New clients want to trust you before they let you into their home. Reviews are often the first thing they check. But most happy clients never write one. They just don't think of it.
The fix is simple: ask every client, the same way, after every first clean and every big job.
1. Get your review link
Open your Google Business Profile. Choose Ask for reviews and copy the link. It often starts with g.page/r/.
This link opens the review box right away. The client doesn't have to search for you.
2. Ask when the home looks its best
The best time is the day of the clean, when the client walks in and sees the work:
- After the first clean with a new client.
- After a deep clean or a move-out clean.
- When you send the bill or the "all done" text.
For weekly or every-other-week clients, you don't need to ask each visit. Ask once after the first few cleans. Then maybe once a year.
3. Leave the ask where they'll see it
- Thank-you card: Print the QR card and leave it on the kitchen counter with a short note. The client points their phone camera at it and lands on your review page.
- Text when you finish: Send a short note from your work phone. For example:
Hi Sam, your home is all done for today. Thanks for having us! If you have a minute, would you leave us an honest Google review? It really helps a small business like ours: g.page/r/your-link
- On the invoice: Add the link or QR code to the bottom of your bill.
4. Ask everyone, not just the happy ones
Google's rules say a business must not pick and choose who gets asked. Some tools first ask "How did we do?" and only send happy people to Google. That is called review gating, and Google doesn't allow it.
Ask every client the same way. Now and then you may get an honest bad review. That's normal. A calm reply that fixes the problem can earn more trust than a perfect score.
5. Never pay for reviews
Don't offer a free clean, a discount, a gift card, or a raffle entry for a review. Google doesn't allow rewards for reviews, even honest ones.
Also skip:
- Asking for "5 stars." Ask for an "honest review" instead.
- Writing reviews for clients, or having your team or family review you.
- Asking the same person again and again.
6. Reply to every review
Thank people by name. Mention the job if you can, like "So glad the oven came out sparkling!" For a bad one, stay calm, say sorry, and offer to come back and fix it.