. If you’re happy with how it turned out, would you mind leaving a quick Google review? It really helps a small business like mine. [link] Thanks, Dave”
A reminder, a week later
“Hi Sarah, hope the new bathroom’s treating you well. Just a reminder about the review if you get a minute, no worries if not. [link]”
It helps to say what’s useful to mention, like the type of job and the town. “Mention the bathroom and where you live, if you don’t mind” is fine. That helps the next customer reading it, and it helps Google understand the work you do and where.
What Google doesn’t allow
Google is strict about fake or bought reviews, and it can remove reviews or restrict your profile if it spots them. Stay well clear of:
- Paying for reviews, or offering a discount, a gift or a prize draw in return for one.
- Only asking the happy ones. Google doesn’t allow “review gating”, where you check whether someone is pleased before deciding whether to send them the link. Ask everyone the same way.
- Reviewing yourself, or asking family, friends or staff to review work they didn’t pay for.
- Buying reviews from anyone selling them. They tend to come in bursts that look unnatural, and they can get removed.
You can find the full rules in Google’s policy on fake engagement.
Replying to reviews, good and bad
Reply to every review. It shows you’re real and you care, and the next customer reading it will see your reply.
Good reviews
Short and genuine is enough: “Thanks Sarah, it was a pleasure working on your bathroom. Enjoy it!” Mention the job, rather than copying the same line every time.
Bad reviews
Everyone gets one eventually. People reading it care less about the review itself than about how you respond.
- Wait before you reply. Don’t answer while you’re angry.
- Stay calm and stick to the facts. Thank them, acknowledge the problem, and say what you did or will do about it.
- Offer to talk it through by phone, rather than arguing in public.
- Report it if it breaks Google’s rules, for example if it’s fake or from someone you never worked for. You can’t delete reviews yourself, but you can flag them.
A few honest replies to fair criticism can actually build trust. A page of perfect five stars with no replies can look less real than a 4.8 with thoughtful answers.
Putting your reviews on your website
Your reviews live on Google, but most of the people reading your website will never scroll through your Google profile. Bring the best of them onto the site:
- Near the top of the page, where people are deciding whether to trust you.
- The reviewer’s first name, the town and the type of job, as they wrote it.
- Your overall rating, with a link through to the full list on Google.
- Next to the jobs they talk about, where you can. A kitchen review next to kitchen photos.
On Elite Interior’s site, Rory’s Google rating and reviews sit on the site itself, with a link through to the full list on Google. Every site I build does the same with your real reviews. Websites for trades start from £295, and you only pay once you’re happy with it. See pricing.
