By Kevin Potter · 18 March 2026. Reviews are about 20% of your Local Pack ranking and 100% of the deciding factor when a prospect picks between three businesses with similar maps positions. Most tradespeople get fewer than one review for every twenty completed jobs. Here is what 40% looks like.
Recent reviews beat total reviews. Always.
A trade business with 38 reviews and one from last Tuesday will routinely outrank a business with 124 reviews where the last one was nine months ago. Google reads recency as a signal that the business is still trading and still being chosen.
Which means the question is not "how many reviews do I have?" but "what is my monthly rate?"
A 40% conversion rate sounds aggressive. It is not the result of any one clever trick. It is the result of four touchpoints, all run on every job, with no gaps.
Verbal ask, on site, before leaving
Said in person, by whoever did the job. Not "could you please review us", which asks a favour. Say: "If you're happy with everything, I'll send you a quick text with our Google review link. Takes thirty seconds." Then send the text immediately, while you're still standing there.
"All sorted with the boiler today. If you've got 30 seconds, would you mind dropping us a quick Google review? Just sent you the link via text. Cheers, Dave."
Text within 30 minutes of leaving
First name only. Reference the specific job done. Short. Personal. With link.
"Hi Sarah, hope the new combi boiler is running well. If you've got a sec, a quick Google review would mean a lot to a small business: [link]. Thanks, Dave from your local plumber."
Email follow-up at 48 hours, only if no review yet
One email. Not three. Explain genuinely why reviews matter for a small local business. Include the link again. After this, stop.
"Hi Sarah, just following up. Hope everything's still running well after Monday's work. Reviews on Google make a real difference for us as a small local business: [link]. If you've already left one, ignore this and thanks. Dave."
Invoice footer with review link
Catches the customers who somehow miss steps 1, 2 and 3. Quiet, low-pressure, but adds another 5% to 8% to your conversion rate. Worth the 30 seconds it takes to set up.
Respond to every review. Five-star, one-star, doesn't matter. Replies signal an active, attentive business.
For positives, name the customer and the job: "Thanks Sarah, glad the new combi is sorted. Worcester Greenstar should give you years of trouble-free use."
For negatives, never argue in public. Stay calm, acknowledge, offer to take it offline: "Sorry to hear this, could you call us on 01902 961078 so we can put it right?" One calm response to a one-star is worth more credibility than ten emoji-filled positive replies.
Match the top-3 ranking businesses in your trade and town. That is the number to beat.
Smaller market like a market town: often 25 to 40 is enough. Bigger market like Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds: closer to 120 to 200.
Either way, the system above gets you there in months, not years.
We set this whole system up for you.
Post-job text templates, follow-up email scripts, verbal scripts your team can read off, invoice footer wording, plus a monthly review tracker. All included in every Local SEO Plan from £299/month, alongside a free custom website worth up to £10,000.
📞 01902 961078 · Mon–Sat 8am–6pm