How to use reviews on a trade website
Reviews are the single fastest lever for trade business conversion, on the website and in the map pack. Most trade sites do this badly: a single 'testimonials' page that nobody clicks, or a generic carousel buried at the bottom of the homepage. The version that works is more granular, more honest, and built into the structure of every page.
Published 29 April 2026
Reviews on every service page, not just the homepage.
Google reviews carry the most weight. Trustpilot and Checkatrade are second-tier.
Quote real customers with first name and town. 'James, Bedminster' beats 'A satisfied customer'.
Embed a live Google review feed somewhere visible, it updates itself.
Reply to every Google review. New customers read the replies.
Where to put reviews on the site
A 'testimonials' page on its own does not earn its keep. It gets very little traffic and the visitors who land there are already convinced. Reviews work harder when they appear on the pages where decisions are made: service pages, the emergency call-out page, and the homepage.
The best pattern is two reviews per major service page, quoting real customers about that specific service. On /boiler-repair, two reviews from real boiler-repair customers. On /emergency-plumber, two reviews from real emergency call-out customers. The match between review and service makes the trust signal credible.
Which platforms matter
Spread effort proportionally. Google first, until you have at least 20 reviews. Then add Trustpilot or Checkatrade as a second platform. Spreading thin across five platforms before any of them has weight is a common mistake, five reviews on each of five platforms is worse than 25 on Google.
- Google Business Profile reviews, the single most important platform. Drives map-pack ranking and shows directly in search results.
- Trustpilot, good for general credibility, less weight in local search.
- Checkatrade, strong for plumbers, electricians, roofers in the UK, especially with older homeowners.
- Trustatrader, Which? Trusted Traders, niche, useful if your customer base reads them.
- Facebook reviews, low priority. Visible to existing followers, not searchers.
How to ask for reviews
Ask after every completed job. The window is small, within 24-48 hours, while the job is still mentally fresh. A short text or email with a direct review link converts at 25-40%. Ask in person at the end of the job and follow up with the link.
Avoid review-gating tools that filter happy customers to public reviews and unhappy customers to private feedback. Google penalises this and the ban is permanent. Ask everyone, accept the negatives, and reply professionally.
How to display reviews on the site
Two formats work well. The first is hand-picked quotes embedded in the page copy: a 200-character quote with the customer's first name and town. The second is a live Google review feed via a small embed widget, it updates itself, looks credible because it is visibly fresh, and shows your overall rating.
Avoid stock-image testimonials. Avoid full surnames or full addresses (privacy). Avoid AI-generated 'customer' quotes, readers can tell, and one negative review for fake testimonials erases the lift from genuine ones.
Replying to negative reviews
Negative reviews are a feature, not a bug. A trade with 50 reviews and a 4.7 average reads more credibly than one with 12 reviews and a 5.0 average. The trick is the reply.
Short, professional, and factual. Acknowledge the customer's experience. Offer to make it right. Avoid arguing the facts in public, even if you are right, anyone reading later only sees defensiveness. The reply does more for new customers than the original review costs you.
What to track
Two numbers. Total Google review count and rating average. New reviews per month. If the count is climbing 4-8 per month, the asking process is working. If it has stalled, the asking process has stopped, that is almost always the issue, not the customers.
Common questions
Five reviews is the threshold for the listing to feel credible. Twenty is when the map-pack benefit becomes consistent. Fifty is when you become difficult to displace. The benefit compounds, each new review adds slightly less than the last but the total never stops mattering.
No. Google's terms forbid offering anything in exchange for reviews. The penalty if caught is account-level, not just review-level. Ask for reviews based on the work itself.
Report it through Google Business Profile. Google removes obvious fakes (same wording across multiple businesses, profanity, off-topic) but leaves most negative reviews up unless they violate policy. The better approach is usually a calm reply that acknowledges the customer's concern without arguing.
Yes, especially on service pages where the customer's voice and face add credibility. The bar is low, a 30-second phone video on the customer's doorstep after the job is finished works. Video reviews convert noticeably better than text-only on high-value services like boiler installation or full rewires.
Trustpilot is fine as a second platform after Google, especially for larger trade businesses or those with national reach. For a single-location plumber or electrician, the cost (free tier is limited, paid plans start around £200 a month) usually outweighs the benefit. Checkatrade or Trustatrader is often a better fit for UK trades.
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