Guide

How to ask customers for Google reviews, the way Google allows

The door script, the same-day text, the card, a four-week schedule, and Google’s rules so the reviews stay up. For HVAC, plumbing and handyman businesses.

The short answer

Ask every customer, at the end of the job, in person, with the review link in their hand before you leave the driveway, and follow up once by text the same day. That is the whole system. Businesses that do it on every job go from a handful of reviews to dozens in a season; businesses that “mean to” stay at 11. Below are the words, the timing, the link, and Google’s rules so none of it gets your reviews removed.

Google’s rules first (so you keep the reviews you get)

Google’s Business Profile content policy says merchants may not offer incentives for reviews, may not discourage or prohibit negative reviews, and may not selectively solicit positive reviews from customers. In plain words:

  • Ask everyone, the same way, after every job. Not just the happy ones.
  • No incentives. No discount, gift card, raffle or “leave us a review and get…”. Not even for honest reviews.
  • No gating. No “how did we do?” survey that only sends happy customers to Google. The link goes to everyone.
  • No fakes: no reviews from staff, family, or anyone who was not a customer, and never buy them.
  • Reply to every review, including the bad ones, politely and briefly. Replies are public and future customers read them.

Policy: “Prohibited and restricted content”, Google Business Profile Help (support.google.com/business/answer/7400114), read 15 October 2026.

Get your review link

In your Google Business Profile (search your business name on Google while signed in, or open the Business Profile Manager), choose “Ask for reviews” to get the short link that opens the review box directly. Put it in a QR code, in the text template below, on the invoice and on a card. One link, everywhere.

The ask, at the door

The tech says it as the job ends, when the customer is happiest and standing right there:

Script (sample)

At the door

“That’s you all set, Mr. Alvarez. The furnace is running at the right temperature now. One thing before I go: reviews on Google are how most people find us. If you have a minute later, would you leave one and say what the visit was like? I’ll text you the link so you don’t have to search for it. Either way, thanks for having us out.”

Three things make it work: it is asked by the person who did the work, it asks for the truth (“say what the visit was like”), and it promises the link so the customer does not have to find it.

The follow-up text, same day

Text (sample)

Within two hours of the job

Hi Mr. Alvarez, this is Sam from Cedar Creek Heating & Air. Thanks again for today. If you have a minute, here’s the link to leave a Google review: [link]. Honest feedback helps us and helps the next person find us. – Sam

One text, no reminders after that beyond a single nudge a week later if you want one. Send it from the number the customer already has, in the tech’s name. Customers who said yes to texts only.

The card and the sign

A business-card-sized card with the QR code and five words (“Scan to review us on Google”) left with the invoice, and the same on a small sign at the counter or on the van, catch the customers who did not act on the text. The card says nothing about ratings or rewards; it is just the link.

The schedule that gets you from 11 reviews to 50

  1. Week 1: get the link, make the card, put the script on the clipboard. Every tech asks on every job from Monday.
  2. Weeks 2–4: the owner texts every completed job the same day. Count asks and reviews on a sheet.
  3. Every week: reply to every new review within a day. Read the asks-to-reviews number; a normal rate is roughly one review for every four to six asks, so 20 jobs a week is 3 to 5 reviews a week.
  4. After 4 weeks: keep going. The businesses with 200 reviews are the ones that never stopped asking.

Our free sample kit (fictional company, labelled as a sample) has all three scripts, the card and sign text, the four-week schedule and Google’s rules on one page. The same-day script is free by email on the home page.

If you would rather we wrote yours

Tell us your trade, your town and your techs’ names. We write the door script, the text, the card and sign text and the four-week schedule in your words, with your review link, as a PDF. $39, back in 1 day. It follows Google’s policy exactly: ask everyone, no incentives, no gating, no fakes.

Not affiliated with Google. Google is a trademark of Google LLC. The asks-to-reviews rate is a working estimate from trades businesses, not a Google figure.

Questions

Can I offer a discount for a Google review?
No. Google's Business Profile policy prohibits offering incentives for reviews, including for honest ones. Ask every customer the same way with no reward attached.
What is review gating and why is it banned?
Sending a 'how did we do?' survey and only giving the Google link to happy customers. Google's policy prohibits discouraging negative reviews or selectively soliciting positive ones; the link goes to everyone.
When is the best time to ask for a review?
At the end of the job, in person, by the tech who did the work, followed by one text with the link within a couple of hours. That is when the customer is happiest and the visit is fresh.
Where do I get my Google review link?
In your Google Business Profile, choose 'Ask for reviews' to get the short link that opens the review box. Put it in a QR code, in your text template, on the invoice and on a card.

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