Stars Aren't Everything. How to Get Google Reviews That Mention the Job and the Town So They Win You More Work

You've got a decent star rating. Maybe 4.8, maybe a full five. But when someone searches "emergency roofer Guildford" or "office cleaners Horsham", it's still the other lot who get the call. If that sounds familiar, the problem may not be how many reviews you have. It may be what they say.

This guide shows you how to get reviews that describe the real job and the real place, honestly and within Google's rules and UK law, so they work harder for you every time someone checks you out.

Why "great service, five stars" isn't enough any more

Picture two heating engineers in Petersfield. Both have 40 reviews and a 4.9 rating. One profile is full of "Lovely bloke, recommended." The other has reviews like "Boiler stopped on a Sunday in January, Dave was here by 10am, found a faulty pump and had it fixed the same day."

Which one would you ring with a cold house and two kids? Exactly. The second set of reviews answers the questions a worried customer has before they pick up the phone. Do they do this kind of job? Do they come to my area? Do they turn up? Are they fair on price?

Short reviews still count. They're proof you exist and that people like you. But detailed reviews do the selling for you. They mean fewer "Do you cover Farnham?" calls, fewer tyre-kickers and more people who ring already half convinced.

What you gain: more calls from the right people, more trust before you've said a word and fewer wasted quotes.

How Google and its AI read your reviews

Google's own help page on local ranking says results are based on three things: relevance, distance and prominence. On prominence, it says plainly that "more reviews and positive ratings can help your business's local ranking". You can read it for yourself on Google's page on how local results are ranked.

Relevance is about how well your profile matches what someone searched for. When customers describe the work you did, in their own words, they add real-world detail that backs up the services and areas on your profile.

Then there's AI. In March 2026 Google launched Ask Maps, a chat-style feature in Google Maps powered by its Gemini AI. People can ask things like "who can fix a power outage at my home today?" and get suggestions. Google says it draws on information from more than 300 million places, including reviews from over 500 million contributors, and offers "insider tips from real people".

To be straight with you, Ask Maps launched in the US and India first, and Google hasn't said exactly how it weighs reviews. We don't think anyone should claim to know the formula. But the direction is clear. AI tools look for detail. A review that says "fixed our leaking flat roof in Godalming the day after the storm" gives them something to work with. "Five stars" doesn't.

What you gain: reviews that back up what you say you do, in the places you say you do it, which is exactly what both customers and Google are checking.

What a really useful review looks like

Here are two made-up examples to show the difference. These aren't real reviews. They're just to illustrate the point.

Typical review: "Really good, would use again."

Useful review: "We had two ridge tiles blown off in the wind and water coming through the bedroom ceiling. Called on Friday morning, they came out the same afternoon to make it safe and came back Monday to fix it properly. Clear price, no mess. We're in Merrow, Guildford."

The useful one covers five things, without the customer even trying:

1. The problem. Blown ridge tiles and a leak.
2. The job. Made safe, then repaired.
3. The speed. Same day, then back on Monday.
4. The experience. Clear price, tidy.
5. The place. Merrow, Guildford.

You can't make every customer write like that, and you shouldn't try. But you can make it more likely, simply by how and when you ask.

Know the rules first, it only takes two minutes

Getting this wrong can cost you reviews or worse. There are two sets of rules.

Google's rules

Google's policy on prohibited and restricted content says businesses can encourage reviews that reflect a genuine experience, as long as they don't offer incentives. It says you must not:

• offer payment, discounts, free goods or services for a review, or for changing or removing a bad one
• discourage negative reviews, or only ask the customers you think are happy
• pressure people to leave reviews while they're on your premises
• set staff targets for a number of reviews, or tell staff to get reviews that include specific content

UK law

Since April 2025, under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, fake reviews and concealed incentivised reviews are banned outright in the UK, and the Competition and Markets Authority can now fine businesses directly. The government's page on what businesses must know about reviews links to the CMA's full guidance. That guidance says asking for reviews is fine, as long as you don't predetermine what the review says or how positive it is. It also warns against only inviting satisfied customers.

What this means in practice

Put simply, you can suggest what might be helpful to mention. You can't dictate it. The safe way to think about it:

• Fine: "If you're happy to, it helps other people if you mention what we did and roughly where you are."
• Not fine: "Please make sure you write 'best roofer in Guildford' and mention our new loft service."
• Not fine: writing the review for them, even if they say "just write something and I'll post it".
• Not fine: "Leave us a five-star review and get 10% off your next service."

Ask every customer the same way, keep it optional and let them use their own words. If a review turns out to be short or even critical, that's their call. An honest mix actually looks more trustworthy, and Google's own tips on getting more reviews make the same point.

We're not lawyers, so if you're unsure about something specific, the CMA guidance is the place to check.

7 steps to get reviews that mention the job and the town

1. Make sure your profile already says what you do and where

Reviews work best when they back up what's already on your Google Business Profile. Check your services list, your service areas and your business description. If you do emergency callouts, gutter clearing and flat roofs, say so. If you cover Woking, Guildford and Farnham, list them.

Time: 20 to 30 minutes. You gain: a profile and reviews that tell the same story.

2. Get your direct review link

Sign in to your profile on a computer at business.google.com, find the reviews section and the option to get more reviews, then copy the link. You can save a QR code from the same place. Google explains it on its help page about review links and QR codes. Save the link somewhere you can grab it in seconds, like a text shortcut on your phone.

Time: 5 minutes. You gain: one tap for the customer instead of hunting for you on Google.

3. Ask when the job is fresh in their mind

Detail fades fast. Ask the same day, ideally while you're packing up or straight after. A landscaper in Haslemere asking as the customer stands admiring the new patio will get a much richer review than one sending a generic email three weeks later.

4. Use words that invite detail, without telling them what to write

Here's a word-for-word script you can use in person. It's friendly, it's optional and it doesn't put words in their mouth.

Then send the link the same day by text or WhatsApp:

Notice it doesn't hint at stars, give them a phrase to copy or make the review a condition of anything.

5. Use the job details in your own message

It's perfectly fine for your message to remind them of the job, in your words. "Thanks for having us to clear the gutters at your place in Reigate today" jogs their memory. Many people then naturally describe the same thing back. You're not telling them what to write, you're just being specific about what you did.

6. Ask every customer, every time

Don't pick and choose. It breaks Google's rules and the CMA's guidance, and it doesn't help you anyway. Build it into the end of every job, like taking photos or sending the invoice. A commercial cleaner in Horsham might add it to the sign-off after the first month of a new contract. A pest control technician in Crawley might add it to the follow-up visit text.

You gain: a steady trickle of fresh reviews instead of a burst followed by months of silence. Our guide on how to get more Google reviews without feeling pushy has more on building the habit.

7. Reply to every review with a little detail of your own

Your replies are your words, so you can mention the job and the area naturally. For example: "Thanks Sue, glad we could get the boiler going again so quickly in Petersfield. Enjoy the warm house!" Keep it short, human and not salesy. Never stuff in a list of towns or services, it reads badly and helps nobody.

You gain: a profile that shows you care, plus extra genuine detail about your work. For the tricky ones, see how to reply to Google reviews, even the bad ones.

Examples for different local trades

Here's how the "remind them of the job" line might look for different businesses. Swap in your own details.

• Roofer in Guildford: "Thanks for having us to sort the storm damage on your roof in Burpham today."
• Commercial cleaner in Horsham: "Thanks for your first month with us at the office on Albion Way. Hope the team's noticed the difference."
• Heating engineer in Petersfield: "Thanks for having us in to service the boiler today, all good for the winter now."
• Landscaper in Haslemere: "Thanks again for trusting us with the new patio and borders."
• Pest control in Crawley: "Thanks for having us back for the follow-up visit on the wasp nest."

Follow each with the same review request and link. The customer does the rest, in their own words.

Your one-hour setup checklist

1. Check your Google Business Profile lists all your main services and the towns you cover (20 to 30 minutes).
2. Copy your review link and save the QR code (5 minutes).
3. Save the text message template on your phone and on any work phones (10 minutes).
4. Practise the in-person script once or twice so it sounds natural (5 minutes).
5. Add "ask for a review" to your end-of-job checklist or job sheet (5 minutes).
6. Reply to any reviews you haven't answered yet (10 minutes or so).

After that, it's a couple of minutes per job. Within a few weeks, you should start to see longer, more useful reviews arriving. Some customers will still write two words, and that's fine.

Common mistakes

• Writing the review for them. Even if they ask you to. It's not their genuine experience in their words, and it breaks the rules.
• Giving them a script to copy. Suggest topics, never sentences.
• Asking for keywords. "Please mention 'best electrician in Woking'" is exactly what Google and the CMA don't want, and customers can tell.
• Offering a thank-you discount or prize. Even small ones. Under Google's policy, incentives for reviews aren't allowed at all.
• Only asking the happy ones. It's against the rules and it makes your profile look too good to be true.
• Setting staff targets for review content. Google specifically says not to tell staff to get reviews that include specific content, including naming a staff member.
• Waiting weeks to ask. By then the customer remembers "they were good" and nothing else.

And if a fake or unfair review does land, don't panic. Our guide on what to do about a fake or unfair Google review covers the steps.

Want this done for you?

If you'd rather not think about it, our Managing Reviews service sets up the links and messages, reminds you to ask and helps you reply to every review, all within the rules. It works alongside our Google Business Profile work, so your profile, website and reviews all tell the same story. If you're a roofer, have a look at how we help with roofing marketing, or see success stories from local businesses like Mainstream Cleaning, which saw 55% more enquiries.

Tell us what one good enquiry is worth to you

Reviews are often the last thing someone reads before they decide whether to ring you or the next name on the list. If yours just say "great job", you could be losing calls you never knew about.

Book a free, no-obligation 30-minute call and we'll look at your Google presence first, including your reviews, and give you an honest view of where enquiries are slipping away. Here's how it works.

Show me where I'm losing enquiries

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