The roof is done. The homeowner is walking your crew to the truck, thanking everyone twice, and this is the moment to ask for a review. It can also sound needy or pushy, so you say "call us if anything comes up" and drive off.
Asking is allowed. Google tells owners to remind customers to leave reviews, and gives you a link and a QR code to do it.[1] What can get a profile in trouble is how you ask.
When is the right moment to ask?
I'd ask the same day the job ends, ideally at the final walkthrough, while the relief is still fresh. The last payment works too, and so does the day a pool is filled.
Say it out loud while you're there, then text the link and let them answer when they're ready.
How do you get your Google review link?
Open your Business Profile, choose Read reviews, then Get more reviews. Copy the link or save the QR code. Google says QR codes can only be made in a computer browser for now.[2] If you haven't looked at your profile lately, our 20-minute profile check comes first.
Google suggests receipts and thank-you emails, so put it on the invoice and the payment receipt.[2] Customers need a Google account to post, though it doesn't have to be Gmail.[1]
Leave Yelp out of it. Yelp asks businesses not to request reviews, and its software tries to spot requested ones.[3]
How do you ask for Google reviews without sounding needy?
Pick the channel that fits the customer and sound like yourself. Swap in your own words.
Four ways to ask, plus one reminder
- Text, the same afternoon: Hi Maria, it's [your name] from [company]. Thanks for letting us do your roof. If you've got a minute, an honest Google review helps the next homeowner picking a roofer. Here's the link: [your link]
- In person, at the walkthrough: Maria, thanks for trusting us with the roof. If you're up for it, we'd appreciate an honest Google review. I'll text you the link before I leave. It takes a minute.
- Email, with the invoice: Subject: How did the roof go? Hi Maria, thanks for choosing us. Would you share how it went in a Google review? Honest feedback helps us and your neighbors. Here's the link: [your link]. [your name]
- Phone, a few days later: Hi Maria, [your name] from [company]. I'm calling to make sure the roof's holding up. If you're up for it, I'll text you a link to share how it went in a Google review.
- Reminder, once, a week later: Hi Maria, [your name] again. No pressure. If you'd still like to review the roof job, here's the link: [your link]. If not, no worries.
Illustrative example
Send the reminder once, then let it go.
Is it against the rules to ask?
No, asking is fine. Two rule books apply: Google's content policy[4] and the FTC's 2024 fake-review rule, which is short enough to read yourself.[5] None of this is legal advice.
- No rewards. Google bans payment, discounts and free goods or services for a review, or for changing or removing one.[4] The FTC's rule is narrower: it bans rewards tied to a positive or negative review.[5]
- No picking and choosing. Google bans selectively soliciting positive reviews, which covers asking only the customers you expect to be happy.[4] The FTC's rule has no specific ban on that, but the agency says it could still break the FTC Act.[6] Google also bans discouraging negative reviews, so don't send unhappy customers to a private form instead.[4]
- No fakes or insiders. Don't write a review for a customer, buy one or have AI produce one. The FTC's rule bans creating or buying reviews that misrepresent who wrote them or what they experienced.[7] Google can count reviews from staff or relatives as conflicts of interest, so don't ask for them.[4]
One rule is easy to miss. Google tells merchants not to steer the rating, ask for specific content (like a staff member's name), set staff a review quota or pressure customers to review on the spot.[4] So skip "five stars, please", "be sure to mention Dave" and any monthly quota for the crew.
If Google finds fake or incentivized reviews on a profile, it removes them. It can also block new reviews or hide old ones for a set period, and show customers a warning.[8] Our own rule is simpler: a review never earns a special price, a discount or a gift.
What if the customer wasn't happy?
Fix the problem first. A job isn't finished while a callback is open, and asking mid-argument just invites the complaint to go public.
Once it's put right, send the same message you send everyone. Skipping someone because you expect a bad review is the selective asking Google bans.[4] Then reply to every review, the good ones too.
Write each reply short, for the next homeowner who reads it. Google's advice is to skip the identical thank-you and keep deals out of replies.[1] On a bad review, own your part, say what you've done, and take the details to a phone call. How to respond to a negative Google review goes through it, including when to report one.
80% of consumers are more likely to use a business that responds to all of its reviews; 89% expect owners to respond.
Source: BrightLocal Local Consumer Review Survey · (opens in a new tab)
How do you make asking a habit on a crew?
Give the ask to one person per job, usually whoever runs the final walkthrough. Save the link as a text shortcut on every work phone. Once a week, the office checks for new reviews and replies.
Ask every customer, every job. Google says more reviews and positive ratings can help a business's local ranking,[9] and buyers check the count. No quotas and no leaderboard.
47% of consumers won't use a business with fewer than 20 reviews.
Source: BrightLocal Local Consumer Review Survey · (opens in a new tab)
What a good script can't do
It can't make anyone say yes. Even happy customers sometimes mean to and never get around to it, and that's their right. Reviews also build slowly, so judge the routine over months, not a week, and track where your calls come from as you go.
You can't control what people write, either. Google says a mix of positive and negative reviews often feels more trustworthy.[1] You can flag a review that breaks Google's content policies,[1] but for one that's merely harsh, your reply is the answer.
Reviews are one part of how Google picks who shows up on Maps,[9] and local SEO for home service companies covers the rest. If you'd like someone else to look at your profile and reviews, the Expert Action Plan ($149) is the complete report behind our local SEO audit plus a 30-minute consultation.