Marketing · How-to

How to get more Google reviews: ask at the right moment, send the link, follow the rules

Ask every customer, in person, at the moment the problem is solved, then text them your Google review link within the hour. Send one reminder a few days later and stop. Never offer a discount or gift for a review, and never ask only the happy customers: Google prohibits both, and the FTC has rules on fake and suppressed reviews.

By Eric Smith, founder of Outfitter AI and a former general contractor · Prices checked October 4, 2026

This is an Outfitter AI guide, and Outfitter sells review-request and marketing tools; nothing below depends on buying them.

Why a steady flow of reviews beats a big pile

BrightLocal’s 2026 Local Consumer Review Survey asked 1,002 U.S. adults how they pick local businesses [6]. A few of its findings matter a lot for a small trade shop:

97% of consumers read reviews for local businesses [6].
68% will only use a business with four or more stars, and 31% want 4.5 or better [6].
47% won’t use a business with fewer than 20 reviews [6].
74% look for reviews written in the last three months [6].

That last number is the one owners miss. A roofer with 140 reviews, the newest from 2023, looks like a company that stopped working. A two-truck plumbing shop with 35 reviews and three from this month looks busy and alive. What you want is a habit that adds a few reviews every week, not a one-time push.

And asking works. In the same survey, 78% of consumers had been asked to write a review in the past year, and 83% of the people asked went on to leave one [6]. Most contractors with thin profiles aren’t doing bad work. They just aren’t asking.

Ask at the moment of relief

The best time to ask is the minute the customer feels the problem go away, while the tech is still standing there. Gratitude fades fast; by the time the invoice email lands, they’re back to their day. The person who did the work should ask, face to face, and the text with the link should follow before the truck leaves the street.

Trade	The moment to ask (examples)
HVAC	Warm air is coming out of the registers again and the homeowner has a hand over the vent.
Plumbing	The drain runs clear, or the new water heater is filling and the floor is dry.
Electrical	The breaker stops tripping and the kitchen lights come back.
Roofing	During the final walkaround, after the magnet sweep, while they’re looking up at the finished roof.
Remodeling	At the final walkthrough once the punch list is signed off, not halfway through a six-week job.
Lawn care and cleaning	After the first visit for new customers, and whenever a regular compliments the work.
Pest control	On the follow-up visit, once the customer confirms they haven’t seen the problem since.

Two moments to skip: before the job is done (it reads as pressure) and in the middle of a billing disagreement. Fix the disagreement first.

Get your review link and QR code

A link that drops the customer straight into the review box removes most of the friction. Google’s steps [2]:

Open your Business Profile at business.google.com.
Select Read reviews, then Get more reviews.
Copy the link with the copy icon, or download the QR code. Google notes the QR code can only be made from a computer browser, not a phone [2].

Google suggests putting the link on receipts and in thank-you emails, adding it at the end of chat conversations, and printing the QR code for display [2]. For a contractor that translates to:

A short text sent from the job site (templates below).
The link at the bottom of every invoice and receipt in your job software.
A leave-behind card with the QR code, stapled to the warranty paperwork or left on the furnace.
Saved as a text shortcut on every tech’s phone, so sending it takes two taps.

8 review-request templates to copy

Keep requests short, personal and neutral. Ask for an honest review, never a five-star one, and don’t tell people what to write. Replace the brackets and paste.

In person, at the job: “Glad we got that sorted. We’re a small local company and Google reviews are how new customers find us. Would you mind if I texted you the link? It takes about a minute.”

Text, right after the job: Hi [first name], it’s [your name] from [Company]. Thanks for having us out today. If you have a minute, an honest Google review helps a small business like ours a lot: [link]

Text from the owner, later that day: [First name], this is [owner] at [Company]. Thanks for trusting us with the [repair/install] today. If anything isn’t right, call me directly at [number]. And if you’re willing, here’s where you can review us on Google: [link]

Email (good for remodels and big installs): Subject: Thank you from [Company]. Hi [first name], it was a pleasure working on your [kitchen/roof/basement]. Your warranty paperwork is attached. If you’d be willing to share your experience, honest reviews help other homeowners decide who to call: [link]. Thanks again, [name]

One reminder, three days later: Hi [first name], [name] from [Company] again. Just a quick nudge in case the last text got buried. Here’s the review link if you get a chance: [link]. No worries if not.

Recurring service (lawn, cleaning, pest, pool): Hi [first name], thanks for being a [Company] customer this season. If you’ve been happy with the service, or if there’s anything we could do better, we’d appreciate an honest Google review: [link]

Emergency call: Hi [first name], [tech name] from [Company]. Hope the house is back to normal after last night. When things settle down, would you leave us a quick Google review? [link]

Spanish: Hola [nombre], le escribe [nombre] de [Company]. Gracias por confiar en nosotros hoy. Si tiene un minuto, una reseña honesta en Google nos ayuda mucho: [link]

Words to leave out. Some phrasing quietly asks for a positive review, and that’s where requests drift into trouble. The FTC’s Q&A flags wording like “Tell us how much you loved” a product as implying the review has to be positive [5]. Swap these out (examples):

“Please leave us 5 stars” becomes “please leave an honest review.”
“Tell everyone how great Mike was” becomes “share how the visit went.”
“If you’re happy, review us on Google; if not, call me” becomes two separate offers: a review link for everyone, and your direct number for anyone who needs something fixed.

Send each customer one request and at most one reminder. More than that starts to feel like pressure, and it’s the fastest way to turn a happy customer into an annoyed one.

The rules: Google policy and the FTC

Two sets of rules apply: Google’s content policy for its own platform, and federal law. Read this as a plain-English summary rather than legal advice.

Google’s policy. Google calls incentives for reviews “fake & misleading content” and strictly prohibits them, whether the reward is for posting, changing or removing a review [1]. The Maps content policy spells out what merchants can’t do [3]:

No incentives such as payment, discounts, or free goods or services, in exchange for any review, or for revising or removing a negative one. That rules out “$25 off your next tune-up for a review” and a gift-card drawing for reviewers.
No gating. You can’t discourage negative reviews or selectively ask only happy customers. A “Were you happy? Yes goes to Google, No goes to a private form” funnel is exactly that.
No pressure on the premises, and no requests that reviews include specific content. That includes asking customers to mention a particular tech by name.
No conflict-of-interest reviews, such as those from current or former employees or anyone with a contractual relationship to you.
No reviews on competitors meant to hurt their reputation.

The FTC rule. The Federal Trade Commission announced its final rule on consumer reviews and testimonials on August 14, 2024 [4], and it took effect October 21, 2024 [5]. It bans fake reviews, including AI-generated ones and reviews from people with no real experience of the business; incentives conditioned on a review being positive or negative; undisclosed reviews by company officers and managers; passing off a site you control as independent; and buying or selling fake followers or views [4]. It also lets the FTC seek civil penalties against knowing violators [4].

Two points from the FTC’s own Q&A are worth knowing. The rule doesn’t ban gating by name, but the FTC says the practice could violate the FTC Act [5]. And the FTC allows an incentive that isn’t tied to sentiment, but Google doesn’t allow incentives at all [1], so for Google reviews the stricter rule wins: no rewards, period.

Turn it into a weekly habit

Give one person the job. The owner in a one-truck shop; the office manager in a bigger one. Someone has to check that requests went out.
Make asking part of closing every job, right next to collecting payment and taking after photos.
Send the link before the truck leaves, using the saved text shortcut.
Send one reminder after about three days to anyone who hasn’t left one, then let it go.
Reply to every review. BrightLocal found 89% of consumers expect businesses to respond, and 80% are likely to use a business that responds to all of its reviews [6]. Our guide on responding to negative reviews covers the hard ones.
Count once a week. Jobs finished, requests sent, reviews received. If requests are low, the problem is the habit, not the customers.

Reviews also feed the rest of your marketing. They show on your Google Business Profile, and rating and review count are among the things Google weighs in Local Services Ads. The full contractor marketing guide shows where reviews fit next to referrals, ads and mail.

Common questions

How do I get my Google review link?

Sign in to your Business Profile, select Read reviews, then Get more reviews. Copy the link, or download the QR code from a computer browser.

Can I offer a discount or gift card for a Google review?

No. Google's policy prohibits offering payment, discounts or free goods or services in exchange for a review, even if you don't ask for a positive one. Its policy treats reviews posted because of a business's incentive as prohibited content.

Is it legal to only ask happy customers for reviews?

Google's policy forbids selectively asking for positive reviews. The FTC's 2024 rule doesn't name the practice, but the FTC says it could violate the FTC Act. Ask every customer the same way.

Can my employees or family leave Google reviews for my business?

They shouldn't. Google treats reviews based on a conflict of interest, such as current or former employment, as a policy violation, and the FTC rule bars undisclosed reviews by a company's officers and managers.

Can I ask customers to mention my technician by name in their review?

Google's policy says merchants shouldn't request specific content in reviews, including content that identifies a staff member. Ask for an honest review and let the customer write what they want; many will name the tech on their own.

How many Google reviews does a contractor need?

There's no magic number, but in BrightLocal's 2026 survey 47% of consumers said they won't use a business with fewer than 20 reviews, and 74% look for reviews from the last three months. Aim to pass 20 and then keep a few new ones coming every month.

Is it OK to send a review request by text message?

Yes, a one-time text to a customer you just served is a normal way to ask. Keep it to one request and one reminder, identify your company, and stop if they tell you to.

Want the requests to go out on their own?

On Outfitter’s Website Professional plan, $79 a month with no contract, Google review requests are sent automatically after each job, and Google posts go up for you as well. You still ask in person; the follow-up text just stops depending on someone remembering.

See how marketing works

Sources and how we compared

Rules come from Google’s Business Profile help pages and Maps content policy and from the FTC’s rule announcement and business Q&A; consumer numbers come from BrightLocal’s 2026 survey; all were opened October 4, 2026, and the trade moments and templates are our own examples.

Google Business Profile Help: Tips to get more Google reviews
Google Business Profile Help: Create a Google link or QR code to request reviews
Google Maps User Generated Content Policy: Prohibited & restricted content
FTC: Federal Trade Commission announces final rule banning fake reviews and testimonials — August 14, 2024
FTC: Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule, Questions and Answers
BrightLocal: Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 — 1,002 U.S. adults; published February 2026

Last updated October 4, 2026. Prices change; if something here is out of date, call or text (507) 628-0400 and we’ll fix it.