Ten Google reviews is the number that matters for a new contractor. Under ten, a homeowner sees "new" and keeps scrolling. Over ten, they see a business other people have used. This is how to get there in about a month, without buying anything or bugging anyone.
First, get the link
Every Google Business Profile has a review link. It opens the review box directly, so the customer doesn't have to search for you and find the right button. Getting it takes two minutes.
- Sign in to your Google Business Profile.
- Click "Ask for reviews." Google shows you a short link.
- Copy it. Paste it somewhere you can grab it from your phone, like a note or a saved text.
If you don't have a Google Business Profile yet, stop here and set one up first. It's free, it's where the reviews live, and it's the listing people see when they search your name. Verification usually takes a few days.
Ask at the right moment
The right moment is when the customer is happiest, and that is almost always the day the job is done. Not a week later, when they've moved on. Not in a year-end email to everyone at once.
The ask is a sentence, said out loud, when you're wrapping up:
"If you're happy with how this turned out, a Google review would help me a lot. I'll text you the link so it's easy."
Then text the link before you leave the driveway. People say yes to the sentence and forget by dinner. The text is what gets it done.
The text to send
Keep it short enough to read on a lock screen.
Hi Karen, thanks again for having me out today. If you have a minute, a quick Google review would mean a lot: [link]. A line or two about what I did is perfect. Thanks, Dave.
Three things make this work. It uses their name. It says what to write, because "a line or two about what I did" is much easier than "leave a review." And it's signed by a person, not a business.
Ask for specifics, not stars
A review that says "Dave rewired our panel in Riverview and had power back on the same day" does more for you than "Great service, five stars." It tells the next customer what you do and where, and it helps you show up when someone searches for that job in that town.
So when you ask, nudge toward the job: "If you mention the water heater, that helps other people find me." Don't ask for five stars. Google's rules say you can't, and customers can tell when they're being steered.
Go back to past customers
If you've been working for a while with no profile, you have a backlog. Everyone you did a job for in the last year is fair game. Send the same text, with one extra line:
Hi Mark, Dave from Dave's Electric. I did the ceiling fans at your place back in the spring. I've finally set up my Google page and I'm trying to get a few reviews on it. If you were happy with the work, here's the link: [link]. No worries if not.
Send ten of these and you'll usually get three or four back. Space them out over a week so the reviews don't all land on the same day, which can look odd to Google.
Put the link where the money is
The invoice is the one piece of paper every customer reads. Add a line at the bottom: "Happy with the work? Leave a review:" and the link, or a QR code that opens it. If you send invoices by email or through an app, put it in the email too. It costs nothing and it works while you sleep.
Reply to every review
A reply takes thirty seconds and does two things. It shows the next reader that someone is home. And it's a second chance to say what you do: "Thanks, Karen. Glad the new water heater is working out. Call any time." Reply to the bad ones too, calmly and briefly. The reply is for the people reading it later, not for the person who wrote it.
Two things that will get you suspended
Buying reviews or writing your own. Google removes them, and since late 2024 it's also against federal rules to buy or post fake reviews. A profile with three real reviews beats one with thirty fake ones and a suspension.
Offering a discount for a review. Same problem. You can thank people for reviewing. You can't pay them, in cash or in discounts, and you can't only send the link to customers you think will be kind. Ask everyone.
The month, laid out
- Week 1. Set up or clean up the profile. Get the link. Add it to the invoice.
- Week 2. Text the last ten customers, two a day.
- Week 3 and 4. Ask every customer at the end of every job, and text the link before you leave.
Do that and most contractors land somewhere around ten reviews in a month. After that, the invoice line and the end-of-job habit keep them coming without you thinking about it.
Where the reviews should show up next
Once you have them, don't leave them on Google alone. The three best go on your website, near the service they're about, so someone who found you through a referral sees them too. That's part of every site we build. See what's included, or get a free preview with your own name on it. Five minutes, no card needed.