How to ask customers for Google reviews (without making it awkward)

Reviews are one of the first things people look at when choosing a local business, and a steady flow of recent reviews is one of the signals Google uses for local rankings. Most happy customers are glad to leave one. They just need to be asked, at the right moment, in a way that takes thirty seconds.

Ask right after the job, while it’s fresh

The best time to ask is when the customer is happiest: the water heater is running, the lawn looks great, the haircut is done. A day later, they’ve moved on. A week later, they’ve forgotten.

Make it one tap

Don’t say “look us up on Google.” Send a direct link that opens the review box. You can find your link in your Google Business Profile under “Ask for reviews.” Put it in a text message, which most people see sooner than an email.

Keep the message short and personal

Something like:

Hi Dana, thanks for having us out today. If you were happy with the work, would you mind leaving a quick review? It really helps a small business like ours. [link]

Use their name. Mention the job. Say why it matters to you. That’s it.

Make it a habit, not a campaign

A burst of reviews followed by months of silence looks odd and doesn’t help much. Asking after every completed job keeps a steady stream coming. This is the part that’s easy to forget when you’re busy, which is why it’s worth automating: when a job is marked done, the request goes out on its own.

Reply to every review

Thank people for good reviews, briefly and by name. For a bad one, stay calm, keep it short, and offer to make it right offline. Future customers read your replies as closely as the reviews themselves.

What not to do

• Don’t offer rewards for reviews. Discounts or gifts in exchange for reviews break Google’s rules and can get reviews removed.
• Don’t only ask the customers you think will be happy. Google’s policies discourage filtering who gets asked.
• Don’t write reviews for yourself or have friends and family post them.
• Don’t buy reviews. Ever.

Want review requests to go out automatically after every job? That’s part of Review Management.