How to Ask for a Google Review: Text Templates for Contractors

Text every customer a short message soon after the job: your name, a thank-you that mentions the actual work, one direct link to your Google review page, and a plain ask for an honest review. Send the same request to everyone, never offer anything in return, and follow up once.

The text that gets a review is short, personal and easy to act on. It sounds like you, mentions the job you just did, and puts one link in front of the customer. Below are templates you can copy today, plus the small rules that keep them on the right side of Google’s policy.

What makes a review request text work?

Four parts, in this order:

1. Who you are. Your first name and business, so the customer isn’t guessing.
2. A real thank-you. Mention the job: “the water heater swap,” “the fence on Maple.”
3. One link. Straight to your Google review page. No extra clicks.
4. A plain ask. “An honest review” is enough.

Leave out the sales pitch, the coupon and the second link. One thing per message.

Text templates you can copy

Swap the brackets for real details. Keep them in your phone as saved replies so sending takes ten seconds.

Same-day service call

Hi [Name], it’s [Your name] from [Business]. Thanks for having us out today for the [job]. If you have a minute, an honest Google review helps other homeowners find us: [link]. Thanks again.

Bigger project, after the final walkthrough

Hi [Name], [Your name] from [Business]. It was a pleasure working on your [project]. If you’re up for it, would you share an honest review of how it went? Here’s the link: [link]. Thank you for trusting us with your home.

Customer who was in a rush or an emergency

Hi [Name], [Your name] from [Business]. Glad we could get your [problem] sorted out. When things settle down, an honest Google review would mean a lot to us: [link]. Thanks.

Property manager or repeat client

Hi [Name], [Your name] at [Business]. Thanks for the work order on [address]. We’re collecting reviews on Google from all our customers. If you have a minute, here’s the link: [link].

The one reminder, a few days later

Hi [Name], [Your name] again. Just a friendly nudge in case the earlier text got buried: [link]. No pressure. Thanks either way.

In person, at the end of the job

I’ll send you a text with a link. If you’re willing, an honest review on Google helps a small shop like ours.

On the invoice or receipt

Thanks for your business. If we did right by you, a Google review helps others find us: [link]

What should you never put in the message?

Some phrases turn a good ask into a rule violation. Google’s contributor policy says reviews must reflect genuine experiences, and it removes fake engagement, including paid or incentivized reviews. Its policy also prohibits selectively soliciting positive reviews. Read it on Google’s contributor policy page.

Skip these:

• Any reward. No discount, gift card, raffle entry or “free service next time.” Paying or rewarding for reviews is prohibited.
• Any filter. No “reply with 1 to 5 first” and no “if you’re happy, tap this link, if not, tap that one.” That routes unhappy customers away from Google, and it is what people mean by review gating. Details in is review gating allowed on Google.
• A star request. Ask for honest, not “5 stars.”
• Sending only to some customers. Same message, same timing, every customer.

How do you keep it fair?

Pick a trigger and stick to it. For example: “Every time I send an invoice, I send the review text.” If you only send it after a customer gushes, you are selectively soliciting, even if you never meant to. The trigger, not your mood, decides who gets asked. More on timing in the best time to ask a customer for a review.

If a customer answers your text with a complaint, that is a service problem to solve, not a reason to hide the review link from them next time. Fix it. If they later choose to leave a review, that is their right. Do the same for everyone.

A note on texting rules

Business texting rules change, and what applies depends on your setup, so confirm the current requirements for yours. Practical controls that help: text customers who gave you their number for the job, honor a STOP reply right away and never text them again, register your number where carriers require it (in the U.S., carriers expect A2P 10DLC registration for business texts sent from local 10-digit numbers, per Twilio’s registration overview), and keep every message useful. A short thank-you with a review link fits that.

Where do you get the link?

Your Google review link takes the customer straight to the review box for your profile. Save it once in your phone and reuse it. If you’d like it as a QR code for the truck, invoice pad or yard sign, see how to get your Google review link and QR code.

A quick routine

1. Finish the job and settle the invoice.
2. Send the text from your saved replies.
3. Three days later, send the reminder to anyone who hasn’t replied.
4. Once a week, read new reviews and reply to each of them.
5. Never mix in a discount or gift.

Say you finish 15 jobs in a month and send this to all 15. That is hypothetical, but the point holds: the number of reviews you get follows the number of customers you ask.

For the wider system, including replies and per-trade timing, read the full guide to Google reviews for contractors.

If you’d rather not send them by hand

If sending these between jobs never happens, automatic Google review requests are included in the Builders Presence plan. The templates above work fine on their own.

Common questions

Should the review request come from my personal cell or a business number?

Either works if the customer knows who you are. A text from the number they already called or texted about the job feels natural. What matters is that it sounds like a person, names the work you did, and comes from a number you can be reached on if they reply.

How long should a review request text be?

Two to four short sentences. The customer should be able to read it on a lock screen and tap the link. Long messages read like marketing. Say thanks, name the job, add the link, and stop.

Can I ask the same customer for a review twice?

Once, plus one reminder if they haven’t responded. After that, let it go. If they already left a review, don’t ask again. Handle it the same way for every customer so nobody is singled out either way.

Is it okay to say “please leave a 5-star review”?

Ask for an honest review, not a rating. Telling people what stars to give pushes them toward a script, reads as pressure, and misses the point of a review, which is to describe what actually happened. “An honest review” is safer and more believable.