How to Get More Reviews Legally

Ask every customer, as part of closing the job

Most contractors with few reviews don't have unhappy customers. They have an ask that only happens when someone remembers. Fix that before anything else: make the request a step in finishing every job, like cleanup, photos and payment, and give it to every customer the same way.

Set it up once:

1. Get your direct review link. In your Google Business Profile, find the option to share a link to your review form. It opens the form for your business, so the customer doesn't have to search for you. Save it where every tech can paste it from a phone, and turn it into a QR code for cards and invoices.
2. Get permission to text at booking. Ask whether you can text the customer about the job, and note the answer. The rules for texting customers depend heavily on consent; how to follow up on quotes covers them. Stop the moment anyone asks you to.
3. Put it on the close-out checklist. "Asked for a review" goes next to "photos taken" and "payment collected," for every tech on every job.
4. Ask in person, then send the link the same day. A spoken ask from the person who did the work, then a text that gets the customer to the form in one tap.
5. Send one reminder, then stop. If nothing comes in after 3 to 5 days, send one short reminder. After that, let it go.
6. Write it down. Note who was asked, when and by whom, so you can see who skips the step.

Ask unhappy customers too. If something is wrong at the walkthrough, fix it first, because the job isn't done until it's right. Then ask the same way you ask everyone else. Skipping customers because they might post something negative is review gating, and it's covered in the rules below.

Ask when the result is in front of them

Ask after the work is finished, when the customer can see, feel or use the result, and before you leave. Not at booking, not halfway through, and not weeks later when the job is a memory. A review should be about a finished job, and the customer's opinion of it is never clearer than at the walkthrough.

Two of these trip people up. On installation day, a solar customer has panels they may not be able to switch on until the utility approves, so there's nothing to review yet; wait until the system is producing. And wet concrete and siding can hide streaks, so a pressure washing walkthrough on a wet driveway lets the customer find them after you've gone. The customer guides for auto detailing and pressure washing cover the moment in those trades in more depth.

Example: An HVAC tech finishes a no-cool repair at 4 p.m. on a hot afternoon. Instead of asking while the house is still warm, he restocks the truck, then walks the homeowner to a supply register once the air coming out is cold. "That's the new capacitor doing its job. Would you be willing to leave us an honest review? I'll text you the link now so it's one tap." The text goes out before he leaves the driveway.

For commercial customers such as property managers, HOAs and general contractors, ask the person who hired you, and ask whether their company lets staff post reviews of vendors. If it doesn't, ask whether you can use them as a reference instead.

What to say: scripts and templates

Keep every request short, personal and the same for everyone. Ask for an honest review, never a five-star one, and never tell the customer what to write.

At the walkthrough

"Before I head out: would you be willing to leave us an honest review? It helps other people around here decide whether to call us. I'll text you the link right now so it's one tap."

• If they hesitate: "No pressure. The link will be in your texts if you get to it."
• If they ask what to write: "Whatever's true for you about the job and how it went."
• If they offer to let you write it: "Thanks, but it needs to be in your words. Even one sentence is great."

The same-day text

"Hi [first name], it's [your name] from [business]. Thanks for having us out today for the [job]. If you have a minute, we'd appreciate an honest review: [link]. And if anything isn't right with the work, reply here or call [number] and we'll take care of it."

For roofing, pressure washing and detailing, attach a before-and-after photo pair. Send the review link in its own message, not stacked under the invoice and pay link, so neither gets lost; how to get paid faster covers the invoice side.

The "if anything isn't right" line goes to every customer, next to the review link. It must never replace the link or suggest that unhappy customers should call instead of posting.

The email version

Subject: Thanks from [business]

"Hi [first name], thanks for choosing [business] for your [job] on [date]. If you have a minute, an honest review helps other homeowners decide whether to call us: [link]. If anything about the work isn't right, reply to this email or call [number]. [Your name]"

The one reminder, 3 to 5 days later

"Hi [first name], [your name] from [business] again. In case it got buried, here's the review link: [link]. Thanks either way."

A leave-behind card or invoice line

"Thanks for choosing [business]. An honest review helps your neighbors choose a contractor: [short link or QR code]."

Leave out of every version: star counts, rewards, "if you were happy," anything that sends unhappy customers somewhere other than the review form, and pre-written review text.

The rules: what the FTC and Google don't allow

Two sets of rules apply every time you ask: the Federal Trade Commission's rule on consumer reviews and testimonials, and the policies of each site where the reviews are posted. They overlap but aren't the same, and a site's rules can be stricter than the law, so follow the stricter one.

The FTC rule. The FTC's rule on the use of consumer reviews and testimonials took effect October 21, 2024 ¹. In plain terms, it bans:

• Fake reviews: reviews that claim to come from someone who doesn't exist, including AI-generated ones, or from someone with no actual experience of your business, or that misstate the reviewer's experience ².
• Rewards that depend on what a review says: compensation or other incentives conditioned on a review expressing a particular sentiment, positive or negative, whether the condition is stated or only implied ².
• Insider reviews without disclosure: reviews by your officers or managers that don't clearly disclose their connection to the business. The rule also sets requirements for testimonials from other insiders and for asking employees or relatives to post reviews, so make sure anyone with a connection says so ^{2 1}.
• Review suppression: unfounded or groundless legal threats, physical threats, intimidation or certain false public accusations used to prevent or remove a negative review, and claiming the reviews on your website are all or most of them when you've left some out because of their rating or tone ².

A separate federal law, the Consumer Review Fairness Act, makes it illegal to put a clause in a form contract that bars or restricts customers from reviewing you, charges a penalty or fee for a review, or claims the rights to what they write ³.

Google's policies add their own limits. Businesses can't offer incentives (payment, discounts, free goods or services) for posting any review, or for changing or removing a negative one. They can't discourage or prohibit negative reviews or selectively ask for positive ones, shouldn't pressure customers to review while on the premises or ask for specific content, and shouldn't set staff a number of reviews to collect. Google does allow asking for reviews that reflect a genuine experience, with no incentive and no attempt to influence the rating or content ⁴. A profile that breaks these rules can be blocked from receiving new reviews for a period, have existing reviews unpublished or show customers a warning that fake reviews were removed ⁵.

Other sites such as Facebook, Nextdoor, Yelp, Angi, the BBB and Houzz have their own review rules, and some are stricter about whether and how a business may ask. Read them before you send customers anywhere other than Google.

Note: These rules change, and this is a plain-English summary, not legal advice. Read the FTC's guidance for businesses and each site's current policy, and have a lawyer look at anything specific to your business, such as a rewards program or a contract clause.

Tempting shortcuts and what to do instead

Keep referral rewards separate from reviews

Rewarding customers who send you work is a different thing from paying for reviews. Keep it that way:

• Pay the reward when the referred job is booked or finished, never for a review, a rating or a social post.
• Don't put the referral offer in the same message as a review request.
• If a customer who earns rewards posts about you online, ask them to mention the reward so readers can weigh the recommendation.
• On roofing jobs tied to an insurance claim, check your state's rules before offering a homeowner anything of value.

How to answer reviews

Answer every review, good and bad, within a day or two. The reviewer reads your reply once; every future customer who looks you up reads it too, so write for them.

Positive reviews

Keep it short and specific, and add nothing the customer didn't share:

"Thanks, [first name]. Glad the new water heater is keeping up. I'll pass your note to [tech name]. We're here if you need anything."

Write for people, not search engines. A reply stuffed with service names and towns reads like an ad.

Negative reviews

Work through the same steps every time:

1. Check the job record first: the date, who was there, photos, the estimate, the invoice and any messages.
2. Don't reply angry. Draft the reply, wait an hour, then reread it. Don't wait a week.
3. Reply publicly in four parts: thanks, the issue in neutral words, what you're doing about it, and how to reach you directly. Leave out anything the customer didn't post, such as their address, what you saw inside their home or what they paid.
4. Contact them privately the same day. If the problem is your work, treat it as a callback and book the visit before you hang up.
5. Leave the review to them. Once it's resolved, you can say they're welcome to update the review if they see it differently. Never make the fix, a refund or anything else depend on it.

For a fair complaint:

"[First name], you're right about [the issue], and I'm sorry. That's not how we want any job to go. [What you've done or will do.] I'd like to make it right, so please call or text me directly at [number]. [Your name], owner"

For a complaint where you see the facts differently:

"[First name], I'm sorry the visit was frustrating. [One neutral sentence of fact, with no customer details.] I'd still like to talk it through, so please call me at [number]. [Your name], owner"

Example: A plumbing customer posts two stars about a 2 a.m. bill. The owner checks the call notes: the after-hours rate was quoted on the phone and confirmed before work began. The reply: "[Name], I'm sorry the bill was a surprise. Our after-hours rate is quoted on the phone before we send anyone and confirmed before work starts. I'd still like to go over the invoice with you, so please call me at [number]." It states the policy without arguing, and the next reader learns how after-hours pricing works.

Example: A pressure washing customer posts: "Streaks on the siding and two brown shrubs." The job photos show the streaks. The owner calls the next morning and replies that day: "[Name], you're right about the streaks, and I'm sorry. We're coming back Thursday to rewash that side at no charge and replace the two shrubs. I'll call you afterward to make sure it's right." Whether the customer updates the review is up to them. Future customers see a problem fixed, not an argument.

Fake or mistaken reviews

If you can't match a review to any customer, reply once, briefly: "We can't find a job matching this in our records, and we'd like to understand what happened. Please call [name] at [number]." Then report it through the site's tool for flagging reviews and say which policy it breaks. Review sites generally remove reviews that break their policies, not reviews that are simply negative, so "this is unfair" won't get one taken down.

Don't accuse the reviewer of lying in public, don't threaten legal action, and don't answer with reviews from friends. If a review is false and is costing you work, talk to a lawyer.

Track the ask, not just the stars

Your average rating tells you how customers feel. Your ask rate tells you whether the system is running. Each month, count:

• Jobs completed
• Review requests sent, by tech
• Reviews received
• Reviews answered, and how fast

Hold techs to asking every customer, not to a number of reviews: whether a customer posts is up to them, and Google's policy says businesses shouldn't set staff a review quota ⁴.

Example: An electrical contractor finishes 80 jobs in a month and sends review requests on 50. Broken down by tech, one tech did 30 of the jobs and asked on 5; everyone else asked on 45 of their 50. The fix is a conversation and the close-out checklist, not a new tool. The numbers are made up for illustration.

Read every review each month, too, looking for patterns. Three mentions of late arrivals point to scheduling; two mentions of a mess point to cleanup. Fix the cause, and the reviews follow.

Review checklist

• Set up once: direct review link saved and turned into a QR code; review step on the close-out checklist; permission to text asked at booking.
• At the walkthrough: result shown; an honest review requested, in the same words for every customer; no reward, no star count.
• Same day: link texted in its own message, with photos where the work is visual; one reminder after 3 to 5 days.
• Never: fake, bought, undisclosed insider or AI-written reviews; review gating; anything of value for a review; threats; review restrictions in contracts; review quotas for staff.
• Every week: every review answered; unhappy customers called; only rule-breaking reviews flagged.
• Every month: ask rate by tech; patterns in what reviews mention.