How to get more Google reviews as a tradie
Where to find your review link, what to text, how to answer good and bad reviews, and what Google won’t allow. From Google’s own help pages and the Australian Government’s.
The short answer
Ask at the end of the job, then text the customer your Google review link so it’s one tap. The link and a QR code are free in your Business Profile, under Read reviews, then Get more reviews.
Reply to the reviews that come in, good and bad. Google says more reviews and positive ratings can help your local ranking.
Paying for reviews, offering a discount for one, writing your own and getting staff or family to post them all break Google’s rules. Google removes them and can put a warning on your profile. Fake reviews also break Australian consumer law.
Get your review link and QR code
It’s free, which makes it the cheapest marketing anyone will ever offer you. Do it on a computer. Google says the QR code can’t be made on a phone for now.
Open your Business Profile
Go to business.google.com and open your business.
Select Read reviews, then Get more reviews
The link and QR code come up on the same screen.
Copy the link
Select Copy, then save it in your phone’s notes so it’s ready when you finish a job.
Save the QR code
Right-click it and select Save image as. Google suggests receipts and thank-you emails, so for most tradies that’s the invoice.
When and how to ask
At the end of the job, while you’re packing up. Say you’ll text them a link for a Google review, and send it before you leave the street.
Google is fine with you asking for a review of a real job. Just don’t offer anything for it, or try to steer the rating or what they write. Its policy also says businesses shouldn’t require or pressure customers to review while they’re on the premises. For a tradie, we’d read that as sending the link and leaving them to it.
They need to be signed in to a Google Account to post. Google says one made with a non-Gmail email address works.
Texts you can copy
Swap the bits in brackets for yours and keep your business name in, so they know who’s texting.
Straight after the job
“Hi [name], it’s [your name] from [business]. Thanks for having us out today. If you’ve got a minute, a Google review helps people in [town] find us: [link]”
The next morning
“Morning [name], [your name] from [business]. Hope the [hot water] is behaving. If you’d like to leave us a Google review, here’s the link: [link]”
With the invoice
“Hi [name], your invoice for [the job] is attached. Thanks for the work. If you’d like to review us on Google, this link goes straight there: [link]”
Our own examples. Leave out any ask for five stars or for what to write: Google’s policy says businesses shouldn’t try to influence the rating or ask for specific content (Google Maps content policy, read October 2026).
How to reply to Google reviews
In your Business Profile, select Read reviews, then Reply next to the review. Your profile has to be verified first.
Google checks each reply against its policies, usually within 10 minutes, sometimes up to 30 days. It shows as your business, not your name, and the customer can still change their review after reading it.
For a good review, keep it short and mention their job. Google suggests skipping the same thank you on every one, and keeping deals out of replies.
For a bad one, reply calmly and soon, own any mistake and ask them to ring you. Don’t take the blame for things outside your control, like the weather. Never post their details, and don’t argue in public.
From Google Business Profile Help and business.gov.au, read October 2026.
Replies you can copy
Google suggests using their name and signing off with yours.
To a good review
“Thanks Sue. Glad the hot water’s back on, and sorry the part took an extra day. Dave”
To a bad review
“Hi Mark, sorry we were late and didn’t ring ahead. That’s on us. Can you give me a ring so I can sort the gate out? Dave”
To someone you can’t find
“Hi [name], we can’t find a job under this name. If we’ve done work for you, give us a ring and we’ll look into it. Dave”
What’s not allowed
Google’s rules and Australian law mostly agree. Where they don’t, Google decides what stays on Google.
| What Google says | What Australian law says | |
|---|---|---|
| Paying for reviews | Not allowed. Reviews paid for in cash or in kind are fake engagement and get removed. | Arranging a fake or misleading review is illegal. The ACCC counts reviews by people you paid as misleading if the connection isn’t disclosed. |
| A discount or freebie for a review | Not allowed. Google calls incentives like free or discounted goods or services strictly prohibited. | OK if it’s offered whether the review ends up good or bad, and clearly disclosed. Google’s ban still applies on Google. |
| A reward to change or remove a bad review | Not allowed either. | The ACCC counts a review as fake or misleading if you, or someone else, removed or changed it after the customer posted it. |
| Writing your own reviews | Not allowed: it’s a conflict of interest. Posting from several accounts by or for one person is banned too. | False or misleading reviews are against the law. The ACCC counts a review by someone who hasn’t used your service as fake. |
| Reviews from staff or family | Not allowed. Conflict of interest covers current or former employment and family. | The ACCC counts them as misleading if their connection to your business isn’t disclosed. |
Google’s Maps content policy and “Tips to get more reviews”, the ACCC’s “Online reviews for products and services” page, business.gov.au’s “Online reviews” page and NSW Fair Trading, all read October 2026.
What Google can do to your profile
If Google decides a business broke its fake engagement rules, it removes the reviews. It can also stop new reviews or hide existing ones for a set time, or show customers a warning that fake reviews were removed. It emails you first, and you can appeal. The bloke selling five-star reviews won’t be around for that part.
Bad or fake Google review: what to do
| What to do | Watch out for | |
|---|---|---|
| A real customer with a complaint | Reply politely and ask them to ring you. Once it’s sorted, Google and business.gov.au both say they may update their review. | Arguing in public, or posting their details. |
| A review that breaks Google’s rules, like spam, abuse or a fake | In your Business Profile, select Read reviews, then Report next to it. Pick the reason and send. Google says checks usually take several days. | Google says not to report a review just because you disagree with it. |
| Your report was knocked back | Appeal in Google’s Reviews Management Tool. You can pick up to 10 reviews, and the result comes by email. | It’s a one-time appeal, so get it right. |
| A run of 1 and 2 star reviews, then a demand for money | Report it on Google’s merchant extortion form. Include screenshots showing the date, time and sender, and links to the reviews. | Don’t pay or reply. Google says paying doesn’t guarantee removal and can bring more attempts. |
| A genuine review that disappeared | Google says its spam filter occasionally removes real ones. Contact Business Profile support. | Reviews removed for breaking the rules don’t come back. |
From Google Business Profile Help’s pages on reporting reviews, extortion scams and missing reviews, read October 2026.
Sending the link without having to remember
The hard bit is remembering it at knock-off, with your hands full and the phone ringing about tomorrow’s job.
OffsiteMate’s review booster asks how the job went and sends happy customers your Google review link.
Google review questions
How do I get more Google reviews for my business?
Ask at the end of the job and text them your review link, from your Business Profile under Read reviews, then Get more reviews. Put the QR code on your invoices. It’s free.
How do I get more Google reviews fast?
Send the link the same day, by text. There’s no shortcut Google allows: it removes paid and incentivised reviews, and ones arriving in unusual volumes or patterns that look like rating manipulation.
Can I offer a discount for a Google review?
No. Google strictly prohibits incentives like discounts or free goods or services for a review. business.gov.au says the law can allow a disclosed incentive offered for good and bad reviews alike, but Google’s ban still applies.
How do I get a fake Google review removed?
In your Business Profile, select Read reviews, then Report next to it, and pick the reason. If it stays, you can appeal once in the Reviews Management Tool.
Why isn’t a customer’s review showing?
Google checks new reviews first, which can take a few days. Customers on older phones can have trouble posting, and Google suggests updating the Maps app. Your star rating can take up to 2 weeks to catch up.
Keep reading
- How our review booster works
- Google profile setup for tradies
- Local SEO for tradies
- Replying to customers by text
- The best tradie apps in Australia (2026)
- Is hipages worth it for tradies?
- What a missed call costs a tradie
- AI receptionist prices in Australia, compared
- Answering service prices in Australia, compared
- Picking after-hours cover for a trade business
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