Review requests and reputation care, done by the rules

Why most good businesses have too few reviews

It is rarely because customers are unhappy. It is because nobody asked at the right moment, or the request was awkward, or the link took six taps to find. A tradesperson who finishes a job, packs up and leaves without a word has missed the moment when the customer felt most grateful.

The fix is a routine, not a campaign: the same short message, sent the same way, after every completed job or sale.

The rules we work within

Google's contribution policies prohibit fake engagement and rating manipulation, including reviews posted because a business offered payment, discounts or free goods. Its own tips on getting reviews repeat that incentives are strictly off limits, and point out that a negative review isn't necessarily a sign of poor business practices. We also ask every customer rather than hand-picking the happy ones. That protects your profile and keeps the reviews you earn believable.

Who it is for

• Businesses that do good work but have fewer reviews than competitors who started later.
• Owners with a few harsh reviews sitting unanswered at the top of their profile.
• Teams where several staff deal with customers and nobody owns the follow-up.
• New businesses that want to start the habit from their first month.

What is included

1. A review link that opens straight to your Google review box.
2. Request templates for text and email, short and polite, written for your business and tested on a phone.
3. A trigger point that fits how you work: when an invoice is paid, a job is signed off, or an order is collected.
4. A simple tracker so you can see how many requests went out and how many reviews came back.
5. Replies to every review, drafted by us and approved by you, or written in your voice under agreed guidelines.
6. Complaint handling advice for unhappy customers, so problems get solved privately before they become one-star posts.
7. A monthly reputation note showing new reviews, average rating trend and any themes worth acting on.

A sample request (template)

Hi [Customer first name], thanks for choosing [Business name] for your [job type] in [Neighbourhood]. If you have a minute, a short Google review helps other neighbours find us: [review link]. If anything wasn't right, reply here and I'll sort it out. [Your first name]

Every request includes a way to raise a problem directly. That is not a filter; it is good service.

Timeline

• Week 1: review link, templates and trigger point agreed.
• Week 2 onward: requests go out after every job; replies start immediately on existing reviews.
• Months 2–3: most businesses see review volume rise once the habit sticks.

How results are measured

We track requests sent, reviews received (the response rate), the average rating over time, and how fast replies go out. Over a few months we also watch whether calls from your Google Business Profile rise as review count and recency improve.

Mistakes to avoid

• Asking in bulk once a year. A sudden burst of reviews looks odd and fades fast.
• Arguing in public. Reply to a harsh review for the next reader: calm, factual, and offering to fix it.
• Copy-paste replies. "Thanks for the review!" twenty times in a row looks automated.
• Ignoring other platforms. If customers in your trade use other review sites, keep those profiles accurate too.

Results from our HVAC work, such as GasBoilers.ca earning 5.0★ from 76+ Google reviews, are covered on the results page. Plan pricing is on the pricing page.