TL;DR: Reviews aren’t just stars—they’re signals. A steady monthly review velocity and topic-diverse comments (e.g., “German roach cleanup,” “slab leak drying,” “door replacement in Carlsbad”) improve prominence, relevance, and conversion. Ask all customers (no gating), rotate prompts by service/city, and track a simple KPI set.

Quick Answer

Local rankings and conversions often hinge on three review levers:

Velocity: Consistent inflow (e.g., +8–15 reviews/location/month).
Topical coverage: Reviews that mention the service, city, and outcome.
Compliance: Ask every customer (no filtering), avoid incentives that violate platform rules, and keep prompts neutral yet specific.

Why Velocity and Topics Beat Raw Star Averages

Velocity = freshness and engagement; it’s a credibility heartbeat.
Topics = relevance; assistants and search extract entities from the language customers use.
Together they become a tiebreaker among nearby competitors with similar categories and pages.

The Review Velocity Ladder (Pick a Sustainable Rung)

Rung	Monthly target (per location)	Who you ask	Channels	Typical lift in 90 days
1. Baseline	+4	Every completed job	SMS link + email	More consistent stars; minimal ranking lift
2. Steady	+8–10	All jobs + warranty re-visits	SMS + email + QR cards	Noticeable listing CTR and call growth
3. Aggressive	+12–15	All jobs + aged customer list	SMS + email + on-site QR + follow-up	Map Pack lift in secondary areas; richer topics
4. Multi-trade	+20+	Multi-crew/day + multi-city	All above + post-service portal	Category strength across multiple services

Set targets by crew capacity and seasonality. Missing the number is OK—consistency matters more than spikes.

Topical Coverage: Prompt Rotation (No Gating)

Rotate one neutral nudge per ask so customers naturally cover different angles.

Rotation	Neutral prompt (copy/paste)	What it tends to capture
Service	”If helpful, mention the specific service we performed today.”	Entities (e.g., ant control, moisture mapping)
City	”You can include your city or neighborhood for context.”	Geo anchors
Outcome	”What changed after the visit? (e.g., fewer mosquitoes, door now slides smoothly)“	Measurable results
Speed & Care	”Was timing, cleanliness, or communication helpful?”	Ops strengths
Safety	”Anything we did to keep family/pets safe?”	Trust cues

Examples by trade

Pest: “German roach treatment in Jupiter—kitchen cleared in 10 days.”
Water restoration: “Emergency extraction in Encinitas—dry in 48 hours.”
Handyman: “New sliding door track in Carlsbad—no more sticking.”

Zero-Gating, Fully Compliant Flow

Principles

Ask every customer (happy or not).
One identical flow for all; no pre-screen surveys that divert unhappy customers elsewhere.
Avoid cash/gift incentives where prohibited; disclose if any program exists.

5-Step Flow

Job complete → tech leaves a small card with a short URL/QR.
T+1 hr SMS → “Thanks for choosing us. If a review helps others, here’s the link:.”
T+24 hr email → Short, plain request; include support contact line.
T+7 day follow-up → Only to those who clicked but didn’t post; rotate the prompt.
Monthly recap → Ops reviews velocity and topics; adjust prompts and staffing.

Checklist

One link for Google first; optionally include secondary sites in email footer.
Support reply path (phone/SMS) visible in the same message as the ask.
Remove customers who opted out.
Store proof of uniform asks (timestamped logs).

SMS & Email Templates (Paste-Ready)

SMS (T+1 hr)

“Thanks again for having us today. If a quick review helps others in your area, here’s the link:. If anything needs a fix, reply here—we’ll help.”

Email (T+24 hr) Subject: Quick favor for neighbors considering this service
Body:
“Hi, thanks for trusting. If a quick review helps others choose confidently, here’s the link:.
If it’s useful, you can mention what we did (e.g., ‘rodent exclusion’), your city, and what changed after.
Need anything? Just reply—our team is on it.”

Follow-up (T+7 days) “Hi, circling back. If you’re open to a quick review, here’s the link:. Your note helps local neighbors. Thanks either way.”

KPI Dashboard (Simple and Actionable)

KPI	Definition	Target	Action if missed
Review velocity	New Google reviews/month/location	8–15	Increase asks/day; activate follow-ups
Topic diversity	% reviews with service or city terms	≥60%	Rotate prompts; add job-type keywords on work orders
Response time	% reviews replied to within 72h	95%+	Pre-write reply blocks; assign owner
NPS proxy	Avg star rating last 90 days	≥4.6	Audit ops; fix recurring issues; coach techs
Coverage by service	Reviews per top 5 services (last 90 days)	≥5 each	Ask service-specific prompts post-job

Reply Blocks (Speed Up Manager Responses)

Positive service call
”Thanks for trusting us with the [service] in [city]. We’ll share this with your tech. If anything shifts, message us—happy to help.”
Outcome-focused
”Great to hear [result] after the visit. We aim for fast, clean work and clear expectations—thanks for noting it.”
Issue noted
”We’re sorry about [issue]. Our ops lead will contact you today to make it right. Thanks for the honest feedback.”

Field SOP: Assign Owners

Dispatcher/CSR → sends SMS; tracks opt-outs.
Tech → leaves QR card; mentions the link verbally.
Ops lead → reviews weekly KPIs; adjusts prompts.
Location manager → handles replies; flags issues to service manager.

Weekly stand-up agenda

Velocity per crew
Topic coverage heatmap
Any low-star clusters → root cause & fix
Next week’s prompt rotation

Common Pitfalls (and Fixes)

Gating via “Were we 5-star?” decision trees → Replace with one uniform ask to all customers.
Incentivizing reviews where prohibited → Remove; focus on simple, neutral prompts.
One-and-done asks → Add T+7 day follow-up.
No service/city mentions → Train dispatchers/techs to prime with neutral examples.
Ignoring replies → Pre-write blocks; assign daily owner.

Quick Start (One-Week Sprint)

Print QR cards with branded short link.
Turn on SMS (T+1 hr) and email (T+24 hr) automations.
Load prompt rotation set for 4 weeks.
Create reply blocks in a shared doc.
Set dashboard targets and owners.

FAQs

Is asking for specific topics considered “leading”?
No—if phrased neutrally (“if helpful, mention the service or city”), not “please say we’re the best.”

What about offering discounts for reviews?
Avoid on Google/Yelp. If you run any program elsewhere, disclose clearly and keep it separate from Google.

Can old customers be re-engaged?
Yes—batch email 6–12 months of customers, but respect opt-outs and platform limits.

Do photos in reviews help?
Yes—coach techs to capture a “before/after” customers can reference (with permission).

Review Velocity & Topical Coverage 2025: A No-Gating Playbook for Local Services