Guide · Google Maps & locations
Roofing Reviews and Local SEO: A Genuine Review Process
Reviews help prominence and help homeowners decide. A simple routine for asking every customer beats any shortcut.
By the Lead Engine Sales and Marketing team · Updated
Quick answer
Workflow
From job completion to one reminder
| Step | Who | When | What happens |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Job closed out | Crew lead | Final walkthrough | Confirms cleanup and answers questions; notes any open issue |
| 2. Open issues resolved | Office | Before asking | Any punch-list item is handled first, so the request is fair timing, not a filter |
| 3. Request sent | Office manager | Within a day or two of completion | Same message to every customer, with the direct review link |
| 4. One reminder | Office manager | About a week later, if no review | One short follow-up; then stop |
| 5. Response | Owner or manager | Promptly after a review appears | Reply to positive and negative reviews |
Every customer gets the same request. Resolving an open punch-list item first is about timing, not about deciding who gets asked.
Example
A neutral request example
"Hi [name], thanks for choosing [company] for your roof work on [street]. If you have a minute, we'd appreciate an honest review of your experience: [direct link]. Thank you, [owner name]."
It asks for an honest review, offers nothing in exchange and doesn't steer the customer toward a rating.
Responses
Responding to positive and negative reviews
| Review type | Principles |
|---|---|
| Positive | Thank them by name; mention the job type if appropriate; keep it short; don't share private details |
| Negative but legitimate | Acknowledge, don't argue; state what you'll do; give a direct contact to resolve it offline |
| Possibly not a customer | Respond calmly that you can't find the job and invite them to call; consider reporting if it breaks policy |
Policy vs criticism
Policy violation or legitimate criticism?
Only reviews that break Google's policies can be reported for removal. Unwelcome but genuine criticism stays, and a good response is the right move.
- Is the reviewer someone you have no record of serving? (Possible fake engagement.)
- Does it contain offensive language, personal information or threats?
- Is it from a competitor, ex-employee or someone with a conflict of interest?
- Is it about a different business?
- If none apply, it's legitimate criticism: respond, don't report.
Policies
What Google's policies rule out
- Offering discounts, gifts or payment for reviews.
- Review gating: asking only satisfied customers, or screening first.
- Writing reviews for your own business or competitors.
- Reviews from employees presented as customers.
See Google's review policies for current details.
Measures
What to track
- Requests sent per month vs jobs completed (should match).
- Reviews received from those requests.
- Average time to respond to new reviews.
- Recurring themes in criticism, fed back to operations.
Reviews are one part of local prominence. No review count or star rating guarantees a ranking, and there's no target threshold to chase.
Questions
Common questions
Sources
Official references
Platform rules change. These are the primary sources this guide relies on; check them for current details.
Related reading
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