How to get more Google reviews as a tradie

Reviews decide which local trade business gets rung first. They are also the thing most tradies do worst, and not because customers are unhappy — because asking is awkward and gets forgotten.

Ask at the right moment

The best moment is the minute the customer sees the finished work and says something positive. Not that evening, not next week. The gap between satisfaction and request is the single biggest predictor of whether a review happens.

Remove every step you can

The difference between "search for us on Google and leave a review" and "scan this" is roughly the difference between a 10% and a 40% completion rate. Use the direct review link from your Google Business Profile — the one that opens the review dialogue — and put it behind a QR code they can scan while you are standing there.

A script that does not feel like begging

"Glad you're happy with it. If you have a spare thirty seconds, a Google review genuinely helps us — the code on this card takes you straight there." Then hand it over and change the subject. No follow-up, no chasing.

What not to do

• 01Never offer a discount or anything else in exchange for a review — it violates Google's policies and can get your reviews removed
• 02Never write them yourself or ask family to
• 03Never filter — asking only customers you expect to be positive is against the guidelines and it is obvious in the pattern
• 04Do not chase people who did not respond the first time

Respond to all of them

Every review, positive or negative, in one or two sentences. Prospective customers read the replies more carefully than the reviews — a measured response to a complaint does more for you than the complaint does against you.

Make it systematic

Order enough review stickers or cards that you always have one in the ute, and put one in the invoice folder as a default. The goal is to remove the decision entirely: if asking requires you to remember, it will not happen consistently.