How to ask a customer for a Google review by text (with examples)

Send one short text once the job is done and paid for, while the work is still fresh. Thank them for something specific about the job and ask for a Google review in one sentence, with your review link at the end. Keep it under 160 characters so it lands as one text.

The rest of this page has texts you can copy for your trade. It covers when to send them, where to get your review link, and what Google doesn't allow.

Why recent reviews matter to the next customer

People checking you out on Google read the newest reviews first, and most skip the old ones. In BrightLocal's 2026 survey of 1,002 US adults, 74% said they only pay attention to reviews from the last three months, and 47% said they wouldn't use a business with fewer than 20 reviews.

That's why one review text after every job beats a big push once a year. A plumber with 40 reviews from 2023 looks quieter than one with 15 from this fall.

When should you send the review text?

Once the job is done and paid for. On most small jobs that's the same afternoon, so send it from the driveway before you pull out. On bigger jobs that get invoiced, send it the day the invoice is paid.

When I was the in-house marketing department for a home service company on Long Island, that was the rule: the review text went out after the job was complete and the invoice was paid, never before.

Two habits help. Tell the customer at the door that you'll text them a link, so it doesn't come out of nowhere. And send it before 8 at night. A text at 10 PM reads like a bill.

What goes into a good review text?

Leave out discounts, "5 stars" and "if you were happy." The section on what Google doesn't allow explains why.

Review request texts you can copy

Each one fits in a single text with a typical review link on the end. Swap in the customer's name and one detail from your job.

After a heating, cooling or electrical call

After a plumbing job

After a fence, deck or install

After a roof, siding or gutter job

After a house or carpet cleaning

After landscaping or a seasonal cleanup

After a painting job

After pressure washing or window cleaning

After a pool opening or closing

After a detail

If the job had a problem

Send the same ask once it's fixed. Google's review policy bars businesses from asking only the customers they expect to be happy, so the job that needed a second visit gets a text too.

Where do you get your Google review link?

1. Open your Business Profile on Google while signed in to the account that manages it.
2. Choose "Get more reviews" (Google's steps).
3. Copy the link and save it somewhere you can paste it fast.

On an iPhone, Settings > General > Keyboard > Text Replacement lets you type something like "rvw" and get the full link. Most Android keyboards have the same shortcut in their dictionary settings. Google only makes the QR code version from a computer browser, so print one for the truck or the invoice when you're at a desk.

Should you follow up if they don't leave one?

Once, about three days later, then let it go. A second reminder starts to feel like pressure. More reminder texts, and what to do when the link doesn't work, are in what to text when a customer forgets the review.

What Google and the FTC don't allow

• Asking only happy customers. Google calls this selectively soliciting positive reviews, and its policy bans it.
• Paying for reviews. No discount, gift card or free service in exchange for a review, even an honest one. Google bans all review incentives.
• Reviews from your own people. Employees, family and anyone with a stake in the business shouldn't review it.
• Writing it for them. The FTC's rule on consumer reviews has banned fake and bought reviews since October 21, 2024, with penalties per violation.

What to do when the review comes in

Reply within a day or two. In the same BrightLocal survey, 89% of people said they expect a business to respond to reviews, and half said a reply that reads like a template puts them off. Use something from their review: "Thanks Laura, that corner post by the driveway took some digging, glad it came out straight." More reply examples by trade are in how to reply to a 5-star Google review.

How Compa writes these for you

Here's a sample from the site: an owner asks for a review request after a roof job in Babylon, and Compa sends back the text to forward.

Compa is a texting assistant. You text it a photo from the job, it sends back your post captions, then writes the review text for that customer, so you just forward it from your own phone. Compa never texts your customers. See the whole flow or more sample drafts by trade.

Common questions

Can I just text my customers for a review?

Yes. Texting a customer you just did a job for, from your own phone, is the normal way small crews do it. Sending to a big list through software is a different situation with its own carrier rules.

How many Google reviews do I need?

There's no set number. Customers in BrightLocal's survey said fewer than 20 made them hesitate, and what they weigh most is how recent the reviews are, so a steady few a month counts for more than a total.

Can I offer a discount for a review?

No. Google doesn't allow any reward for a review, whether the review is good or bad.

What if the customer doesn't have a Google account?

They need one to leave a Google review. Most Android and Gmail users already have one. If someone doesn't, don't push. Thank them and move on.

Should I also ask in person?

Ask at the door, then send the text. Saying "I'll text you a link" makes the text expected and easy to act on.