Your work is tidy, your customers are happy, and your Google listing still shows four reviews. Many trade businesses know this. The reason is almost always the same: nobody asks. This guide covers what Google allows, the routine after handover and the exact words to send.
Why reviews matter
Search Google for ‘plumber Altstätten’ and a map with three businesses appears at the top. People in the industry call this the local pack. Next to each name sit the stars and the number of reviews. Whoever stands here gets the call.
Google names three factors for this order: relevance, distance and prominence (Google, improve your local ranking). On prominence, Google says that more reviews and positive ratings can improve a business's local ranking. You can't buy a better position, and Google says so on the same page.
The Swiss KMU Digital Pulse 2025 study by localsearch and Lucerne University of Applied Sciences shows where people start (press release of 28 August 2025, in German). 80% begin with a search engine, 37% on review platforms. How consumers deal with reviews was surveyed by BrightLocal in February 2026 among 1,002 adults in the US (Local Consumer Review Survey 2026, retrieved 25 October 2026). The figures aren't Swiss, but the direction is clear:
| Survey result | Share |
|---|---|
| Read reviews before choosing a local business | 97% |
| Avoid businesses with fewer than 20 reviews | 47% |
| Only look at reviews from the last three months | 74% |
| Were asked to write a review in the last 12 months | 78% |
| More likely to use a business that replies to all its reviews | 80% |
| Use ChatGPT or another AI for local recommendations | 45% |
The last line is new. A year earlier, the same survey put that figure at 6%. Google also advises keeping your Business Profile up to date for its AI features (Google Search Central, AI features). In our search tests in October 2026, Google's AI Mode only named local businesses with a profile and stars.
What Google allows and what it bans
The rules are in Google's policy for user-generated content (Google, prohibited and restricted content). You may ask for reviews. You may not buy or steer them.
| Allowed | Banned |
|---|---|
| Asking every customer for an honest review after the job | Asking only happy customers, or discouraging unhappy ones from reviewing |
| Sharing the link or QR code from your profile, for example on the invoice or by WhatsApp | Discounts, gifts, vouchers or money for a review |
| One reminder after a few days | Pushing customers to write on the spot |
| Replying to every review, including criticism | Telling people what to write or how many stars to give, or asking them to name a particular employee |
| Displaying the QR code in your shop or workshop | Reviews from you, your team or your family |
| Reporting reviews that break the policies | Bought reviews, or several accounts for one person |
Google names cherry-picking explicitly. Preventing negative reviews or selectively asking customers for positive ones is not allowed. Offering a customer anything to change or remove a bad review is banned too. If you break the rules, Google removes reviews and can restrict your profile.
How to get more Google reviews: the routine in your business
Five steps, and they fit into any working day. Ideally the person who writes the invoices takes this on.
1. Get the link from your profile
Google gives you a link and a QR code (Google, create a link or QR code to request reviews). Open your profile at business.google.com, choose ‘Read reviews’ and then ‘Get more reviews’. Copy the link or save the QR code as an image. According to Google, the QR code is only available in a desktop browser, not on a phone. Put the link in your email signature and the QR code on your invoices and delivery notes.
2. Pick the day of handover
The best moment is the day you hand over the finished work. The customer is standing in the new kitchen or the finished bathroom. Send the request that same day, ideally together with the invoice. Wait three weeks and the job is long finished in the customer's mind. But don't push anyone to write while you're standing next to them. Google bans that, and it feels pushy.
3. Send a short request
A text message, a WhatsApp message or an email is enough. Short, personal and with the link. It can look like this:
Hi [first name], thanks for your order. We hope the new kitchen is everything you had in mind. If you have two minutes, an honest review on Google would help our business a lot. Here's the link: [link]. Thanks, and see you next time, [your name]
Keep it free of any hint about stars or wording. Ask every customer. That includes the one whose installation took a day longer than planned.
4. Remind once after five to seven days
Many customers mean to write and then forget. One reminder after five to seven days brings them back. One sentence is enough: ‘Hi [first name], in case you haven't got round to it, here's the review link again. Thank you!’ Then let it rest. Anyone who hasn't written after two messages doesn't want to.
5. Reply to every review
Your reply is public. It appears as the response from the business under the review, and your own name isn't shown (Google, manage customer reviews). Google's advice is to keep replies short and simple and to sign them with your name or initials (Google, tips for getting more reviews). Two templates:
Thanks for your review, [first name]. We enjoyed working for you. If anything comes up later, just get in touch. [initials]
Thanks for your feedback, [first name]. This isn't how we wanted to finish the job, and we're sorry. Please call me on [number] so we can sort it out together. [name]
According to the BrightLocal survey, 89% of respondents expect businesses to reply. 50% are put off by replies that sound templated. So add one detail about the job to every reply.
Your schedule
| When | What you do |
|---|---|
| Day 0, handover | Hand over the invoice with the QR code, send the request with the link the same day |
| Day 5 to 7 | Remind once if there's no review yet. Then stop. |
| Within a week of every review | Reply, signed with your name or initials |
| Every month | Note the count and the average, catch up on open replies, check the link on invoices and in your signature |
A week for the reply is within expectations. According to BrightLocal, 81% of respondents expect a response within a week. The monthly check takes a few minutes in your profile. Count the new reviews, check the average and make sure every review has a reply. Compare your count with the three businesses in the local pack for your search. That's your benchmark.
When a bad review arrives
Sooner or later a two-star review will arrive. It's unpleasant, but it's no disaster. Google itself says that negative reviews aren't necessarily a sign of bad business practice. Readers mostly watch how you respond.
Reply within a few days, calmly and briefly. Admit a mistake if there was one, and offer a conversation. Every argument in your reply is read by your next customer. Never put the customer's private details in a reply; Google requires that too.
You can only have a review removed if it breaks Google's policies (Google, report inappropriate reviews). That covers spam, insults, reviews from people who never dealt with your business, or reviews by a competitor. An honest but unwelcome opinion is not a reason to report, and Google says so explicitly. You report a review directly from your profile. According to Google, the check usually takes several days. If someone demands money or a favour to remove negative reviews, report it to Google separately (Google, report review extortion). Google's advice in such cases is not to pay. Legal steps are rarely needed. For those, ask a lawyer.
Showing reviews on your website
Good reviews belong on your website too. Show only real ones, word for word and with a date. Name a customer only with their consent. A first name and town are usually enough. Link to your Google profile so visitors can see every review in the original.
Don't expect stars next to your website in Google Search. For reviews a business publishes about itself on its own site, Google shows no star rating in search results (Google Search Central, review snippet). Google also states that ratings must come directly from users. The stars in the local pack come from your Google profile. That's where they're created, and that's where you look after them.
What we add
We build review requests into every website package if they help you. After each job, the request then goes out with your link by itself. Find out more under Visibility. You can take the first step today: get the link. Let's go.
Frequently asked questions
How many Google reviews does a trade business need?
There's no fixed number, and Google doesn't name one. In BrightLocal's 2026 survey, 47% of respondents avoid businesses with fewer than 20 reviews. 74% only look at reviews from the last three months. A steady flow therefore counts for more than a target. Compare yourself with the three businesses in the local pack for your search.
Am I allowed to ask customers for Google reviews?
Yes. Google provides a link and a QR code for this in your Business Profile. Google bans incentives such as discounts or gifts, cherry-picking happy customers, dictating wording or stars, and bought reviews.
How long does it take for a Google review to show up?
Google checks every review before it appears. According to Google, this can take a few days in some cases. Your reply is checked as well, usually within 10 minutes, in rare cases up to 30 days.
Can I get bad Google reviews deleted?
Only if they break Google's policies: spam, insults or reviews from people who never dealt with your business. Google doesn't remove an honest but unwelcome opinion. Report violations directly from your profile; according to Google, the check usually takes several days.
Do Google reviews count for ChatGPT and Google's AI too?
Google advises keeping your Business Profile up to date for its AI features as well. It also names reviews as a factor in local ranking. According to BrightLocal, 45% of respondents use ChatGPT or another AI for local recommendations. 82% read AI-generated review summaries. How heavily an AI weighs reviews is something Google hasn't published.
Sources
All sources retrieved on 25 October 2026.
- BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026, published 11 February 2026, 1,002 adults in the US
- localsearch and Lucerne University of Applied Sciences, KMU Digital Pulse 2025, press release of 28 August 2025, in German
- Google, Improve your local ranking on Google
- Google, User-contributed content policy: prohibited and restricted content
- Google, Create a link or QR code to request reviews
- Google, Tips for getting more reviews
- Google, Manage customer reviews
- Google, Report inappropriate reviews on your Business Profile
- Google, Missing or delayed reviews
- Google, Report review extortion
- Google Search Central, Review snippet structured data
- Google Search Central, AI features in Google Search