How removalists can get more Google reviews, within the rules
When to ask after a move, what to send, how to reply to a bad review, and what the rules forbid.
Key takeaways
- Ask every customer for a Google review on moving day, while the job is still fresh, not a week later by email.
- Send a direct review link or show a QR code. Google suggests both, and they remove the hunt for your profile.
- Never offer a discount, gift or refund in exchange for a review, and never ask only the customers you expect to be happy.
- Reply to every review, including the bad ones, briefly and without arguing.
- On your own website, link to your Google profile rather than copying, trimming or rewriting reviews.
Most removal businesses have more happy customers than Google reviews. The gap is rarely the work. It is the asking: nobody sends the link, or it goes out a week later when the customer is buried in unpacking. This guide sets out a simple routine for getting more reviews after each move, and the rules from Google and the ACCC that decide what you can and cannot do.
The short answer: ask every customer on moving day, send a direct link the same day, never offer anything in return, and reply to every review you get. Reviews also matter on your own site, so we cover how to show them honestly on the reviews section of a removalist website.
Why reviews weigh more for a removalist
Hiring a removalist means handing strangers everything you own. Customers know the industry has had problems, and many check reviews before they even ask for a quote.
Consumer regulators have given them reason to be careful. In a January 2021 media release, Consumer Affairs Victoria said it received 726 reports in 20201 about removalists, up from 656 reports in 20191. Those are older figures, but the advice that came with them still shapes how people shop: don't just accept the lowest quote1, and look at the quality of the provider as well as the price.
Reviews are how a customer judges that quality before meeting you. They also matter to Google. Google names prominence3 as one of the main factors in local results, meaning how well-known a business is. A steady run of genuine reviews is one visible sign of that. It will not guarantee a higher place, but a profile with a handful of old reviews gives a careful customer little to go on.
Interstate moves raise the stakes further. The customer is often booking from another city, sight unseen, for a job worth thousands of dollars. That is why reviews sit near the top of our page for interstate removalists.
Ask at the end of the move, not a week later
The best moment to ask is when the last item is in place and the customer can see nothing is damaged. They are relieved, the crew is standing in front of them, and the details are fresh.
A week later the same customer is chasing internet connections and school enrolments. A review request by email then competes with everything else in their inbox.
Make the ask part of the job sheet
Add one line to the end-of-job checklist your crew already uses: walk through, collect sign-off, ask for a review. When it is a step on the sheet, it happens on every job instead of only when someone remembers. The crew leader can say something plain, such as: "If you were happy with today, a Google review really helps a small business like ours. I'll text you the link."
A four-step review routine
Google suggests asking customers to leave a review through a review link or QR code4. Both remove the biggest barrier, which is finding your profile. The routine below turns that into a habit.
The review routine after every move
Show the data as a table
| Step | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1. Job finished | The crew leader asks in person as the last item goes in. |
| 2. Send the link | The office texts a Google review link, or the crew shows a QR code, the same day. |
| 3. Customer reviews | The customer describes their genuine experience. Nothing is offered in return. |
| 4. Reply to every one | Thank the customer, or respond to a problem calmly and briefly. |
Keep the link in one place everyone can reach: a saved text message template, the job management app, or a laminated QR card in each truck. If the link is hard to find, the step gets skipped.
What Google and the ACCC don't allow
Two rules catch out small businesses more than any other. The first is incentives. Google says offering free or discounted goods or services in exchange for posting, changing or removing a review is strictly prohibited4. That includes "$20 off your next move for a five-star review" and a free box pack for leaving feedback.
The second is choosing who to ask. Google's Maps content policy prohibits discouraging negative reviews or selectively soliciting positive reviews5. So you cannot text the link only to customers who seemed pleased and quietly skip the one who complained about a scratched table. Ask everyone the same way.
What is allowed is simple. Businesses may encourage customers to post reviews of a real experience, as long as there are genuine reviews, no incentives5 and no attempt to steer the rating or the words.
Fake testimonials have cost removalists before
The ACCC has taken action in this exact industry. In 2015 a removalist company paid $30,6002 in penalties after the ACCC alleged it posted online testimonials using fabricated customer identities. Writing your own reviews, or asking staff to post them, is not a shortcut. It is a legal risk under the Australian Consumer Law, and it undermines the trust you are trying to build.
How to reply, including to a bad review
Google says that reply to reviews3 shows you value the feedback, and that positive reviews with helpful replies can help a business stand out. Future customers read replies closely, especially on the negative reviews.
- Good review: thank them by first name, mention something specific about the move, keep it to two sentences.
- Mixed review: thank them, acknowledge the problem without excuses, say what you have changed.
- Bad review: stay calm, do not share the customer's private details, invite them to call the office, and leave the argument out of public view.
Reply within a few days where you can. A string of unanswered complaints looks worse than the complaints themselves.
Showing reviews on your website honestly
Your website should help a customer check your reputation without leaving them unsure what is real. The safest approach is to link straight to your Google Business Profile, where every review, good and bad, sits in one place the customer already trusts.
If you quote reviews on your own pages, copy them word for word, do not trim out the criticism, and do not present an edited selection as the whole picture. Never add reviews you cannot trace to a real customer. On the sites we build, the reviews section links to the business's Google profile and only ever shows genuine reviews. Our guide to setting up a Google Business Profile for removalists covers getting that profile right first.
What to do this week
- Get your Google review link from your Business Profile and save it as a text message template.
- Print a QR code card for each truck, so crews can show it on the spot.
- Add "ask for a review" to the end-of-job checklist, for every customer.
- Remove any offer that trades a discount or gift for a review, from your website, emails and invoices.
- Reply to every review you have not answered yet, starting with the negative ones.
- Check your website: link to your Google profile and delete any review you cannot trace to a real customer.
Reviews build slowly, one move at a time, but a routine that runs on every job adds up. They work best alongside a website that shows the rest of the picture: your service areas, your insurance details and a quote form that asks the right questions. Our checklist of what a removalist website needs covers those.
If you would rather have that website built and looked after for you, our plan is A$249 a month plus A$499 setup, GST may apply, with a 12-month minimum term. See pricing and how it works, or book a call.
Questions removalists ask
Can my crew ask for reviews, or should it come from the office?
Either works. The crew leader is often best placed, because the customer has just watched them carry the last box inside. Follow up with the link by text from the office the same day so the request does not depend on anyone remembering.
Should I ask customers to mention the suburb or the type of move?
You can say it helps other people to know what kind of move it was, but do not script their words or tell them what rating to give. A review should describe their own experience in their own words.
Can I report a review I think is fake?
Yes. Google lets business owners flag reviews that break its content policies, such as reviews from people who were never customers. Reply calmly as well, because other customers read the reply even if the review stays up.
Is it fine to ask family and friends for reviews to get started?
Only if they were genuine paying customers who used your service. Reviews from people who did not have a real experience with your business break Google policy and can mislead customers.