How landscapers get more Google reviews

The request follows a finished job. It does not follow a guess about who is happy. On the landscapers page, review requests are described this way: Review requests go out after install and periodically for maintenance customers. Seasonal reminders for mulch, cleanups, irrigation checks, and holiday lighting fill slow months.

Send the request at that moment, for every customer who had the work. Do not wait to see if they seem grateful. The same rule is on the system itself: Ask every customer for a Google review, automatically, right after the job. Every customer gets the Google link. The longer version is how contractors can ask for Google reviews without breaking the rules. The direct answer to asking only the customers who seemed happy is is it ok to only ask happy customers for Google reviews.

A new patio and a weekly mow are not the same kind of job. The rule is the same: use a trigger that does not depend on who seems happy, and include every customer who had the work.

Google's tips for getting more reviews say that offering incentives, such as free or discounted goods or services, in exchange for posting a review, changing a review, or removing a negative review is prohibited. The same page says to value all reviews. A mix of positive and negative feedback is normal, and the recommended response is to reply.

Google's Maps user-content policy says merchants may not discourage negative reviews or selectively solicit positive reviews. They also may not offer payment, discounts, or free goods or services for a review, pressure someone to review on the premises, or ask for specific wording. Asking "Were you happy?" and sending the Google link only when the answer is yes is selective solicitation. So is sending 4- and 5-star customers to Google while keeping everyone else off Google.

The FTC's 2024 Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule is explained in the FTC's Q&A on that rule. The Q&A says a business can be liable under Section 465.2 for writing or selling a fake review, under Section 465.4 for compensation or other incentives conditioned on a review expressing a particular sentiment, and under Section 465.7 for review suppression. The same Q&A says an incentive is not banned by Section 465.4 when it does not require a particular sentiment, and that failing to disclose an incentive can still violate the FTC Act. It also says Section 465.7 does not itself prohibit offering an incentive to take a negative review down, but that practice can still violate the FTC Act. Google's rule for a Business Profile is stricter: do not offer the incentive at all.

This is general information from those pages, not legal advice.

A friendly text after the job is marked done, with a one-tap star picker. Every customer gets the Google review link. Customers can also send private feedback so you can call them back. If no review comes in after 3 days, sends one gentle reminder.

A 4- or 5-star rating opens the Google review page when a Google link is on the account. A rating of 1, 2, or 3 stars still shows that same Google link on the screen. It does not open Google on its own. The customer can also send a private note so you can call them back. The Google link stays on the page for every rating. If the account has no Google link, a 4- or 5-star rating can open a Facebook review URL instead, and the low-rating screen has no Google link to show.

For a landscaper: Review requests go out after install and periodically for maintenance customers. Seasonal reminders for mulch, cleanups, irrigation checks, and holiday lighting fill slow months. The request is included on Advanced at $297 a month. No contracts on monthly or quarterly plans. Review requests are also on the review requests feature page.