When a homeowner googles your trade and scans the map pack, the business with the most reviews starts with a serious advantage. To the customer, a deep bank of reviews reads as trust, authority and social proof. And Google uses reviews as one of the ranking factors that decide who sits first, second and third in that pack to begin with. Most tradies know this, do brilliant work all week, and still never ask. Not because it’s hard, but because it’s awkward and there’s no system.
This is the no-system system: your review link, a QR code, and three copy-paste messages. Ten minutes to set up, then it’s just a habit.
Step 1: Find your Google review link
Your Google Business Profile has a short link that takes customers straight to the “leave a review” box, no searching, no hunting for the right button.
- Search your business name on Google while signed in to the Google account that manages your profile.
- In your profile panel, look for “Ask for reviews” (Google moves this button around occasionally, but it’s there, sometimes under the share icon).
- Copy the short link it gives you (it usually looks like
g.page/r/...).
That link is the single most reusable marketing asset you’ll create this year. Save it somewhere you can find it.
No Google Business Profile yet? Fix that first, it’s free and it is your map listing. Set it up at business.google.com, then come back.
Step 2: Turn it into a QR code
A QR code of your review link turns “I’ll do it later” into “done at the kitchen bench”. Any free QR generator works (Canva has one built in): paste your review link, download the code, and put it where the job ends:
- On your invoices. Right next to the payment details, with one line: “Happy with the job? A Google review helps heaps.” (Using our free invoice template? Drop it in the footer.)
- On a job-done card you leave behind, or the quote folder.
- Laminated, in every worker’s ute. Print a handful, laminate them, and give one to each of your crew. The routine: before packing up, ask the client if they’re happy with the job, and if they are, hand over the card and ask if they’d mind leaving a review. A happy customer scanning a QR code while you load the van beats any email you’ll ever send, and it makes asking part of finishing the job rather than an awkward extra.
- On the van, if you’re feeling committed. It works at traffic lights.
Step 3: The copy-paste messages
Swap the [brackets], keep it short, send it the same day the job wraps up. Speed matters: the job is at its most impressive about two hours after you’ve packed up.
Email 1: the day the job’s done
Subject: Thanks [first name], one quick favour
Hi [first name],
Thanks for having us in to [sort the hot water cylinder / repaint the roof / job in plain words]. Glad we could get it done for you.
If you’re happy with how it went, would you mind leaving us a quick Google review? It takes about a minute and it genuinely helps a small business like ours get found: [your review link]
Any concerns at all, just reply to this email instead and we’ll sort it.
Cheers, [Your name], [Business name]
Email 2: the gentle nudge, about a week later (only if there’s no review yet, and only once)
Subject: No stress, [first name], just in case it slipped the list
Hi [first name],
Hope the [new deck / bathroom / job] is treating you well. If you meant to leave us that review and life got in the way (as it does), here’s the link again: [your review link]
And if now’s not the time, all good, this is the last nudge. Thanks again for the work.
[Your name]
The text version, for customers you already text with:
Thanks again for the work today [first name]! If you were happy with the job, a quick Google review would mean a lot: [your review link]. Cheers, [your name]
That “just reply to this email instead” line in the first template matters. It gives an unhappy customer a direct path to you before they head to Google, and it’s the fair way to do it: you’re not filtering who gets asked, you’re giving everyone a channel.
Step 4: Put the link where it works while you sleep
The asks above do the heavy lifting, but the link should also live permanently in:
- Your email signature. One line: “Happy with our work? Leave us a Google review.”
- Your invoice footer, as above.
- Your Facebook page. Pin a post with the link, and mention it when someone leaves you a nice comment (“Would you mind popping that on Google? It helps more than you’d think”).
- Your website, near your testimonials.
Reviews are one channel in a bigger machine; our complete guide to lead generation for tradies shows where they fit alongside ads, your Google profile and the rest.
The rules (so your reviews never get wiped)
Google’s policy is short and they do enforce it, and review removal hurts more than never asking:
- Never pay, discount or gift for reviews. Not even “go in the draw to win”.
- Ask everyone, not just the happy ones. Filtering who gets asked (review gating) is against policy. The reply-to-me-instead line handles it fairly.
- Never fake it. No mates, no staff, no buying reviews. One flagged review can take the whole profile down with it.
Reply to every review, including the rough one
A profile where the owner replies reads as a business that cares, and Google notices engagement too. Two lines is plenty: thank them, mention the job (“Cheers Dave, that cylinder swap was a good one”). For a bad review: stay calm, state your side briefly and factually, offer to sort it offline. Future customers judge you on the reply far more than the complaint.
Doing this automatically
Everything above works. The catch is the same as all manual systems: it works until you’re busy, and busy is exactly when the reviews should be flowing. For our clients we wire the review request to fire automatically after every completed job, with the nudge built in, so the asking happens whether or not anyone remembers. It’s part of the same system that replies to every enquiry instantly and follows up every quote.
Google review FAQ
Where do I find my Google review link?
Search your business on Google while signed in as the profile manager and use the “Ask for reviews” button in your profile panel. It gives you a short shareable link straight to the review box.
Is it OK to ask customers for Google reviews?
Yes. Asking is fine and normal; what’s against Google’s policy is paying or trading anything for reviews, and only asking customers you’ve filtered as happy.
Can I ask by text?
Yes, if you already text with the customer it’s often the most natural channel, and the link works the same. Keep it to one ask and one nudge, same as email.
What if I get a bad review?
Reply calmly and factually, offer to put it right offline, and keep collecting genuine reviews around it. One measured reply next to a run of five-star jobs usually does you no harm at all.
How many reviews do I need?
More than the competitors who show up beside you for your trade in your area. Check what they have, then make the ask a habit until you’re clearly ahead, and keep going.
Want the asking, the follow-up and the rest of the pipeline running without anyone having to remember? Get a free game plan: 20 minutes, real numbers, no obligation.