Getting your first 20 Google reviews without begging
Twenty reviews is the point where a trade stops looking like a bloke with a van and starts looking like a business. Getting there is not about charm. It is about asking the right people, at the right moment, in a way that takes them 30 seconds. Here is the method, including the messages.
Why 20, and why it is not as far off as it looks
A customer comparing two plumbers in the map results will pick the one with 23 reviews over the one with 4, even if the ratings are identical. Twenty is roughly where you stop being filtered out on sight.
If you have been trading for more than a year you have almost certainly done 60 or more jobs for people who were happy. You do not need to find new customers to get reviews. You need to go back to the old ones.
First, make it a one-tap job
Nobody will search for your business, find the listing, scroll to the reviews and click 'write a review'. The friction kills it. Get your direct review link: open your Google Business Profile, find the 'ask for reviews' option and copy the short link it gives you. That link opens straight onto the stars.
Save it in your phone as a text shortcut. If you have not sorted your listing yet, do that first; our guide on the groundwork to do before paying any agency walks through claiming and completing it.
The backlog: your last two years of happy customers
Go through your invoices, your WhatsApp and your phone. Write a list of every customer from the past two years you parted with on good terms. Cross off anyone who quibbled the bill or who you would not work for again. You should still have a long list.
Now text them, one at a time, not as a group message. The message should be personal, mention the job, and ask plainly. Something like this works:
'Hi Sarah, it's Dave who did your bathroom in March. Hope the shower's still behaving. I'm trying to build up my Google reviews and it'd be a real help if you could leave one, it only takes a minute: [link]. Cheers, Dave.'
Send ten a day. Expect roughly one in three to do it, more if the job was recent. Ten days of that and you have your 20, often more.
Why the wording matters
Three things are doing the work in that message. It names the job, so they remember you. It gives a reason, so it does not feel like a demand. It says how long it takes, which removes the main excuse.
What it does not do is apologise, over-explain or offer a discount. Offering something in return for a review is against Google's rules and it also makes you look desperate. You did a good job. Asking for a review is a normal thing a business does.
From now on: ask at the right moment
The backlog gets you to 20. The habit keeps you climbing. The best moment to ask is the one where the customer has just said 'that's brilliant, thank you'. It happens at the end of nearly every job. Say, out loud, 'glad you're happy, would you mind leaving me a Google review? I'll text you the link now.' Then do it, there and then, before you have left the drive.
If they are not at home when you finish, send the text the same evening with a photo of the finished job attached. The photo reminds them why they are pleased, and our guide to job photos that sell your work covers how to take one worth sending.
- Ask in person when they thank you
- Send the link within an hour, never the next week
- Attach a photo of the finished work
- One follow-up text after five days if nothing has appeared, then leave it
The follow-up that does not nag
Most people who do not leave a review simply forgot. One gentle reminder after about five days recovers a good chunk of them: 'Hi Sarah, no worries if you're busy, just bumping this in case it got buried: [link]'. After that, let it go. Two reminders is a nudge, three is pestering.
Dealing with the ones that go wrong
Sooner or later you will get a three-star review from someone who thought the quote was a bit high, or a one-star from a person you have never heard of. Do not panic and do not argue in public.
Reply to every review, good or bad, within a day or two. For a good one, a line of thanks that mentions the job. For a bad one, a calm reply that states the facts briefly and offers to sort it offline. Future customers read your replies more carefully than the reviews themselves. A measured response to a grumpy review often does you more good than another five-star one.
If a review is clearly fake, use the flag option on your listing and explain why. It is slow and does not always work, but it is the only route.
Replying is part of the job
Each reply is another chance to mention what you do and where. 'Thanks Sarah, enjoyed doing the bathroom in Yarm, glad the underfloor heating's working well' tells Google and the next reader three useful things in one sentence. Do not stuff it with keywords, just write like a person who remembers the job.
Automating it once the habit is set
Once you are consistently asking, there are tools that send the review request for you when you mark a job complete, and some will go back through old customers automatically. Several of the fixed-fee systems in our round-up of agencies for sole traders include this as standard.
Automation is worth having, but it works far better once you already have 20 and a habit, because you will know what a good request looks like and can tell whether the tool is sending one.
Frequently asked questions
Can I offer a discount for a review?
No. It is against Google's policies and can get reviews removed or the listing penalised. Just ask properly.
How many reviews do I need to rank in the map results?
There is no fixed number, but having more reviews than the firms around you, with recent ones arriving steadily, is one of the strongest signals. Twenty is a good first target.
What if a customer says they do not have a Google account?
Most people do without realising, through Gmail or an Android phone. If they genuinely do not, thank them and move on; do not walk them through creating one.
Should I reply to every review?
Yes. Replies show future customers that you pay attention, and a calm reply to a poor review often does more for you than another five-star one.
Is it worth putting a QR code on my van or invoice?
Yes, as a backup. It rarely produces many reviews on its own, but it costs nothing and catches the occasional customer who prefers to scan rather than click a text.