When a homeowner searches for a roofer, the companies with plenty of recent, good reviews get the calls. Reviews are one of the few marketing tools that cost nothing, and roofers are in a great position to earn them: you do big, visible work people are relieved to have done. The problem is almost never unhappy customers. It's forgetting to ask.
1. Ask at the right moment
The best time is right after the job, while the new roof is fresh, the yard is clean and the homeowner is relieved. Wait a few weeks and the moment has passed. A good rhythm: thank them at the final walkthrough, then send a short review request the next day.
2. Make it one tap
Every extra step loses reviews. Don't say "look us up on Google." Send a direct link that opens your review form. You can get it from your Google Business Profile using the option to ask for reviews, then use that same link every time.
3. Ask every customer, not just the happy ones
It's tempting to only ask the customers you know loved you. Google's policies don't allow selectively asking only for positive reviews, and it's better for you anyway: a steady stream of honest reviews looks real, and how you handle the occasional bad one builds trust.
4. Never pay or reward people for reviews
Don't offer discounts, gift cards or entries into a drawing in exchange for reviews. Google's policies prohibit incentives for reviews, and fake or paid reviews can also run into consumer-protection rules. Just ask, and make it easy.
5. Send one reminder, then stop
People mean to leave a review and forget. One gentle reminder a few days later picks up a lot of them. More than that starts to feel pushy, so stop there.
6. Reply to every review
- Thank happy customers by name and mention the work: "Glad the new roof held up great in last week's storm."
- Answer bad reviews calmly and briefly, offer to make it right, and take the details offline.
- Never argue in public. Future customers read your replies as closely as the reviews.
7. Show your reviews where people decide
Put your best reviews on your website, on the pages where homeowners decide whether to call you. A few real quotes from customers in nearby towns are more convincing than anything you write about yourself.
Put it on autopilot
The whole system works only if it happens on every job, which is hard to remember in the middle of storm season. Ridgewise sends a friendly review request with a one-tap link to your Google page the day after you mark a job done, sends one reminder if they haven't tapped it, and then stops.