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⭐ Review Automation

Google Reviews for Contractors:
Get 5 New Reviews This Week

The free, 30-minute system that sends automatic review requests after every job, no tech skills required. Includes copy-paste SMS templates that work.

F
M
Fredrik Filipsson & Morten AndersenCo-founders, Main Street AI · built multi-million dollar businesses with AI
⏱ 30 min to set up 💰 $0 to start (free tools) 🔧 Difficulty: Beginner 📅 Updated April 2026
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Affiliate Disclosure: Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you sign up through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. We only recommend tools we've tested and would use ourselves.
88%
of homeowners check online reviews before hiring a contractor
5×
more new jobs from contractors with 50+ reviews vs. fewer than 10
$0
cost to get started, free tools handle everything
30 min
to set up your entire review automation system

If you finish a great job and forget to ask for a review, that's money left on the table. Most contractors say they ask sometimes, when they remember. That "sometimes" is the difference between 12 reviews and 120.

This guide shows you how to set up a system that asks every customer, every time, automatically, the moment a job is complete. You'll have it running in under an hour, for free.

Before Automation
  • Ask for reviews only when you remember
  • 12 reviews collected in 2 years
  • Lose jobs to competitors with more reviews
  • Awkward face-to-face review requests
  • No system for responding to negative reviews
After Automation
  • Every customer gets a review request, automatically
  • 5–10 new reviews per month consistently
  • Rank higher in Google local results
  • Friendly SMS that customers actually respond to
  • Template responses ready for any review type

✅ After Following This Guide You'll Have:

  • Your Google review link (the short URL customers click to leave a review)
  • 3 review request methods: SMS, email, and QR code sign
  • 3 personalised SMS templates ready to send
  • Automatic requests triggered when a job is marked complete
  • Professional response templates for 5-star, 4-star, and negative reviews

Tools You'll Use

🏢 Google Business Profile Free
📲 Podium Free trial → $249/mo
⚡ Zapier Free tier available
📋 Jobber / ServiceTitan Your job software

Note: You can run Steps 1–3 completely free using your phone. Podium (Step 4) makes it fully automatic but isn't required to start.

1

Get Your Google Review Link

This is the link customers click to leave you a review. You'll put it in every SMS and email.

How to find it:

  1. Go to Google.com and search for your business name
  2. Click on your business in the right-side Knowledge Panel
  3. Find the "Get more reviews" button and click it
  4. Copy the short link it gives you (looks like: g.page/r/your-business/review)
  5. Test it on your phone, it should go straight to the review form
📸 Screenshot placeholder: Google Business Profile "Get more reviews" button
💡 Pro tip: Create a free short link at bit.ly or tinyurl.com (e.g., bit.ly/YourCompanyReview). This is easier to type and looks cleaner in SMS messages.
2

Set Up 3 Review Request Methods (Pick What Works for You)

Different customers respond to different requests. Here are 3 methods, you can start with one and add more later.

Method A: SMS

Best response rate (98% open). Send within 2 hours of job completion.

Method B: Email

Good for customers who prefer email. Easier to include photos of the completed job.

Method C: QR Sign

Print a QR code sign for your vehicle, office, or to hand to customers on completion day.

To create a QR code (free): Go to qr-code-generator.com, paste your Google review link, and download the PNG. Print it at Staples or on a laminated card.

📸 Screenshot placeholder: QR code generator with Google review link pasted in
3

Write Your 3 SMS Templates

These are the exact messages to send after completing a job. Personalise the [brackets] for each customer.

Template A, Standard completion:

Hi [Customer Name], it's [Your Name] from [Company]. Just finished up, hope everything looks great! If you have 60 seconds, a Google review really helps us out: [Review Link] Thanks so much! 🙏

Template B, After a big job:

Hey [Customer Name]! The [job type] is all done. Really enjoyed working with you. When you get a chance, would you mind leaving us a Google review? It makes a huge difference for a small business: [Review Link] No worries if you're busy, just wanted to ask! 😊

Template C, Next-day follow-up (only if no response):

Hi [Customer Name], just checking in after yesterday's job. Hope you're happy with everything! If you get a moment, a Google review would mean the world: [Review Link] And let us know if anything needs attention. We stand behind our work!
💡 The golden rule: Send Template A within 2 hours of finishing the job. If no review after 24 hours, send Template C once. Never send more than 2 messages, you'll annoy people and risk a bad review.
4

Set Up Podium to Send Automatically

Podium (think of it as a "review robot") connects to your job management software. When a job is marked complete in Jobber, ServiceTitan, or Housecall Pro, Podium automatically sends a review request, you don't have to do anything.

To set up Podium:

  1. Start a free trial at Podium.com →
  2. Connect your Google Business Profile (Settings → Integrations → Google)
  3. Connect your job management tool if you use one (Podium supports Jobber, ServiceTitan, Housecall Pro)
  4. Set up the trigger: "When job status changes to Complete → send review request"
  5. Paste your SMS template from Step 3 into the message box
  6. Set a 1-hour delay (so it sends after you've left the property)
📸 Screenshot placeholder: Podium dashboard showing trigger setup for automatic review requests
💡 No Podium yet? You can do this manually for free using the templates in Step 3. Start manual for 2 weeks to get in the habit, then add Podium to automate it permanently.
5

Respond to Every Review (Templates Included)

Google rewards businesses that respond to reviews, and homeowners read your responses when deciding who to hire. Here's what to say.

5-Star review response:

Thank you so much, [Name]! We loved working on your [project type], it was a great project. We're really glad everything came out the way you hoped. If you ever need anything in the future, we're always here. Appreciate you taking the time to leave a review! 🙌

4-Star review response:

Thanks for the kind words, [Name]! We're glad the work came out well. If there's anything we could have done better to earn that 5th star, we'd love to hear from you, just give us a call. We always want to improve!

Negative review response:

Hi [Name], thank you for sharing your experience. We're sorry it didn't meet your expectations, that's not the standard we hold ourselves to. We'd really like to make this right. Please call us directly at [Phone Number] so we can address this properly. We appreciate you giving us the chance to fix it.
⚠️ Never argue in a review response. Potential customers are watching. A calm, professional response to a bad review is often more impressive than the 5-star reviews around it.

What Contractors Typically See After 90 Days

These are typical results for contractors who use this system consistently.

+40New Google reviews in 90 days
4.7★Average rating after 6 months
+30%More inbound leads from Google

Want Your Review System Built For You?

Our consulting team sets up Podium + Zapier + Google Business Profile in one afternoon, you arrive to a fully running review machine.

Book a Free Strategy Call → Compare Review Tools

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I ask customers for Google reviews without being annoying?
Send one SMS within 2 hours of job completion, satisfaction is highest then. Keep it friendly, personal, and under 160 characters. Never send more than one follow-up. The templates in Step 3 are designed to feel warm, not pushy.
Can I automate Google review requests as a contractor?
Yes. Tools like Podium connect to your job management software (ServiceTitan, Jobber) and send review requests automatically when a job is marked complete, no manual work needed. You set it up once and it runs forever.
What's the best time to ask for a review after a job?
Within 1–2 hours of completing the job, while the customer is still happy and the experience is fresh. SMS open rates in this window are around 98%. Waiting until the next day or week dramatically reduces response rates.
How many Google reviews do I need to rank well locally?
Most local contractor markets require 50–100 reviews with a 4.5+ star average to rank in the top 3 Google map results. Getting there takes 3–6 months of consistent requests using this system.

What to Automate Next →

You've got your review system running. Here's what successful contractors automate next:

📧
Email Marketing for Contractors
Turn one-time customers into repeat jobs with seasonal email campaigns
 ⚡
Zapier for Contractors
Automate job confirmations, follow-ups, and lead alerts in 90 minutes
 🤖
AI Tools for Contractors
The 6 tools saving contractors 12 hours per week right now

Ready to Get Your First 5 Reviews This Week?

Start with the free SMS method in Step 3, you can send your first review request today. Try Podium free to automate everything else.

Try Podium Free → Get Personal Help