Reviews are the closest thing to free advertising a local business has, because the person choosing between you and the next bloke trusts other customers more than they trust your website.
Why they matter more than you think
Reviews do two jobs at once. They convince the person reading them to pick you, and they tell Google your listing is active and trusted, which lifts you in the map results. Get them flowing and you climb the rankings and win more of the clicks you already get. It compounds.
Just ask, and make it one tap
Most happy customers are glad to leave a review. They just never get around to it. Your job is to remove the friction: text them a direct link to your Google review page the day after the job, with a short, human message. One tap, a few stars, done. Make them hunt for your business and find the right button instead, and most give up.
Get the timing and the pace right
Ask while the job is fresh and the customer is pleased, not three months later. And aim for a slow trickle rather than ten in a week. A burst of reviews all on one day looks staged, to Google and to the next person reading them. A steady few each month reads as a real business doing real work.
Reply to every one
Thank the good ones by name. It takes ten seconds, it shows the next reader you are switched on, and Google sees the activity. Silence under your reviews makes even the good ones feel a bit flat.
When a bad one lands
You will get one eventually, and your instinct will be to fire back. Do not. Reply calmly in public, offer to sort it out offline, and fix what you can. A measured reply to an unfair review often does you more good than the review does harm, because everyone reading can see how you handle a problem. One poor review among thirty good ones barely registers. A defensive rant under it does real damage.
Common questions
How do I get more Google reviews?
Ask every happy customer the day after the job and make it one tap with a direct link to your review page. Most people are glad to help, they just never get around to hunting for the button. Remove the friction and the reviews come.
Is it against the rules to ask customers for reviews?
Asking is fine. Offering payment, a discount or anything in exchange for a review is against Google's policy and can get your reviews removed. Ask genuinely, never buy them, and never post fake ones.
How should I respond to a bad review?
Calmly and in public. Thank them for the feedback, offer to sort it out offline, and fix what you can. A measured reply often does you more good than the review does harm, because everyone reading can see how you handle a problem. Never fire back.
Reviews are one piece of ranking locally. The rest is in local SEO for tradies. If you would rather have the whole local setup built and handed over, tell me about your trade.