Asking clients for online reviews

Homeowners read reviews to judge a contractor, so the useful ones come from real clients and give a true picture of the work.

Who to ask

Ask only people who have actually used your service. Ask all of them, and not only the clients you expect to be happy. Asking only the happy ones can be deceptive. A short request sent to every client when the job is finished covers both.

Rewards for a review

You can offer a reward for a review, such as a discount on the next service call. The reward can't depend on the review being positive, or negative, either openly or by hint. Make sure each review that came with a reward discloses it.

Staff, friends and family

Employees can review the business only if they disclose that they work for it, and that you asked. Friends and family who write a review need to disclose the relationship too. Some review sites go further and won't accept reviews from anyone with a personal or financial tie to the business, even with a disclosure, so read each site's rules before you ask.

What not to do

• Writing, buying or selling fake reviews, or paying someone who supplies them
• Offering anything for a review that has to say something good, or bad
• Reviews by insiders that don't disclose their tie to the business
• A review site you control, presented as independent
• Threats, intimidation or false accusations to get a review taken down
• Fake followers, views or other social media numbers you knew or should have known were fake

Be wary of any reputation or marketing firm that promises to raise your rating. Fake reviews it posts for you can get the business's accounts suspended by the review sites. Don't use a site's flagging tool to report honest negative reviews as fake.

An annotated example

What to do next

Read the review rules on each site where your clients post. Write one short request that goes to every finished client, and keep any reward the same whatever the review says. Ask staff and family who review the business to say how they're connected to it.