Why You Need Customer Reviews For Your Cleaning Business (and the Best Ways to Get Them)

As a cleaning business owner who wants to grow your business, you need to collect reviews.

Customer reviews are powerful. They can be more influential than your website.

Reviews are also the top local SEO ranking factor.

I've analyzed the digital profile of 100+ US-based cleaning businesses. 27% don’t collect any reviews. They will struggle to win customers and grow.

Out of those that did collect reviews, there were a handful of outliers who had more than 50 reviews.

These were the exception, not the rule.

The majority of cleaning businesses I looked at struggled with two things:

1. Not enough positive reviews: A lot of cleaning businesses have reviews. The problem is they don’t have enough on any platform to attract new customers.
2. Imbalanced reviews: Most cleaning businesses have reviews on Yelp or Facebook and hardly any on Google. For customers searching on Google, these businesses are invisible.

The surprising is only a handful of cleaning businesses had negative reviews.  Those negative reviews focused on customer service and quality of results.

What people say about your cleaning business carries more weight than what you say about your cleaning business.

As a service-based business, getting online reviews should be your bread and butter for lead generation.

Here’s why:

• 82% of consumers consult online reviews for local small businesses.
• Reviews are 2x more likely to be an important factor in choosing a local small business over loyalty, and 7x more important than traditional marketing.
• 87% of people say that quality of service is the most important detail when looking at online reviews for service-based businesses. 78% also say cost is as important.
• Improving your review star rating by 1.5 could equal 13,000 more leads.

Your customers want to share their opinion. You have to give them a nudge. When you do, 76% of those asked will leave a review.

Why You Need Customer Reviews For Your Cleaning Business (and the Best Ways to Get Them)

• Google Reviews are THE MOST Important for your Cleaning Business
• What are the BEST Review Sites for your Cleaning Business
• How to GET MORE Reviews for your Cleaning Business
• Do you NEED to Respond to Reviews?
• Key Takeaways

Why Google Reviews are THE MOST Important for your Cleaning Business

Managing reviews on Google differentiates your cleaning businesses from the competition.

Google Business Profile reviews improve the local search ranking of your cleaning business. This is because:

1. Google trusts your customers more than it trusts you. Customer reviews tell Google that your business is a legit operation. One that can help future potential customers make a decision.
2. Google likes to read. Reviews on your website provide Google with content and keywords that help it understand your cleaning business. They add SEO value to your cleaning business.
3. Great reviews = More stars = More clicks. Reviews play a big part in click-through rates. People trust reviews. High ratings encourage clicks, which help boost the ranking of your cleaning business.

How many Google reviews do you need?

For a new cleaning business, five positive reviews can be enough to engage more customers.

Fewer than five is not going to be very effective.

Customers read an average of 10 customer reviews before trusting a business.

To engage customers on a regular basis and generate trust, your cleaning business needs to have at least 20 Google reviews. 20 reviews give customers confidence that enough people have tried your cleaning service.

Google Star Ratings

Google’s star ratings are as important as reviews. They can determine how attractive and clickable a business is for customers.

Reviews on your Google Business Profile help you achieve star ratings. You need to have at least 5 reviews for star ratings to show up in searches.

Having a perfect 5-star rating isn’t needed, or even beneficial, for your cleaning business.

Despite 5 stars being the highest rating, it can arouse suspicion. Fake, paid or incentivized reviews are not uncommon. 5-star ratings can come across as being too good to be true.

No well-established business has a perfect 5-star rating. Businesses ranking on the first page of local search results have an average rating of 4.4.

Google Local Service Ads

Google Business Profile reviews are visible on Google Local Service Ads (”LSA”) and impact ad ranking.

Any reviews you get on LSA will go away when you stop advertising. You can’t respond to reviews that come through your review link either.

LSA needs a 3.0 average rating on your Google Business Profile for ads to remain active. If the rating on your profile slips below 3.0, your LSA will stop until your average rating clears 3.0.

To improve the performance of your LSA:

• Encourage customers to leave a review on your Google Business Profile. business.
• Link your Google Business Profile to your LSA account. Send review links for your Google Business Profile to customers
• Expand your job types and service areas. Select all job types you perform and select a wide service area.
• Maximize leads with bidding. Select “Maximize Leads” instead of “Max Per Lead” to optimize your budget.
• Use high-quality photos in your Ad. These could be photos of your team, work, equipment, and your cleaning results.
• Opt into message leads to connect with customers via text at 50% of the cost of a phone call per lead.
• If you use a CRM, opt into the Local Service Ads booking feature. Customers will be able to book your cleaning service through their Local Service Ads.

What are the BEST Review Sites for your Cleaning Business

The top review sites based on average monthly traffic are:

1. Google Business Profile 158.03million [US + UK]
2. Trustpilot 96.6million [UK + US]
3. Facebook 85.57million [US + UK]
4. Yelp 40.47million [US + UK]
5. Yellowpages 16.7million [US + UK]
6. Which 6.3million [UK]
7. Angie's List 5.44million [US]

One thing is clear. Your cleaning business NEEDS to have a Google Business Profile.

Without a Google Business Profile, you're unable to reach new customers to grow your cleaning business.

Trustpilot is a good second option as a review platform for your cleaning business.  Customers unable to leave a review on your Google Business Profile can leave a review on Trustpilot instead.

As a Google Review Partner, Google uses Trustpilot reviews in its search results. That means reviews on Trustpilot will help with your local search ranking.

If you have a commercial cleaning business, Trustpilot is a good second option behind your Google Business Profile.

Facebook is the biggest social media platform in the world. Collecting reviews on Facebook helps your cleaning business get discovered on the platform.

I've reviewed 100+ cleaning businesses on Facebook. Domestic cleaning businesses benefit most from collecting reviews on the platform.

If you provide oven cleaning, carpet cleaning, window cleaning, tenancy cleaning, and regular domestic cleaning, Facebook should be your second review site.

Yelp helps consumers discover, connect and transact with local businesses.

For cleaning businesses, it makes it easy to request a quote, make an appointment and buy cleaning services. It’s likely because of this utility that 23% of cleaning businesses list on Yelp.

As with Facebook, the majority of cleaning businesses on Yelp focus on domestic cleaning

If you run a domestic cleaning business, both Facebook and Yelp are good options behind a Google Business Profile.

How to GET MORE Reviews for your Cleaning Business

There are different ways you can ask customers to review your business.

The most popular methods for cleaning businesses include:

1. In-person
2. Over the phone
3. In a text message
4. Via Email
5. Through social media
6. Via Leave Behinds
7. On an invoice

Asking for in-person reviews

The easiest way to ask for an in-person review is when a customer praises your cleaning service on-site.

Customer: [Gives great feedback]

You: “Thanks, that’s great to hear. We aim to provide the best cleaning service possible and I appreciate your feedback.”

Customer: “Sure thing, thanks for carrying out such a great clean.”

You: “Do you mind writing what you just said in a review on [Google/Facebook/Yelp/Trustpilot]. This kind of feedback really helps prospective customers to feel more confident in choosing our cleaning service.”

Customer: “Sure thing.”

You: “Great thanks, I’ll send you a link right now.” → Message or Email the link there and then.

Asking for reviews over the phone

When you have a satisfied customer on the phone is a great time to ask for a review.

“I’m glad we were able to help with your cleaning today.

Do you. mind taking 60 seconds to share your experience on [Google/Facebook/Yelp/Trustpilot]. People really like to see the quality of cleaning they receive when they choose our service and feedback like yours is the best way to show that.”

The key to both in-person and over-the-phone requests is not to force the customer into giving a review.

Reviews improve the reputation of your cleaning business, but you won’t get any if you don’t ask in the right manner.

Asking for reviews via text

With residential cleaning, quite a lot of communication takes place via text. This provides you with two different options to ask for reviews.

Personal request

Business: “Hi Mike. We just completed the weekly clean at your apartment and it’s ready for the weekend.”

Mike: “Great thanks. Can you send me an invoice?”

**Business: **“Sure thing, will send it tonight. I’d love to get your feedback in a [Google/Facebook/Yelp/Trustpilot] review if you have 60 seconds. Just click here [Link]. Thanks!”

SMS Service

Alternatively, you can set automatic texts to be sent out at end of each clean.

“Thanks for using ABC Cleaning Services. Please share your feedback at [Link]. Reply STOP to end msgs.”

Asking for reviews via email

Asking for reviews via email is one of the most popular methods, not just for cleaning businesses.

Email is still a great channel for communicating with customers: 91% of consumers open their email on a daily basis, and 58% of consumers check their email before doing anything else online.

Email allows you to test different copy to see what works best for collecting reviews - sending an email blast to your customer list, sending personal emails, or sending emails based on your segmented customer list.

Email Blast Template

Title: How are we doing?

“Hey everyone,

Did you know that the number of ABC Cleaning fans has doubled since last year? We must be doing something right! Whatever it is, we want to keep doing it and we need you to tell us!

If you have 60 seconds today, we’d appreciate you heading to [Google/Facebook/Yelp/Trustpilot] to write a review. Doing so enables us to continue providing the best experience possible for you and helps others understand how ABC Cleaning Services can help with their cleaning requirements as well.

Thanks in advance,

The ABC Cleaning Team”

Personal Email Template

Choose a handful of your core customers who have consistently used your cleaning service, or customer who you want to create a lasting relationship with, and send them a personal note thanking them for their business and asking for a review.

Title: I’d really love your feedback

“Hi [First Name]

I’ve got a small favor to ask. Would you mind heading to [Google/Facebook/Yelp/Trustpilot] and writing a quick review?

Reviews help us keep up with your needs as one of our most loyal clients. They also help others like you to make confident decisions about choosing our cleaning service for their [home/office/AirBnB].

Review or not, we really appreciate your business.

Speak soon

[Name]”

Email Blast Template

Title: We Need Your Feedback

“Hey everyone,

Positive reviews from great customers like you help others [office managers/STR operators/homeowners] just like you feel confident about choosing ABC Cleaning Services.

We’d appreciate you taking 60 seconds to go to [Google/Facebook/Yelp/Trustpilot] and share your positive experiences.

Thanks in advance for helping us out.

The ABC Cleaning Team”

Asking for reviews on Social Media

If you’re going to ask for reviews on social media, Facebook should be your top priority.

One of the best ways to do this is by asking for reviews via a Facebook post.

You can also create posts out of the reviews your cleaning business receives and share a link in the post for other customers to leave their reviews.

Asking for Reviews using Leave Behinds

A leave behind is something you leave at the customer's property after you’ve finished cleaning. A thank you card, door hanger or cleaning checklist are great examples of leave-behinds.

You can use Canva to design your leave-behind and encourage reviews. The leave behind can say something like:

“Enjoy working with us? Leave a review!”

“How did we do? Let us know by leaving a review at [link]!”

“Got feedback? We’d love to hear it! You can leave us a review at [link].”

You can go one step further and include a QR code on your leave behind which takes the customer straight to your [Google/Facebook/Yelp/Trustpilot] link.

Asking for reviews on an invoice

This is a more organic approach to collecting reviews for your cleaning business.

Asking for a review on a digital invoice is pretty straightforward. You just need to include a line at the bottom of the invoice which prompts people to leave a review and include your [Google/Facebook/Yelp/Trustpilot] link.

The prompt can be as simple as:

“We’d love it if you’d leave us a review on [Google/Facebook/Yelp/Trustpilot]. Click here.”

Other suggestions to ask for reviews

Some additional methods include:

1. Pay It Forward Campaign: Don’t incentives reviews in exchange for a free gift or a discount. Instead, use a pay-it-forward campaign where you make a donation of £X to a chosen charity for every review your business receives.
2. Customer Feedback Surveys: This is a great way to find out what your cleaning business is doing well and where you need to improve. Using feedback surveys also gives you a better gauge of which customers to ask for reviews and when to ask them.
3. Website Review Links: Include reviews on your website and add a Call To Action for other customers to leave a review or create a separate ‘Leave us a review’ page on the site.
4. Reputation Management Platforms: Using platforms like NiceJob, Birdeye and Podium allow you to collect and manage reviews across multiple sites to help grow your cleaning business.

Multiple and recent reviews earn more trust from customers and help your cleaning business rank higher in search results. Therefore, choosing more than one method of asking for reviews ensures you have a steady stream of feedback coming in about your cleaning business.

How not to ask for reviews

Some approaches you should avoid when asking for reviews:

1. Incentives: Using gifts and discounts goes against the terms and conditions of a lot of platforms like Yelp and Google. It can also lead to high-volume, star-only reviews (with no text), which are low-quality reviews.
2. Buying reviews: There are policies in place to keep review platforms honest and accurate. Buying reviews is a flagrant breach of those policies.
3. Asking apologetically: Don’t be afraid to ask for reviews for your cleaning business. 67% of people are willing to leave reviews when asked. People like being heard and you are giving them the opportunity to help other customers like them make an informed buying decision about your business.

Do you NEED to Respond to Reviews?

Replying to reviews strengthens the brand of your cleaning business and boosts customer engagement.

It shows that you value your customers and their feedback.

Negative reviews affect the online reputation of your cleaning business. They turn away potential customers who find your cleaning business through local search.

Responding to negative reviews demonstrates that your cleaning business:

• Make efforts to resolve customer service issues from unhappy customers
• Appreciate customer feedback
• Value customer loyalty; and
• Understand the online reputation of your cleaning business.

When your business receives a negative review, it’s important to provide a response. It's also an opportunity to improve your cleaning service and future customer experience.

Responding to reviews also helps to:

1. Build trust with repeat and potential customers;
2. Reach and convert new customers;
3. Find opportunities to improve the customer experience.

By replying to a customer’s review, you’re helping that customer and every person who reads your response. Replies also increase your chances of getting positive feedback from future satisfied customers.

Responding to reviews influences the local search ranking of your cleaning business. By responding, you're increasing the chances of your cleaning business appearing in Google’s Map Pack - the top three results below the map on a local search result.

Improving local search ranking can be the difference between:

• Being an unknown cleaning business because your business isn’t listed on Google Maps; and
• Being the go-to cleaning business in town.

Key Takeaways

Collecting reviews is the key to building a successful cleaning business.

They drive leads, boost search rankings and validate the reputation of your cleaning business.

Cleaning businesses with a high quantity of quality reviews across multiple platforms (especially Google) can experience a lead close rate up to 50% higher than cleaning businesses without an exceptional online reputation.

Collecting reviews on Google should be your number one priority. Choosing a secondary platform like Facebook, Yelp or Trustpilot depends on whether your business focuses on commercial or residential cleaning

Make sure you respond to positive and negative reviews left by customers as this enhances this helps to build trust with current and future customers.

To collect more reviews for your cleaning business, audit your current review collection process.

• What platforms are you collecting reviews on?
• Which platform(s) are best for your cleaning business?
• How are you currently collecting reviews?
• Are you responding to reviews?

Build a review process that generates more leads and helps your cleaning business grow.