CentriWebTo get more Google reviews, ask every customer, at the moment the job is done and they’re happy with it, and send a direct link that opens the review box. Make asking part of how every job finishes, not something you remember on a quiet week. And stay inside the rules: no paying or discounting for reviews, no fake reviews, and no asking only the customers you know are happy.
Get your review link and QR code
The easier you make it, the more people follow through. Google gives every business a direct review link and QR code. According to Google’s Business Profile help, the steps at the time of writing are: The link comes from your Google Business Profile, so make sure it is set up and verified first.
- Sign in to your Business Profile.
- Select Read reviews, then Get more reviews.
- Copy the link, or save the QR code. Google notes the QR code needs to be generated from a computer browser.
Then put the link and code everywhere a customer finishes dealing with you:
- the job completion text or email
- your invoice and receipt templates
- your email signature
- a card left on site or handed over with the keys
- a sign at the counter, if customers come to you
Ask at the right moment for your business
The best time to ask is when the customer has just seen the result and still remembers how it went. Wait a fortnight and most people have moved on.
| Business | Best moment to ask |
|---|---|
| Trades | When the job’s finished and the customer has seen it working. Mention it before you leave and send the link the same day. |
| Builders and renovators | At handover, then a short follow-up once they’ve lived in the space for a few weeks. |
| Cleaning, gardening, pest control | After the first service, then occasionally for regular customers. |
| Cafes, retail, salons | At the point of sale or the end of the appointment, with a QR code on the counter or receipt. |
| Accountants and professional services | After a clear milestone, such as a return lodged or a project delivered. |
| Gyms and studios | After the first month, once members have settled in. |
Whatever the moment is for you, apply it to every customer. Picking and choosing only the ones you think will be happy breaches Google’s policy, which comes up again below.
Templates for text and email requests
Keep it short, personal and honest. Ask for a review, not a five-star review. Before you send requests by text or email, check the rules for texting customers.
Text after a job:
Hi Sarah, it’s Mick from Coastline Electrical. Thanks for having us out today. If you’ve got a minute, an honest Google review helps other locals find us: [link]. Cheers, Mick
One reminder, a few days later, only if they haven’t reviewed:
Hi Sarah, Mick again. No pressure at all, but if you get a chance to leave a quick review about the switchboard job, here’s the link: [link]. Thanks again.
Email, with the subject line “Thanks from Coastline Electrical”:
Hi Sarah, thanks for choosing us for your switchboard upgrade. We’re a small local business and most of our work comes from people reading reviews. If you’re happy to share how it went, good or bad, you can leave a Google review here: [link]. If anything isn’t right with the job, reply to this email and I’ll sort it out. Mick
Use the customer’s name and mention the actual job. A message that looks like it came from a bulk sender gets ignored.
Make asking part of the job, not an afterthought
Most businesses that struggle with reviews aren’t doing anything wrong. They just don’t ask consistently. Fix the process, not the wording.
- Say it out loud first. At the end of the job: “I’ll send you a link tonight. If you’re happy with the work, a review would really help us.” People are far more likely to follow a link they were expecting.
- Put it on the checklist. Make the review request a line on your job completion checklist, next to cleaning up and taking photos.
- Make one person responsible. If it’s everyone’s job, it’s nobody’s. Decide whether the tech, the office or the owner sends it.
- Track it. Count requests sent and reviews received each month. A simple tally on the whiteboard works.
What if the customer tells you they’re not happy?
Fix the problem first. That’s good business, and it’s the conversation that matters most. But don’t quietly drop them from the review request because of it. Send the same link you’d send anyone, once the job is sorted. A customer whose problem you fixed properly often leaves a fair review, and your calm, helpful reply shows future customers how you handle problems.
The same applies to jobs that went fine but weren’t memorable. Ask anyway. Plenty of reviews come from customers who would never have thought to leave one unprompted.
Replying to reviews, good and bad
Replies show future customers how you deal with people. Google’s guidance on replying to reviews says to keep replies short, polite and specific, avoid generic copy-paste thank-yous, never share a reviewer’s private information, and don’t use replies to promote deals.
A positive review:
Thanks Sarah. Glad the new switchboard’s sorted and the lights have stopped tripping. Appreciate you having us out. Mick
A negative review:
Hi Tom, sorry the job didn’t go the way you expected. You’re right that we ran a day late, and we should have called you sooner about the delay. I’d like to fix this properly. Please give me a call on [number]. Mick
For negative reviews: reply calmly, own what was genuinely your fault, don’t argue the details in public, and take the conversation offline. Wait until you’ve cooled down before you write anything.
If a review looks fake or breaches Google’s content policies, such as one from someone who was never a customer, you can report it through your Business Profile. Google decides whether it comes down. A bad review that is simply unflattering usually stays, so reply professionally and move on.
What not to do under Australian consumer law
Two sets of rules apply: Google’s own policies, and Australian Consumer Law, which the ACCC enforces.
Google’s prohibited and restricted content policy says businesses must not:
- offer incentives, such as payment, discounts or free goods or services, in exchange for reviews
- discourage or prohibit negative reviews
- selectively ask only happy customers for reviews
The ACCC’s guidance on online reviews warns businesses against writing or arranging fake reviews, offering incentives for positive reviews, and editing, hiding or removing genuine negative reviews in a way that misleads customers. Reviews written by staff, family or friends posing as customers fall into the same trouble.
This is general information, not legal advice. Check the ACCC and Google pages directly, as policies are updated.
Automating requests without spamming people
Automation fixes the consistency problem. Set it up with some restraint.
- Trigger it from the job. Send the request when a job is marked complete or the invoice is paid, so every customer gets one.
- One request, one reminder. Then stop. More than that starts to feel like pestering.
- Stop when they’ve reviewed. If your system can match reviews to customers, take them off the reminder.
- Send at sensible hours. Not at 6am because the invoice was paid overnight.
- Keep it to the request. If a message also promotes offers or services, it is likely to count as a commercial message under the Spam Act. ACMA’s guidance says commercial messages need consent, clear identification of your business and a working unsubscribe option.
This week
- Get your review link and QR code from your Business Profile.
- Add the link to your invoice template and email signature.
- Write your text request in your own words and start sending it after every job.
- Reply to every review from the last three months that hasn’t had a response.
- Count requests and reviews at the end of the month.
If you want requests to go out automatically from your job system, CentriWeb sets up automated review requests as part of our reviews and reputation work, including for trades businesses that finish jobs on site and don’t have time to chase.