Small Business Digital
Getting Reviews on Google: The Exact Script That Works
1 November 2025
Google reviews are the most valuable asset a local trades business can build online. They drive reviews and local ranking, they build trust with potential customers, and they compound over time. A business with forty reviews that has been building them steadily for two years will consistently outrank a newer competitor regardless of how good that competitor’s website is.
Most trades businesses know this. Most of them still do not have a consistent process for getting reviews. The reason is usually the same: it feels awkward to ask.
The awkwardness comes from imagining the ask as a big deal. It does not have to be.
Why the timing matters
The best time to ask for a review is immediately after completing a job that the customer is happy with. Not a week later by email. Not at the end of the month in a newsletter. In the moment, while the positive experience is fresh and before the customer has moved on to other things.
The conversation has a natural structure: you have just finished the job, the customer has seen the result and is satisfied, you are exchanging final payment or saying goodbye. This is the moment.
The script that works in person
You do not need a long speech. Something like this:
“Really glad you are happy with it. Could I ask a small favour? If you get a chance, a Google review would mean a lot. It helps people find us when they are looking for the same job done. I’ll send you a link now so it’s easy to do.”
Then send the direct Google review link by text immediately, before you leave or within the next few minutes.
That is it. Brief, specific about why it matters, and followed immediately by the link that removes the friction of finding the review page.
The text message that works
If you are not asking in person, or as a follow-up to the in-person ask, a text message works well. Keep it short:
“Hi [name], thanks for having me. Really hope you are happy with the [job]. If you ever have a moment, a Google review would be brilliant — here’s a direct link: [link]. Thanks again.”
The key elements: personal, specific about the job, a clear reason why it matters (implied, not spelled out at length), and a direct link.
Getting your direct review link
In your Google Business Profile, there is a feature called “Ask for reviews” that generates a short link directly to your review page. Find it under the Home tab in your Google Business Profile dashboard. Copy the link. This is what you send.
The link should open directly to the review window without the customer needing to search for your business, find it, click through, and navigate to reviews. Every additional step loses some proportion of the people who intended to leave a review.
What to do with the reviews you get
Respond to every review, positive and negative, within a reasonable period.
For positive reviews, a brief personal response: “Thanks so much, [name], really glad the [job] worked out well. Looking forward to hearing from you again.” It takes thirty seconds and it signals to potential customers reading the reviews that this is a business that is engaged and responsive.
For negative reviews, respond calmly and professionally, acknowledge the concern, and offer to discuss directly. Do not argue. Do not be defensive. A well-handled negative review often does less damage than a business that ignores reviews entirely, because it shows that problems get addressed.
The habit is the system
The difference between businesses that accumulate reviews steadily and those that do not is not the quality of the ask. It is whether the ask is a consistent habit or an occasional intention.
Build it into your job completion process. Consider automating review requests so that after every job that has gone well, the text goes out the same day. The businesses with forty reviews did not get them all in one campaign. They got them one job at a time, consistently, over two years.
Maebh Collins works with small and micro businesses in Ireland on digital presence, local SEO, and business process automation.
Maebh Collins is a Chartered Accountant (FCA, ICAEW), Big 4 trained, with twenty years of experience building and running international businesses. She specialises in finance transformation, ecommerce operations, and digital strategy.