How do I get more Google reviews as a tradesperson?
Ask at the moment the customer is most pleased, which for most trades is when the job is finished and working, not days later by email. Make the route one tap. Ask consistently rather than in bursts, and never offer anything in exchange, incentivised reviews breach the rules and can be removed.
The moment matters more than the message
Most review requests fail on timing rather than wording. The peak willingness for trade work is narrow: it's the moment the customer can see the finished job and it has visibly solved their problem. An email two days later lands after that feeling has faded.
- Emergency and repair work, ask on site, once it is working and they can see it
- Installations and fit-outs, ask at handover, while you're walking them through it
- Longer projects, ask at completion, not at the final invoice, which is a different emotional moment entirely
- Maintenance and servicing, ask on the second or third visit, once the relationship is established
Remove the friction
- Get your Google review short link and keep it to hand.
- Turn it into a QR code on the back of your business card, invoice and van.
- Save the link as a text shortcut on your phone so it takes seconds to send.
- Send the request while you're still there, or the same day at the latest.
- Ask them to mention the specific job and the town. It reads as genuine because it is, and it adds useful context.
What you must not do
These aren't stylistic preferences. Incentivised and fake reviews breach platform policy, can be removed in bulk, and in the UK also risk falling foul of consumer protection rules on misleading practices.
- Offering a discount, entry to a prize draw, or anything else in exchange for a review
- Writing reviews yourself, or asking family and staff to
- Buying reviews, however they're described by the seller
- Asking only the customers you expect to be happy, while routing unhappy ones elsewhere
- Requesting removal of a fair negative review rather than replying to it
What most people get wrong
The usual instinct is a push, a bulk request to every past customer at once. It produces a visible spike, and a spike after long silence is the pattern most likely to attract scrutiny. It also decays: six months later you're dormant again.
A steadier approach is better on every measure. Asking every completed job, week in and week out, produces a recency profile that looks like what it is, a business that is working.
The other error is treating negative reviews as damage to be removed. A considered, specific, non-defensive reply is read by every future customer and often does more for trust than the positive reviews above it. A profile with nothing but five stars and no replies reads as unattended.
Where these figures come from
"how to get more google reviews" runs at 90 monthly UK searches at a £7.32 cost per click with high advertiser competition (0.83), a sign that review acquisition is a well-monetised problem. Measured via Google Ads keyword data, 2 August 2026.
Related questions
Can I ask customers to remove a bad review?
You can ask, but it rarely works and can make things worse. Replying well is more effective, the reply is aimed at future customers reading it, not at the reviewer.
Do reviews on other platforms help my Google ranking?
Reviews elsewhere build trust and are worth having, but Google reviews are the ones tied to the profile competing in the map pack.
Is it worth replying to positive reviews?
Yes. It is visible activity, it is read by prospective customers, and it takes under a minute. Reply specifically rather than pasting the same thank-you each time.
Not sure where you stand?
We run the checks against your business and come back with the gaps and the first three priorities. No access needed, nothing changed.