You finish the work, tidy up, send the invoice and leave.

The customer is happy. They say the job looks great. Then the moment passes, and the review never gets written.

That is the hidden problem for many UK trades businesses. It is not always poor service. Often, the customer simply does not know where to leave a review, cannot find the right Google page, or forgets once you have driven away.

A simple review card for business can fix that.

Add a reliable Google review link, a tested QR code and a short message to your usual handover process. Then ask at the right time: straight after the job and payment, while the customer still remembers the work.

This guide explains how to do it without jargon, fake reviews or risky shortcuts.

What is a Google review card for business?

Short answer: A Google review card is a printed card that gives customers a simple way to review your business. It normally includes a QR code, a short instruction and your business name. Hand it over after a genuine completed job.

The card does not create reviews by itself.

It removes the awkward bit between a happy customer and the review form.

A useful card should include:

  • Your trading name
  • A clear instruction such as “Scan to leave an honest Google review”
  • A tested QR code
  • A short thank-you message
  • Your phone number or website, if space allows

Keep the wording neutral. Do not write “Leave us a 5-star review.” Ask for an honest review instead.

That matters because Google expects reviews to reflect genuine customer experiences. You can ask customers to review you, but you cannot pressure them to leave a particular rating.

Use the card for jobs such as:

  • Window fitting
  • Secondary glazing
  • Plumbing
  • Electrical work
  • Roofing
  • Heating repairs
  • Building work
  • Joinery and carpentry

The trade does not matter. The timing and the ease of the request matter more.

How do you create a QR code for Google reviews?

Short answer: Open your verified Google Business Profile, choose the option to ask for reviews, copy the review link and download the QR code if Google provides one. Scan it yourself on different phones before printing anything.

Google’s interface and link formats have changed over the years.

The safest starting point is Google’s own Ask for reviews or Get more reviews option inside your Business Profile. Google explains the process in its official review-link guidance.

The usual process is:

  1. Sign in to the Google account that manages your Business Profile.
  2. Search for your business name on Google.
  3. Open your Business Profile controls.
  4. Choose the option to ask for reviews.
  5. Copy the review link or download the QR code.
  6. Test it before sending it to a printer.

Do not assume that a QR code is correct because it looks tidy.

Test it with:

  • An iPhone camera
  • An Android phone
  • Mobile data rather than your office Wi-Fi
  • A phone that is not signed in to your Google account

Check that it opens the correct business profile. Check that the customer can find the review option without getting stuck.

If the code opens the wrong listing, an old business location or a general Google search, do not print it. Fix the link first.

Printed review card, invoice and van sticker using a QR code

Which Google review link should a trade business use?

Short answer: Use the review link Google currently gives you in your Business Profile, then test it. Older short-name and CID-based links may still work, but Google has changed its formats, so never print an untested link.

You may see several types of Google links mentioned online.

Some businesses still use a compact Search link built around the business name and a CID, often described using the google.com/search?q=...&ludocid=... format. It can help customers find the correct listing, but it may open the profile rather than the review box. The customer may still need to tap Write a review.

Older short-name links may also continue to work for some established profiles. However, short-name availability and Google’s review-link systems have changed. A link that worked a few years ago may redirect differently today.

The practical rule is simple:

  • Find the link from your current Google Business Profile
  • Test it on a phone
  • Confirm that it opens your exact listing
  • Confirm that a customer can reach the review form
  • Re-test it if your business name, address or listing changes

A link that is slightly longer but reliable is better than a short link that sends people to the wrong place.

Where should you put a Google review QR code?

Short answer: Put the QR code wherever the customer already handles job information: a thank-you card, invoice, completion sheet, van sticker or follow-up message. Keep the instruction visible and make sure the code is large enough to scan.

A QR code should support your normal customer handover, not become another task to remember.

Good places include:

Thank-you cards

Hand one over when the work is complete. This works particularly well for domestic jobs where you are already walking the customer through the finished result.

Invoices and payment receipts

Add the code below the payment details or thank-you message. The customer sees it when the transaction is still fresh.

Completion sheets

For larger jobs, include the code on the document that confirms the work is finished. Keep it separate from any request for a final payment so it does not look like a condition of payment.

Van stickers

A van QR code can work when a customer is standing beside the vehicle after a job. Keep it clean and easy to scan. Do not make the code so small that it becomes decorative rather than useful.

Email and WhatsApp follow-ups

A printed code is useful, but a clickable review link is easier on a phone. Send the message after payment or once the customer confirms the work is complete.

Avoid putting the code somewhere customers cannot comfortably scan it. A tiny QR code on a busy invoice is not a system. It is a missed opportunity.

When should you ask for a Google review?

Short answer: Ask shortly after the job is complete and payment has been made, when the customer can see the finished work and still remembers the experience. Ask every genuine customer without promising a reward or requesting a particular rating.

Timing is the main reason a review process succeeds or fails.

The best moment is often:

  • After you show the customer the finished work
  • After they confirm they are satisfied
  • After payment is completed
  • Before you leave, or shortly afterwards by text

Do not wait three weeks and expect the customer to remember every detail.

You can say:

Thanks for choosing us. If you have a minute, please leave an honest Google review using this link. It helps people looking for the same kind of work.

That is enough.

Do not say:

  • “Only leave a review if it is five stars”
  • “Show me the review before I leave”
  • “Leave a review and we will discount the invoice”
  • “Change the review and we will refund you”

Those approaches create pressure and can breach Google’s rules.

Should you send a text-message review request?

Short answer: Yes. A short text sent after payment can be one of the easiest ways to request feedback. Keep it personal, explain why it helps and include the tested review link. Do not send repeated messages or make the request conditional.

A text message reaches the customer where they already are.

Keep it short:

Hi [name], thanks for choosing [business]. We hope you’re pleased with the work. If you have a moment, an honest Google review would really help. You can leave one here: [tested review link]. Thanks.

Send it soon after the job. The exact timing depends on the work. A same-day message may suit a repair. A next-day message may suit a larger installation, giving the customer time to look at the result.

Ask for feedback from all genuine customers, not just the ones you expect to give five stars. Do not filter customers through a private form first and only send satisfied people to Google. That can make the review process misleading.

Trade professional sending a review request after payment

Can you offer a discount for a Google review?

Short answer: No. Do not offer money off, gifts, free work or entry into a prize draw in exchange for a review. Do not buy reviews or ask friends to post reviews for jobs they did not receive.

Google prohibits fake engagement and incentivised reviews.

That includes:

  • Buying reviews
  • Using a review company that supplies fake customers
  • Asking staff to review the business
  • Asking friends or family who were not customers
  • Offering discounts for positive reviews
  • Asking a customer to remove a negative review in return for something
  • Swapping reviews with another business

The risk is not worth it. Reviews may be removed, and Google can place restrictions on a Business Profile when it detects fake or incentivised activity.

A genuine review from a real customer is more useful than a sudden batch of perfect reviews that does not match the business.

Focus on the process you control:

  1. Do good work.
  2. Explain what you have completed.
  3. Ask every genuine customer politely.
  4. Make the review route easy.
  5. Reply professionally to the feedback you receive.

How can you check whether local search is costing you enquiries?

Short answer: Run a plain-English local visibility check across your website and business details. It will not replace good review work, but it can show whether other local search problems are making your business harder to find.

Reviews are only one part of being visible in local search.

Your service pages, contact details, mobile experience, page speed and Google Business Profile information also affect whether a nearby customer can find and trust you.

The free VU1 audit checks 15 local, on-page and technical signals. It explains the findings without burying you in SEO terms.

It takes under 15 seconds to request : the report lands within a few minutes.

Enter your website and the town or service area you want to be found in. You will get a practical list of what to look at next.

Simple local review and visibility workflow for a trade business

Is a review card enough to improve your local visibility?

Short answer: A review card can make genuine feedback easier to collect, but it cannot fix an incomplete profile, unclear service pages or a poor website experience. Use it as one practical part of a wider local visibility routine.

A good review system is simple enough to repeat after every suitable job.

Prepare these items once:

  • A tested Google review link
  • A QR code that opens the right profile
  • A printed card or invoice design
  • A short SMS template
  • A reminder for the end-of-job process

Then use them consistently.

If you want the website, quote process and local visibility work kept together, the VU1 membership is £99/month. It includes the 15-signal audit, weekly re-audits with change tracking, a hosted site and an instant quote widget for collecting enquiries.

You still need to deliver the work and ask customers properly. The point is to remove avoidable gaps between being found, being trusted and being contacted.

Start with one card. Test one QR code. Send one honest message after the next completed job.

That is a more reliable review strategy than waiting for happy customers to remember on their own.