How to Get More Reviews on Google for Landscaping and Design Firms

The way to get more reviews on Google is to ask every client, at the moment they're happiest, with a direct link that opens the review form. Get your review link and QR code from your Google Business Profile, decide on a fixed point in each project when you ask, send a short personal message, and reply to every review that comes in. Skip incentives and anything that filters out unhappy clients, because both break Google's rules.

Why project businesses fall behind on reviews

A coffee shop serves hundreds of people a week. A landscape design-build firm might finish 30 projects a year, and an interior design studio might finish 10. With so few clients, every missed ask is a real loss, and a gap of six months without a new review is easy to fall into.

Project work adds another problem: the best moment to ask is spread out. A homeowner loves the patio on the day the crew rolls up the hoses. A design client is thrilled at the reveal, then tired of the punch list three weeks later. If nobody owns the ask, it slides past both moments.

So treat reviews as a step in your project closeout, the same as the final invoice. Write it into the checklist and give one person the job.

Get your review link and QR code

Google gives every Business Profile a link that opens the review form directly. According to Google's instructions, you open your profile, select Read reviews, then Get more reviews to copy the link or save the QR code.

One catch: Google says review QR codes can currently only be generated in a computer browser, not on a phone. Do it once at a desk, save the image, and reuse it.

Where to put the link:

• In the text or email you send after the job.
• In your email signature for the week a project wraps up.
• On a printed card left with the client at the final walkthrough.
• On your website's contact or testimonials page.

Your clients will need a Google Account to post. Google notes that people can create one with a non-Gmail email address, which helps when a client says they don't use Gmail.

When to ask: a timing map by type of work

Ask when the result is visible and the client is still in touch with you. That moment differs by business:

• Lawn and garden maintenance: after a full month of visits, once the client has seen consistent work. Ask again only if they add a new service.
• Landscape installs and hardscape: on the day of the final walkthrough, while you're standing on the finished patio together. Send the link that evening.
• Planting projects: a few weeks after install, when plants have settled in and look their best. Fresh plantings often look sparse on day one.
• Full-service interior design: at the reveal, before the punch list. If punch-list items drag on, close them out first and then ask.
• E-design or consultations: right after you deliver the final design package, since there's no reveal day.

The rule behind all of these: ask once in person, send the link the same day, and follow up once a week later if they haven't posted. Stop there.

Message templates you can copy

Keep requests short and personal. Mention the actual project. Here are four versions.

Text after a landscape install

"Hi Dana, thanks again for trusting us with the backyard. If you have a minute, a Google review would help other homeowners find us. Here's the link: [link]. Enjoy the new patio this weekend."

Email after a design reveal

Subject line: "Thank you, and one small favor."

"Hi Mark and Priya, it was a pleasure finishing the living room and kitchen with you. If you're open to it, we'd be grateful for an honest Google review about working with us. Here is the link: [link]. Either way, thank you for a great project."

Printed card at the final walkthrough

A small card with the QR code and one line: "Tell other homeowners what it was like to work with us." Hand it over in person and say you'll send the link too.

One follow-up, a week later

"Hi Dana, just a quick nudge on the review link in case it got buried: [link]. No pressure at all."

Notice what these don't say. They don't ask for five stars, don't suggest what to write, and don't offer anything in return.

Rules on asking that people miss

Most owners know they can't pay for reviews. Google's policy has a few less obvious lines that matter for crews and studios with staff.

Google's fake engagement and rating manipulation policy lists these among prohibited practices:

• Setting a quota for staff, such as asking each foreman to bring in a certain number of reviews per month.
• Asking for reviews with specific content, including asking clients to name a particular team member.
• Requiring or pressuring customers to leave reviews while they're on the business premises.
• Discouraging negative reviews or soliciting reviews only from happy customers.

The first two catch a lot of well-meaning companies. "Please mention Carlos by name" sounds harmless. Under Google's policy it's a request for specific content. If you want to recognize a great crew lead, do it inside your company.

Then there's conflict of interest. Google prohibits content based on current or former employment, contractual relationships, and other professional or personal ties. For a design studio or landscaper, that rules out reviews from your subcontractors, your workroom, your stone yard, the architect you partner with, and your relatives. Ask clients only.

Google's rules and the FTC rule are not the same

A federal rule now covers reviews too. The FTC's Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule took effect on October 21, 2024, and courts can impose civil penalties for knowing violations.

The two sets of rules differ in one place that confuses people: incentives.

• The FTC rule bans incentives that are conditioned, expressly or by implication, on a review being positive or negative. Per the FTC's own Q&A, an incentive for any honest review isn't banned by the rule itself.
• Google prohibits incentives of any kind for reviews posted on Google, including discounts and free services.

Follow the stricter one. On Google, that means no rewards at all, not even a raffle entry for anyone who posts.

The FTC rule also bans review suppression through intimidation, unfounded legal threats, or knowingly false accusations against a reviewer. And it requires employees and other insiders to clearly disclose their connection if they post a review. The FTC adds that asking only satisfied customers isn't specifically banned by the rule, but may still violate the FTC Act. Google bans it outright, so again, send the same request to everyone.

Reply to every review

Replies are read by the next prospective client more than by the reviewer. Google's guidance is to keep replies short, polite, and specific, avoid identical thank-you messages, and keep them conversational rather than promotional. Google also says not to use replies to offer deals.

Three reply patterns to keep on hand:

1. A warm five-star review: thank them by first name and mention one detail of the project. "Thanks, Dana. The bluestone was a great choice for that slope."
2. A good review with a complaint inside: thank them, acknowledge the issue plainly, and say what changed. "You're right that cleanup ran a day late. We've added a final-day check to every install since."
3. A harsh or unfair review: stay calm, skip private details, and offer to talk offline. "We're sorry to hear this. We'd like to understand what happened. Please call our office at your convenience."

If a review breaks Google's content policies, for example it's from someone who was never a client, you can flag it for review. You can't remove a review simply because it's negative.

How to get more reviews on Google without chasing clients

Reviews come in steadily when the process doesn't depend on someone remembering. A simple setup:

1. Add "send review link" to the closeout checklist, next to "send final invoice."
2. Save the four templates above in your phone and email tool.
3. Print a stack of QR cards and keep them in the truck or the design bag.
4. Check the profile weekly and reply to new reviews.
5. Once a quarter, compare closed projects with new reviews. If the numbers are far apart, find where the ask is slipping.

For the rest of the profile work, such as service areas, categories, and photos, see our guide to local SEO for landscapers. Interior studios will find the search side covered in SEO for interior designers.

Show your reviews where people decide

Someone who reads your Google reviews will often want to see the work next, and that means your website. If the site has a few short client quotes next to the matching project photos and a clear way to get in touch, the reviews and the portfolio back each other up.

That's the part we handle. For a decade we've built sites only for interior design and landscape studios, and we write the pages ourselves from a questionnaire you fill out, so you approve facts rather than draft copy. Prices begin at $1,000 for a site that includes structure, copy, custom design, development, phone-friendly layouts, basic SEO, and going live. See what's included in our websites for landscaping companies.