Google has updated its review guidelines under its “Review Manipulation Policy,” and the change matters for home services companies that rely on local search (in other words, all of them). The main issue is not whether you can ask customers for feedback. You still can. The problem is how that request is made.
Businesses should avoid steering customers toward a specific type of review. That includes asking them to name an employee, mention certain services, use preferred keywords, or follow a prepared script. Google wants reviews to read like normal customer feedback, not something shaped by an internal process.
How to Protect Your Review Strategy
For contractors, the safest move is to review every part of the customer feedback process. What your technicians say in the home, what your office sends by email, and what your CRM or dispatch platform sends by text should all be checked.
Start with these updates:
- Remove technician-name requests from field scripts.
- End review contests tied to Google feedback.
- Stop setting employee review collection targets.
- Check automated email and SMS review requests.
- Remove language that suggests specific words, ratings, or names.
- Measure team performance with surveys or internal scorecards instead.
- Keep review requests simple, neutral, and customer-led.
The goal is not to stop building your reputation. It is to build it the right way. A healthy review profile should reflect real customers sharing real experiences in their own words.
That starts with better service. Show up when promised. Communicate clearly. Do clean work. Follow up quickly. Make the review process easy, but do not try to control what people say.
PrecisionLocal helps home services businesses improve local visibility, reputation management, and search performance without relying on risky shortcuts.
Need a second look at your review process? Contact PrecisionLocal to build a cleaner, safer local search strategy.