You finish the job. The customer is happy. They say “I'll leave you a review” and never do. Meanwhile the electrician down the road has a pile of them and gets the call you should have had.
Asking for reviews is one of the simplest things a local tradie can do to give new customers a reason to ring. But Google has rules about how you ask, and getting it wrong can mean reviews get removed. Here is what the rules say in plain English, and a routine that keeps you on the right side of them.
What Google Actually Says
Google's own review policy for businesses says you must not:
- Offer payment, discounts, free goods or free services in exchange for a review. That includes prize draws and “5 stars for 10% off”.
- Discourage negative reviews or selectively ask only the customers you think will be positive. This is called review gating, and Google bans it.
- Force or push customers to leave a review while they are on your premises.
- Ask for specific content to be included in a review.
- Ask your staff to collect a set number of reviews, or reviews with specific content.
Google says you can ask for and encourage reviews that reflect a genuine experience, as long as you are not offering incentives or trying to steer the rating or what is written.
What Changed in 2026
In April 2026, a Google Product Expert spotted new wording in the policy about staff: no asking staff to solicit a certain number of reviews, and no asking staff to solicit reviews that identify a staff member. Search industry site PPC Land reported it. The same report quotes industry commentators saying the scope is unclear, that it is not known whether existing reviews that name staff will be affected, and that enforcement may be hard. So nobody outside Google knows exactly how strictly it will be applied. The safe move is not to find out the hard way.
It mostly comes down to two things: don't give your crew a “get five reviews this week” target, and don't script “make sure you mention Dave”. If a customer names Dave on their own, that is fine.
A Simple Routine That Stays Inside the Rules
-
Ask every genuine customer, not just the ones who seem happy. Same message, every time.
-
Ask after the job is finished, by text, with a direct link to your Google review page. Not while you are packing up the ute.
-
Keep the message plain. No rewards, no suggested wording, no mention of star ratings. Something like:
“Thanks for choosing us. If you're happy to share your experience, here's the link.”
-
Make it a routine that happens even in a flat-out week. Consistent beats clever.
-
Reply politely to every review, good or bad. A calm, helpful reply to a bad one shows the next customer how you handle problems.
Asking everyone means some reviews won't be glowing. That is what keeps your profile genuine, and it is what Google's rules are designed to protect.
Do Reviews Help You Get Found?
Reviews are one input among several that affect how people find and choose a local business, so treat them as one part of the picture, not a switch that guarantees you a spot at the top.
Here is the most recent industry view we found. Whitespark, a local search company, published a guide on 22 May 2026 saying reviews have emerged as one of the key sources of information Google's AI Mode returns for local searches. That is Whitespark's observation, not a Google statement. The guide does not measure how much weight reviews carry, and it notes that AI Mode results can differ from person to person.
What No Honest Provider Can Promise
Nobody can promise you a Google Maps ranking or a set number of calls from reviews. Not us, not anyone. What a steady, rules-compliant review routine can do is give people who do find you a reason to ring you instead of the next listing.
What Happens After the Reviews
Reviews get the phone ringing. But a call you miss while you are under a house is a job that goes to someone else. The next step is making sure every missed call gets an instant text back so the customer knows you will call them. Further down the track, an AI receptionist built around how your business actually runs (your service area, your hours, the jobs you take) can answer when you can't. Not a generic bot shared with everyone else. Start with the reviews, then plug the leaks.