How to Ask for a Google Review: Timing, Scripts, and Templates
83% of people who were asked to leave a review went on to leave one, according to BrightLocal’s Local Consumer Review Survey. So if you’re wondering how to ask for a Google review, the honest answer is that the ask itself is most of the work. Your customers aren’t refusing. Nobody asked them.
This post is the wording. Copy-paste text and email requests by trade, the timing rule, and the line in Google’s policy that gets reviews wiped. If you want the bigger strategy (velocity, responding, local ranking), that’s in our guide to generating Google reviews.
The timing rule: ask before the truck leaves the street
Send the request the same day the job closes. Ideally within a couple of hours, while the customer still remembers the tech’s name and the house is warm again.
Here’s why that matters beyond memory. The same BrightLocal survey found 74% of consumers look for reviews written in the last three months. A review that lands this week does more for you than one that lands next quarter.
Three timing specifics:
- Service calls: text the link as the invoice is paid or signed.
- Multi-day projects (roofs, remodels): wait for the final walkthrough, not day one.
- One reminder, then stop. Send a single follow-up three to five days later. A third message turns goodwill into annoyance.
Before you write a word: get the direct link
Don’t tell people to “find us on Google.” That’s four taps and a search, and half of them will land on a competitor’s listing. Google’s own Google Business Profile help page on reviews says you can ask customers to visit a Google link or scan a QR code. Open your profile, find the option to ask for reviews, and copy the short link it gives you.
Paste that link into every template below where you see [LINK]. Put the QR version on invoices and leave-behind cards for customers who don’t text.
How to ask for a Google review by text: 6 templates
Text beats email for trades. It’s read on the driveway, and the link opens straight into the review form. Keep it short, use the tech’s name, and name the job. Swap the brackets and send.
General service call
Hi [Name], it’s [Tech] from [Company]. Thanks for having us out today. If we did right by you, would you leave a quick Google review? It helps other folks in [Town] find us: [LINK]
HVAC
Hi [Name], [Tech] here from [Company]. Glad we got your [AC/furnace] running again. If you have 30 seconds, a Google review would mean a lot to our crew: [LINK]
More HVAC-specific timing (post-heatwave pushes, maintenance-plan visits) is in how to get more HVAC reviews.
Plumbing
Hi [Name], thanks for calling [Company] about the [leak/water heater/drain]. If [Tech] took good care of you, would you share that on Google? [LINK]
Roofing
Hi [Name], your new roof is officially done. Thanks for trusting [Company] with it. When you get a minute, a Google review about how the project went would help us a lot: [LINK]
Roofing has a longer cycle and storm-season spikes. We covered both in how to get more roofing reviews.
Auto repair
Hi [Name], your [vehicle] is ready and running right. Thanks for choosing [Shop]. If we earned it, would you leave us a Google review? [LINK]
Dental
Hi [Name], thanks for visiting [Practice] today. If you had a good experience with our team, we’d appreciate a Google review: [LINK]
Notice what the dental version leaves out: the procedure, the tooth, anything clinical. Keep patient messages generic and run your review-request process past whoever handles compliance for your practice. This is not legal advice.
The follow-up and email versions
Reminder text (send once, three to five days later)
Hi [Name], [Tech] from [Company] again. No pressure at all, but if you get a second this week, here’s that review link: [LINK]. Thanks either way.
“Thanks either way” is doing real work there. It tells the customer you’re not keeping score.
Email request
For commercial clients, property managers, and anyone who didn’t give you a mobile number:
Subject: Quick favor from [Company]
Hi [Name],
Thanks for choosing [Company] for your [job] at [address/site]. [Tech] mentioned [one specific detail from the job].
If you were happy with the work, would you take a minute to leave us a Google review? It’s the main way new customers in [area] find us.
Thanks, [Your name], [Company]
The specific detail line is the part people skip, and it’s the part that gets clicks. “Replaced the corroded shutoff under the kitchen sink” reads like a person wrote it. “We value your business” reads like a mail merge.
In person, at the door
Your tech’s line doesn’t need a script card. Something like: “If you’re happy with this, I’ll text you a link for a Google review. It really helps us.” Then the text arrives before they’ve closed the door, and the ask is already familiar.
Google’s line on incentives (and the FTC’s)
This is where well-meaning shops get reviews deleted. Google’s Google Business Profile review guidelines state that offering incentives, like free or discounted goods or services, in exchange for reviews is “strictly prohibited.” No $10 off next service. No raffle entry. Not even for an honest review of any star rating.
Google’s Google Maps user-contributed content policy goes further. You can’t “discourage or prohibit negative reviews, or selectively solicit positive reviews from customers.” That kills the common “Were you happy? Tap yes for Google, no for us” funnel. It also says you can’t require staff to solicit a set number of reviews, so skip the per-tech review quotas.
The federal rule is looser on one point and just as strict on another. The FTC’s Q&A on its consumer reviews and testimonials rule says incentives aren’t banned outright, but you can’t suggest reviews must be positive to earn one, and courts can impose civil penalties for knowing violations. For a Google review, though, Google’s stricter rule is the one that applies. Ask everyone, offer nothing, and let the rating land where it lands.
This is not legal advice. If you text customers at scale, consent and opt-out rules also apply; we cover those in Google review automation.
Words that sink a review request
A few phrases to cut from any template:
- “5-star review.” Asking for a specific rating is the same problem as gating. Ask for “a review.”
- “If you have any problems, call us first.” Fine to say on its own day. Paired with the review link, it reads as steering unhappy customers away from Google.
- Anything longer than one screen. If the customer has to scroll to find the link, you’ve lost them.
- A generic sender. “[Company] Team” gets ignored. “Mike from [Company]” gets opened.
FAQ
Is it okay to ask customers for a Google review?
Yes. Google’s own help page tells businesses to remind customers to leave reviews and to share a Google link or QR code. What’s prohibited is paying for reviews, offering discounts or gifts in exchange, and asking only the customers you think are happy.
What’s the best way to request a Google review?
A short text with the direct review link, sent the same day the job closes, from the tech or owner by name. Follow up once a few days later if they haven’t left one. Email works for commercial clients or anyone without a mobile number.
Can I offer a discount for a Google review?
No. Google’s review guidelines call incentives in exchange for reviews “strictly prohibited,” even if you’d accept any rating. The FTC rule is narrower, but Google’s policy decides whether the review stays up.
How many times should I ask?
Twice at most: the initial request and one reminder. After that, let it go. Customers who didn’t respond to two short texts won’t respond to a third, and some will unsubscribe.
What should a review request text say?
The customer’s name, your tech’s name, the specific job, a one-line ask, and the link. That’s it. The templates above follow that shape for each trade.
Every review starts with a call you answered
You can’t text a review link to a customer whose call went to voicemail. They booked someone else. InstaNexus answers your calls 24/7, captures the caller’s name, number, and reason for calling, and sends you an SMS and email summary right after the call ends. So more jobs make it to the part where you ask for a review. If missed calls are the leak, start with missed call text-back, or see how it works for HVAC contractors.