How to Get More Google Reviews as a Contractor (Compliant Scripts and Timing)

Most happy customers never leave a review. They are not against it. Nobody asked, the job ended, and they went back to their day. Reviews are mostly a matter of asking every customer, at the right time, in a way that is easy and follows the rules.

This post covers when to ask, what to say, what Google and the FTC do not allow, and how to stop relying on your memory to do it.

Why reviews matter for contractors

Google says review count and rating factor into local ranking, and people read them before they call. When someone searches for a plumber, roofer, or HVAC company, the profiles with more recent, detailed reviews tend to get the call. We cover the rest of what moves a profile in our Google Business Profile guide for contractors. Reviews are one piece of it, and the one you control most directly.

The rules first

It is easy to get this wrong, and a review policy violation can get reviews removed or a profile flagged. These are the things to avoid:

• No incentives. Do not offer discounts, gift cards, raffle entries, or anything else in exchange for a review. Google prohibits it, and so does the FTC's rule on consumer reviews when the incentive is tied to what the review says.
• No cherry-picking. Google's policy says not to selectively solicit positive reviews or discourage negative ones. If you ask, ask everyone. Do not send the link only to customers you think are happy.
• No fake reviews. Do not write your own, have friends or family post them, or have employees review from your shop. This is also the fastest way to lose trust if it is noticed.
• No review stations. Google advises against collecting reviews on a device at your location, because many reviews from one IP address can look like fakes. Send the link to the customer's own phone instead.
• No pressure or conditions. Do not tie a review to payment, warranty work, or scheduling.

Policies change, so read Google's current policy for contributed content before you build a process around it.

When to ask

Timing does most of the work. The best moment is soon after the job is finished and the customer has seen the result: the leak has stopped, the heat is on, the roof is clean, the panel is labeled.

• In person, at the end of the visit. A quick verbal ask from the tech or owner works well when you are standing there. Tell them a link is coming.
• By text, within a few hours or the next morning. Send it the same day if the job wrapped up before evening. If you finished late, wait until the next morning rather than texting at night.
• One reminder, a few days later. If there is no review, send one short follow-up. Then stop. Repeated asks annoy people and read as pressure.
• After the work is accepted, not before. For a larger project like a remodel or a roof, wait until the final walkthrough and any punch list are done.

Scripts you can use

Short, specific, and with a direct link to your Google review form. Replace the brackets with your own details.

In person

Glad we could get that sorted today. If you have a minute, a Google review helps a small local company like ours a lot. I'll text you the link so it's easy.

First text

Hi [First name], this is [Company]. Thanks for having us out today. If you have a minute, would you leave us a Google review? It helps other people in [Town] find us. [Link] Reply STOP to opt out.

Reminder text (a few days later, once)

Hi [First name], [Company] here. Just a quick reminder in case you missed our note. A short review would mean a lot to us. [Link] Reply STOP to opt out.

Email fallback

Subject: How did we do, [First name]?

Thanks for choosing [Company] for your [service] in [Town]. If you are happy to, a review on Google helps other homeowners find us and tells us what we are doing right. It takes about a minute: [Link]

If anything about the job was not right, reply to this email or call me at [phone] and I will make it right.

Notice what the scripts do not do. They do not promise anything in return, they do not ask for five stars, and they do not hide the link behind a question about how the job went. They ask for an honest review and leave it there.

Texting rules to keep in mind

A review request is a text message to a customer, so the basics of business texting apply. This is general information, not legal advice.

• Text customers who gave you their number for the job. Do not text numbers from a purchased list.
• Say who you are. Use your business name in the message and send from your business number.
• Include an opt-out. "Reply STOP to opt out" is the usual wording, and a STOP should end all messages to that number right away.
• Keep to reasonable hours. Daytime and early evening. Never overnight.
• Register your texting. Business texting in the US requires A2P registration with the carriers before messages are delivered reliably.

Make the link do the work

• Use your direct Google review link. You can find it in your Google Business Profile by choosing the option to get more reviews. It opens the review form with no searching.
• Make sure it works on a phone. Most customers will tap it on the phone they are holding, and many are not signed in to Google. Test it yourself first.
• Ask one thing. One link, one request. Do not add a survey, a coupon, and a social follow in the same message.

What to do after the review comes in

Reply to every review, good or bad, within a day or two. Thank the customer by name, mention the job, and keep it short. For a negative review, respond calmly and specifically, offer to fix it, and take the details offline. Future customers read the replies as much as the reviews.

If a customer tells you privately that something went wrong, call them. Fix the problem. You can still send the same review request to them like everyone else, but do not pressure them, and never ask them to remove a review.

Why this usually fails: it depends on someone remembering

Most contractors do this well for a week. Then a busy day hits, the invoice goes out, and nobody sends the text. The asks come in bursts instead of steadily, and the process lives in one person's head.

The fix is to take the remembering out of it. We set up review request automation that sends the ask after every job without anyone having to remember.

1. The job is marked done. If you use a job management system we can connect to, the customer is sent the request when the job is marked complete there. If you do not, we use a pipeline stage in the CRM we set up for you, and moving the job to that stage starts it.
2. The customer gets a text. It comes from your business number with your business name and a direct link to your Google review form. If there is no mobile number on file, it goes by email instead.
3. One reminder, then it stops. If there is no review, a single follow-up goes out and the sequence ends.
4. Everyone gets the same ask. We send the Google link to every customer, which keeps you on the right side of Google's policy against selective solicitation.

It does not write reviews, buy them, or promise a star rating. It just makes sure every finished job gets asked, quickly, with the opt-out language included. If you also want missed calls handled, our missed-call text back runs in the same system.

Common mistakes

• Asking only the customers you are sure are happy. It is against Google's policy, and a profile of only perfect reviews can look less believable.
• Offering a discount "as a thank you." Still an incentive.
• Waiting a month. The customer has moved on and the details are fuzzy.
• Sending a link that does not open the review form. Test it.
• Never replying. Replies are free and public.
• Doing it in bursts. A steady flow looks better than 30 reviews in one week and none for six months.

Where this matters most

Reviews carry the most weight where the job is large and the customer is choosing someone to let into their home: HVAC, plumbing, roofing, and electrical, along with remodeling and landscaping.