Half of all gutter companies have only a handful of Google reviews. This fall's cleanings can move you past them this week
The median gutter company has very few Google reviews. Here is what that number means, and how to turn this fall's cleaning customers into reviews this week.
If you cleaned gutters all October and into November, you just finished the best review month of your year, and most of those customers have not been asked yet. That is the gap this week is for.
The benchmark explains why it matters. Across 7,807 gutter companies in our data, the median has 6 Google reviews. Half of the companies in the trade have that many or fewer.
What the number means
A median of 6 is low. It means the bar to stand out is lower than most owners think. A few more numbers from the same report:
- 20% of gutter companies have zero reviews
- 59.6% have fewer than 10
- The top quarter starts at 23
- The top tenth starts at 87
So if you are even a little above 6, you are already ahead of half the trade, and reaching 23 puts you in the top quarter. If you are at or below the median, you are in the crowded middle, and a homeowner comparing three listings on the map has no reason to pick you.
Reviews are not the only thing a homeowner looks at, but they are one of the first. A profile with a steady stream of recent reviews also tells Google you are active, which helps when it decides whose listing to show.
Why this week
Three reasons the next few days are better than any other time to ask:
- The job is fresh. Customers you cleaned for in the last six weeks still remember the crew and the clean downspouts. Wait until spring and they will not.
- The rain just tested your work. A homeowner who watched water flow cleanly through the gutters during the last storm has a reason to say something nice.
- Spring buyers check reviews in winter. People planning gutter guards or replacement for next year start looking in January and February. The reviews you collect now are what they see.
This week's work, step by step
1. Pull the list (15 minutes). Export every customer you did a job for since September 1. Name, phone and the date of the job. If you use a spreadsheet, that is fine. You will probably have more names than you expect.
2. Get your review link (5 minutes). In your Google Business Profile, find the option to ask for reviews or share a review form. Copy that short link. It takes the customer straight to the review box with your business already selected.
3. Send one text to each customer (30 to 60 minutes). Send these from a real phone number, in small batches, and keep each one personal:
Hi Tom, this is Chris from Clearflow Gutters. We cleaned your gutters back in October. If the crew did a good job, would you mind leaving us a quick Google review? It really helps a small company like ours. Here's the link: [your link]
Use their first name and the month of the job. That is what makes it feel like a person, not a mass blast.
4. Send one follow-up only (next week). For anyone who did not respond after five to seven days, send one short reminder: "Hi Tom, just a quick nudge on that review if you have a minute. Thanks either way." Then stop.
5. Reply to every new review (10 minutes, as they come in). Thank the customer by name and mention the job. "Thanks Tom, glad the downspouts are flowing again." Replies show the next homeowner you pay attention.
Do not do this
- Do not offer a discount or gift for a review. Google does not allow it, and federal rules on fake and paid reviews apply to small businesses too.
- Do not ask only the happy customers. Asking everyone is simpler, and it is what Google's policies expect.
- Do not send all 80 texts from a new number in one minute. Carriers can flag that as spam. Send a dozen at a time.
Make the profile worth landing on
A homeowner who clicks through to your profile from a review should find something that looks open. 56.7% of gutter companies in our data list no hours, and 37.9% list no website. Gutter companies with a website carry a median of 11 reviews, against 2 for those without.
While you are in the profile this week, add your winter hours and a couple of recent job photos. The Google Business Profile guide walks through the rest.
Build the habit for next season
One batch of texts is a good week. A habit is a good year. Starting with your next job, send the review text the same evening the crew finishes, while the customer is still looking at clean gutters. The reviews guide has the full timing and a few more scripts, and the benchmark report lets you check where you stand again in a month.
If you want the review texts set up to send automatically after every job, any service is free for 14 days, no card needed. Text or call (801) 509-9725, or start at /free-trial/.
Steven has spent the last several years running growth campaigns for local service businesses, gutter companies among them, and builds the benchmark datasets on this site from public Google listings. About the editor