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TradeFlare BlogHow to Get Google Reviews as a Contractor (Without Being Pushy)
If you want to know how to get Google reviews as a contractor, the short answer is: ask every customer, right after a good job, with one tap to the review page. Most happy customers are willing. They just need to be asked at the right moment.
Ask at the right moment
The best time to ask is right after the job, when the customer has seen the result and paid. A request that shows up a week later competes with everything else in their life.
Make it one tap
Send a direct link to your Google review page by text or email. Every extra step loses people.
Keep the ask short and personal
Sample: "Thanks for having us out today, Sam. If you were happy with the work, would you leave us a quick Google review? It really helps a small business."
Ask everyone, not just the happy ones
Google's rules don't allow you to ask only customers you expect to be happy, or to offer anything in exchange for a review. Ask every customer the same way. It's fair, and it keeps your reviews honest.
Respond to every review
Thank people for good reviews. Answer negative ones calmly and offer to make things right offline. Future customers read your replies as closely as the reviews.
Fix problems before they become reviews
A quick "How did we do?" check-in after the job gives unhappy customers a way to tell you first.
Automate the request
When the request goes out automatically after each job, nobody has to remember on a busy day.
Make reviews part of the job, not an extra task
Treat the review request like the final walkthrough: it happens on every job. Train every tech to mention it at the end ("you'll get a text from us asking how we did") so the message doesn't come as a surprise.
Reply with care
When you reply to a review, thank the customer by first name and mention the job in general terms. Don't share private details, prices or addresses in public replies. For a negative review, keep it short: apologize for the experience, invite them to contact you directly, and fix what you can. Later, if the problem is solved, some customers update their review on their own.
Mistakes to avoid
- Asking for reviews in a batch months later.
- Sending customers a long link or making them search for your business.
- Offering discounts, gifts or entries into a drawing for reviews.
- Writing reviews for yourself or asking friends and family to post as customers.
- Arguing with an unhappy reviewer in public.
Keep your profile complete
Reviews work best on a complete Google Business Profile: correct hours, service area, phone number, photos of real work and the services you offer. Customers who read reviews also look at those details.
Your next step this week
Set up the review request so it goes out after every completed job, starting this week. Reply to every review you already have, good or bad, in a calm and short way. Check your profile for missing hours, photos or services and fill them in.
How TradeFlare helps
Automatic customer texts. From your verified business number: booking confirmations, appointment reminders, on-my-way texts with a live map, a where's-my-tech auto-reply, quote follow-ups, invoice reminders, maintenance reminders and after-job Google review requests. STOP replies are honored automatically.
Card payments on the invoice. Tap Collect payment and text a secure Stripe pay link or show a QR code; the customer pays by card or bank transfer on their own phone and the invoice flips to Paid. Payments run on your own Stripe account. TradeFlare adds no fee of its own (Stripe's standard fees apply). There's no card reader or Tap to Pay yet.
Hear TradeFlare's own AI front desk any time at (855) 651-5075.
Video: Business Texting App - Automatic Customer Texts
Frequently asked questions
When should I ask for a Google review?
Right after the job is done and paid, while the customer has just seen the result.
Can I offer a discount for a Google review?
No. Google's policies don't allow incentives for reviews, and you shouldn't only ask customers you expect to be positive.
Can TradeFlare send review requests?
Yes. After the job, TradeFlare asks every customer for a Google review by text or email.