How to get more Google reviews for your trade business

For a local trade business, Google reviews are often the deciding factor between you and the firm down the road. They affect how high you appear on Google Maps, and they reassure customers who have never heard of you. The good news is that most happy customers are willing to leave a review. They just need asking at the right moment, in the right way.

Why reviews matter so much for trades

• They help you show up. Google uses the number and quality of reviews, along with how relevant and close you are, to decide which businesses appear in the local map results.
• They reduce risk for the customer. Letting a stranger into your home is a leap of faith. Recent reviews from neighbours make it easier.
• They let you charge fairly. A business with 150 good reviews can charge more than one with six, because customers trust it.

Stay on the right side of the rules

Before the tactics, the rules. Getting this wrong can lead to reviews being removed, your profile being restricted or legal trouble.

• Do not pay or reward for reviews. Discounts, prize draws or freebies in exchange for reviews break Google's policies.
• Do not cherry-pick. Google does not allow selectively asking only happy customers for reviews, sometimes called review gating. Ask everyone.
• Do not write fake reviews, or ask friends and family to review work you did not do for them.
• In the UK, fake reviews are illegal. The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 bans fake reviews and concealing or misleadingly presenting genuine ones. The Competition and Markets Authority enforces it.

The honest approach is also the most effective one: ask every customer, make it easy, and let your work speak for itself.

When to ask

Timing matters more than wording. The best moment is when the customer is happiest, which is usually:

• straight after you finish, when they can see the result
• when they pay, especially if they comment on the work
• the morning after, when they have had time to enjoy it

Asking in person first, then following up with a message containing your review link, works far better than a message out of the blue three weeks later.

How to ask

Keep it short and personal. Something like:

What makes it work:

• Use their name and yours. It reads as a person, not a marketing email.
• Mention the job. "Your new bathroom" is better than "our service".
• Include a direct link. Every extra tap loses people. Google Business Profile gives you a short link that opens the review box directly.
• Ask once, remind once. One reminder a few days later is fine. More than that is nagging.

Make it a system, not a good intention

Most trades agree reviews matter and then forget to ask, because they are busy. The fix is to make asking automatic:

1. Add your review link to your job-complete message or invoice email.
2. Send a feedback request after every job, to every customer.
3. Include your review link in that request, so customers who are happy can post publicly.
4. Read every piece of feedback, good or bad, and act on problems quickly.

Asking everyone keeps you within Google's rules, and the private feedback catches problems before they turn into public complaints.

Ideas that genuinely help

• Print a small card with a QR code to your review page and leave it with the invoice.
• Add the link to your email signature and your website footer.
• Ask your team to mention it. Customers often feel more connected to the person who did the work than to the business.
• Mention reviews in your quote. "Rated 4.9 from 212 Google reviews" builds trust and reminds customers reviews matter to you.

How to reply to reviews

Reply to every review, good and bad. It shows future customers you care and are active.

For positive reviews, thank them by name and mention the job: "Thanks Priya, glad the new boiler is keeping you warm. See you for the first service next year."

For negative reviews, stay calm and professional, even if you disagree. Acknowledge the experience, briefly give your side without arguing, and offer to sort it out offline. Future customers are reading how you handle problems more than the problem itself. If a review breaks Google's policies, for example it is clearly fake or abusive, you can report it.

How many reviews do you need?

There is no magic number, but aim for a steady flow rather than a burst. Ten reviews a month for a year looks far more trustworthy than 100 in one week followed by silence. Recent reviews matter, so keep asking even when you already have plenty.

Connect reviews to your booking flow

Once customers have found you through your reviews, make the next step easy. Add a "Book" link to your Google Business Profile that goes to your online booking page, so people can see availability and book without phoning.

How Cuppaflow helps

Cuppaflow sends a feedback request after every job, includes your Google review link so customers can post publicly, and lets you see private feedback in one place. Your online booking page gives you a "Book" link for your Google Business Profile, and Trustpilot links work the same way if you use it.