What is the easiest way to get a Google review link?

Open your Google Business Profile and look for the option to ask for reviews, which gives you a link and a QR code to share. You can also build a link from your Place ID with the free tool on this site.

Can I give a discount for a review?

No. Google prohibits offering incentives in exchange for posting a review or for changing or removing one. Thank customers, but do not pay for or reward reviews.

Can I only ask my happy customers?

You should not. Google prohibits selectively soliciting positive reviews and discouraging negative ones. Ask every customer the same way, and respond well to the ones that are not glowing.

Soon after the job, while the result is fresh: at hand-over, or in a text the same day. Customers have to be signed in to a Google account to post, so a one-tap link helps.

How many reviews do I need?

There is no magic number. Aim for steady, recent reviews rather than a burst. Compare your count and rating with the businesses that show up near you in Google Maps for your main service.

Do review cards work?

A card with a QR code or an NFC tag that opens your review box removes the step of searching for you. It is a convenience, so it suits a counter, a truck handout or a leave-behind. It does not replace asking.

How to get more Google reviews as a contractor

Google reviews are one of the first things a stranger checks before calling a trades business. A profile with recent, specific reviews gets more calls than an empty one, and a profile with a steady flow looks alive.

Most reviews do not appear on their own. Satisfied customers rarely think of it unless they are asked and the request is easy. This guide covers how to ask, how to make it one tap, and the rules to stay inside.

The rules first

These come from Google’s own policies (Google Business Profile and contributor policy pages, read 2026-10-22). Breaking them can get reviews removed or a profile penalised.

No incentives. You may not offer discounts, free work or gifts in exchange for a review, or in exchange for changing or removing one.
No selective asking. Google’s policy prohibits discouraging negative reviews or selectively soliciting positive ones. Do not run a “how did we do?” screen that sends happy people to Google and unhappy people to a private form.
No pressure on the premises. Do not require customers to leave a review while they are with you.
Genuine experience only. Reviews must reflect a real visit. Do not ask staff, friends or family to post.
Customers need a Google account. They must be signed in to post.

You are allowed, and encouraged, to ask. Asking is the whole job.

Step 1: Get your direct review link

Three ways, from simplest to most flexible.

From your Business Profile. Google provides a share option for asking customers for reviews that gives a link and QR code. Menu names change, so look for “Ask for reviews” or similar in the profile’s tools.
From your Place ID. Every Google place has a Place ID. A link in the form https://search.google.com/local/writereview?placeid=YOUR_PLACE_ID opens the review box for that place. Our free review link and QR builder builds it for you in the browser.
From your CID. Some businesses, particularly service-area businesses with a hidden address, do not appear in Place ID search. If you have the numeric CID, a link in the form https://search.google.com/local/writereview?cid=YOUR_CID works instead. The builder accepts either.

Test the link on your phone while signed in to Google. It should open your business’s review box.

Step 2: Put it where the customer already is

The less a customer has to do, the more reviews you get.

By text

Send a message soon after the job:

Example

Hi [Name], thanks for choosing Test Heating today. If you were happy with the work, a quick Google review helps a lot: [link]. Thank you.

Keep the wording identical for every customer, so you are not selecting who gets it. Business texting from an ordinary US number needs carrier registration first. See missed-call text-back explained for what that involves.

By QR code

Print the QR on an invoice, a leave-behind card, a door hanger or the side of the truck. A customer points their phone camera at it and lands on the review box. Make it large enough to scan and keep the link short.

By NFC tap card

A tap card holds the same link in a small chip. A customer touches their phone to it and the review box opens. Cards suit counters, reception desks and hand-outs. They are a convenience, not a magic fix, and they work best with a person saying, “If you have a minute, would you leave us a review?” Biz Up’s Review Wizard comes with these cards and ties each card to a business’s own review page.

By email

Fine for invoices and follow-ups. Put the link near the top, not at the bottom of a long message.

Step 3: Pick a moment

Ask when the customer is pleased and the job is fresh. For most trades:

at hand-over, once the work is done and shown;
in a text the same day or the next morning;
again once, a few days later, only if they did not respond. Do not send more than that.

Avoid asking in the middle of a dispute or while the customer is still unsure about the work. Fix it first. A person who has just been fixed for is more likely to speak well, but you must not choose who you ask based on that.

Step 4: Make the request specific and human

A request from a person beats a request from a template. A technician who says, “It really helps small businesses like ours when customers leave a review,” gets a response. You can also invite them to mention what the job was, such as “a water heater replacement”. Specific reviews help later customers, and they give search engines more context. Do not tell customers what to write.

Step 5: Reply to what comes in

Every review deserves a reply. It shows new readers that you are paying attention, and it encourages more people to write. See how to reply to Google reviews, which has templates for happy and unhappy customers.

Make it routine

One-off pushes fade. Build the request into the job:

Add the review link to the invoice template.
Add the QR code to the van or the receipt.
Give each technician the same line to say.
Send the same text to every customer, the same day.
Check new reviews weekly and reply.
Look at the count monthly. Is it moving?

A request that costs nothing and happens every time is worth more than a campaign once a quarter.

How a calling business can connect it

Reviews and calls feed each other. A better profile brings more calls, and answering those calls brings more jobs and more reviews. If calls go unanswered, the chain breaks at the start. Check the cost of that with the missed-call calculator, and see what a missed call costs.

Biz Up sets this up for you with the Review Wizard: review requests after each job, AI replies to your reviews, and cards, in the Review Wizard Autopilot plan.