Key takeaways
- Ask at the final walk-around, once the yard is swept and the homeowner has seen the roof from the street.
- Ask every customer at the same milestone, including inspection-only visits. Asking only the happy ones is review gating.
- Trigger the request from the completed status in your roofing CRM, by a registered text number.
- Never discuss claim amounts, deductibles or policy details in a public reply.
To get more Google reviews as a roofing company, ask every customer at the moment the job feels finished to them: the final walk-around, with the dumpster gone and the yard swept. Send your direct review link by text the same day, trigger it from your CRM, and never reward reviews or choose who gets asked.
When and how to ask
Ask at a fixed milestone that every job reaches, and ask the same way each time. A roofing job has several moments that feel like the end to you but not to the homeowner, so pick the one that feels like the end to them.
- Finish the cleanup first. Nails in a driveway or shingle scraps in the flower beds are what a homeowner remembers. Ask after the magnet sweep and the final look around the property, not when the last bundle goes on.
- Ask in person at the walk-around. The project manager or owner says something simple: "If we did right by you, a Google review helps the next family with storm damage find a roofer they can trust." Confirm the best number for a text.
- Send the link the same day. Use the direct review link from your profile (Google's review tips). Name the job in the message, such as "your roof replacement", so the review tends to mention it.
- Use the next rain for leak repairs. After a repair, a short check-in once the next heavy rain has passed confirms the fix. If it held, that message is a natural place for the request.
- Include inspection-only visits. A homeowner you told did not need a new roof yet often writes the most persuasive review you will get. Ask them too, at the end of the inspection report.
- Follow up once, then stop. One reminder after about a week. More than that feels like pressure.
The review loop
- Job finished
- Ask every customer Same time, same way, no filtering
- They leave a review
- You reply Thanks and specifics, no private details
- The next customer reads it
Then the next customer
Automating requests
Automation makes sure the request goes out on every job, including the busy storm weeks when nobody remembers. Your roofing CRM already knows when a job is done.
Tie the request to the status your team already uses. When a job moves to completed in JobNimbus or AccuLynx, that change should send the text, either from the CRM itself or from a connected messaging tool such as HighLevel. For inspection-only visits, trigger it from the status that closes the inspection.
Three details keep it working:
- Register the texting number. Business texts over a standard 10-digit number need A2P 10DLC registration through The Campaign Registry (registration), or carriers may block them.
- Send from a number the homeowner knows. A text from the same number your office used to schedule the job gets read.
- Stop the reminder once a review arrives, and honor any reply asking you to stop texting.
Responding to reviews
Reply to every review within a few days. Future customers read the replies as closely as the reviews, and a calm answer to a hard review can do more for you than another five stars.
| Situation | How to reply |
|---|---|
| Praise for a storm repair | Thank them by first name, mention the job type, and keep it short |
| Complaint about nails or debris left behind | Apologize, say what you did or will do, and invite them to call you directly |
| Frustration over an insurance claim | Acknowledge the wait without discussing amounts, deductibles, the adjuster or the policy |
| A review describing a job you never did | Say politely you have no record of the job; it may be a different roofer after the same storm |
| A review that breaks Google's rules | Reply briefly and professionally, then flag it in your profile |
Keep every reply free of personal details. A homeowner may share their claim story in a review. You should not add to it.
What Google prohibits
Google prohibits paying or rewarding customers for reviews and asking only customers you expect to be happy (Google's review policy). Federal rules go further: the FTC's rule bans fake reviews, buying reviews, and suppressing negative ones by threats or intimidation (16 CFR Part 465).
For roofers, the usual traps look like this:
- A gutter-cleaning discount or a gift card in exchange for a review.
- A survey that sends happy customers to Google and unhappy ones to a private form.
- Canvassers, sales reps or their families reviewing the company.
- Pressure on a homeowner to remove a review before final payment or a warranty is released.
Review content matters for rankings too, as the Map Pack ranking guide explains.
How VETS Growth Marketing helps
We connect the review request to your CRM's job statuses, register the texting number, and draft replies for your approval, as a dated project. Your profile and customer list stay in your name, and we report review pace beside booked inspections. Book a growth consultation and we will show you how many completed roofs went unasked last season. The roofing CRM page covers the follow-up that goes with it.
Sources
- Tips to get more reviews, Google Business Profile Help
- Prohibited & restricted content (Maps user-generated content policy), Google Maps Help
- 16 CFR Part 465: Use of consumer reviews and testimonials, Electronic Code of Federal Regulations
- The Campaign Registry (A2P 10DLC brand and campaign registration), The Campaign Registry