Why reviews matter twice
Reviews do two jobs. They are part of prominence, one of the three things Google weighs for the map pack. [1] And they are what a homeowner reads before choosing which of three names to call. In the 2026 expert survey, reviews carried about a fifth of the weight in map-pack rankings. [2]
A steady flow beats a big pile
The most useful finding for a contractor comes from a 2025 study of 8,186 home-service businesses: the number of reviews a month mattered more than the total, and rankings started to slip after about 18 days with no new review. [3] The same research found a lift around the tenth review, with smaller gains after about sixteen.
That is why a review push once a year does less than people hope, and why the fix is a habit, not a campaign.
The rules, in plain words
Google's content policy for reviews is strict, and the penalties include removed reviews, blocked new reviews and a public warning on the profile. [4]
Do
- Ask every customer with a completed job, whether the job went well or not
- Ask soon: the same day, with one reminder a few days later
- Use the direct review link from your profile
- Reply to every review, good and bad
- Report reviews that break the rules, with your reasons
Don't
- Filter who you ask. Sending happy customers to Google and unhappy ones to a private form is called gating, and it is not allowed
- Offer anything for a review: no discount, draw, gift card or free service
- Set staff targets for reviews, or ask customers to mention a name or a service
- Hand customers a tablet on site to review you there
- Write reviews for anyone, or edit what a customer wrote
“How did we do?” screens are gating
Many review tools open with a star rating and only show the Google link to people who pick four or five. It looks harmless and it is exactly what the policy forbids. If a tool you pay for does this, switch the screen off and send everyone the same link.
Staff targets and asking for specific content were reported as newly banned in an April 2026 policy update. Keyword coaching was never worth it anyway: earlier testing found no ranking lift from keywords in review text. [5]
The ask itself
Short, from a real person, with no reason not to click. Text works best for most trades customers, with email as the backup. For example:
Hi Dana, thanks for choosing Fraser Heating. If you have a minute, would you leave us a review? [link] It helps other Mission homeowners find us. – Raj, Fraser Heating, 604-555-0142. Reply STOP to opt out.
Most job software, including the common field-service apps, can send this automatically when a job is marked complete. Use the feature you already pay for before adding another tool.
The Canadian part: CASL
A review request by text or email is an electronic message, so Canada's anti-spam law applies. For a customer who bought from you recently there is usually implied consent from the purchase, which lasts two years from the transaction under CASL. [6] Every message still needs:
- who is sending it, and how to reach them;
- a working way to opt out, such as “Reply STOP”;
- a record of the job date and the consent basis, kept with the customer.
One request and one reminder is plenty. Have a lawyer look over your template once; the regulator has not published guidance specific to review requests.
Other platforms
Start with Google, because it feeds the map. Once that is flowing, make sure your profiles on other review sites are claimed and accurate. Yelp matters more than it used to, because its reviews now appear in ChatGPT answers. [7] Yelp does not allow businesses to ask for reviews, so there, keep the profile complete and let reviews arrive on their own. More on what AI assistants read.
Replying, including to the bad ones
- Positive: thank them by first name, mention the job only if they did, and vary the wording. Stuffing keywords into replies does nothing and reads badly.
- Negative: calm and short. Acknowledge it, no excuses, and move it offline: “please call Raj directly on…”. Never share the customer's details and never argue in public.
- Fake or off-topic: report it through the profile with your evidence, such as no record of the customer. Removal is up to Google and is never certain.
What to watch every month
| Check | Warning sign |
|---|---|
| Days since the last new review | Three weeks or more |
| Requests sent against jobs completed | Fewer requests than jobs: the trigger broke or someone is filtering |
| Average rating over time | A slide over several months |
| What customers mention | Nothing to watch: use it, in their words, on your pages |
For trades like restoration and pest control, where customers call in a hurry and pick from the map, recent reviews do a lot of the persuading. See also how the map pack works.
Sources
- Google Business Profile Help, “Tips to improve your local ranking on Google”, read 30 September 2026. support.google.com/business/answer/7091
- Whitespark, Local Search Ranking Factors 2026, an expert survey published November 2025. whitespark.ca/local-search-ranking-factors
- Sterling Sky, review count, recency and velocity study of 8,186 home-service businesses, 2025.
- Google Maps, “Prohibited and restricted content” policy for user contributions, read September 2026. support.google.com/contributionpolicy/answer/7400114
- Sterling Sky, test of keywords in review text, 2023.
- Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, “Canada’s anti-spam legislation: getting consent”, read September 2026. ised-isde.canada.ca
- Axios, report on the Yelp and OpenAI partnership, 23 July 2026. axios.com
Where Merkat does this for you: Categories, services, hours and description rebuilt by a person, inside Google's rules, and kept right every month.
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