Reviews influence 93% of buying decisions. Here's how to systematically collect them for your business.
Online reviews have become the single most influential factor in a customer's decision to choose one service business over another. A BrightLocal survey found that 93% of consumers read reviews before hiring a local business. If you don't have a systematic approach to collecting reviews, you're losing work to competitors who do.
The best time to ask for a review is immediately after completing a job and while the customer is still happy with the result. Train your team to ask in person, and follow up with a text message containing a direct link to your Google review page. The easier you make it, the more reviews you'll get.
Don't be afraid of negative reviews. A business with nothing but 5-star reviews actually looks suspicious. The occasional 4-star or even 3-star review, responded to professionally and helpfully, builds more trust than a perfect score. What matters is your overall trend and how you handle criticism.
Use your reviews in your marketing. Display your Google rating prominently on your website, include genuine customer quotes on your landing pages, and reference specific reviews in your ad copy. Phrases like 'Rated 4.9 on Google from 200+ reviews' are incredibly powerful trust signals that directly reduce your cost per lead.