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Google reviews for a landscaper: asking, replying, looking after your listing

A garden is worked on over several weeks and depends on the weather. Reviews talk about punctuality, visible results and how tidy the site was. Here is how to reply without over-justifying yourself.

Situations that come up

  • The job that runs late

    The weather often explains a delay, but it doesn’t suffice on its own. Apologise, say you warned them or should have, and offer to go over the plan again.

  • The result that doesn’t match the expectation

    A plant that didn’t take, a cut that was too severe. Acknowledge the gap, avoid technical vocabulary in public and offer to come and look.

  • The waste and the tidiness

    Green waste badly cleared away annoys people. Apologise simply and offer to come back if it is on your side.

  • The review that praises a fine job

    Say thank you with a detail: the advice on plants, the design, the regularity. Avoid announcing seasonal promotions.

Three reply templates to adapt

Fill in the fields (optional)

An empty field stays in square brackets in the text: fill it in before publishing. Read it over and change a few words, a reply that looks written for this person beats a copy-paste.

  • Job running late

    The job ran behind.

    Hello [first name], thank you for your feedback. We are sorry for the delay on your job, [problem]. We should have kept you better informed. If you wish, write to us at [contact]. The [business name] team.

  • Result not as expected

    The customer is not satisfied with the result.

    Hello [first name], thank you for taking the time to write to us. We regret that the result is not what you hoped for, in particular [problem]. We offer to come and look at the garden with you: [contact]. [business name].

  • Thank-you

    Positive review.

    Thank you [first name] for your message! Your words about [specific point] make the whole [business name] team happy. We look forward to being back in the garden.

Other cases (fake, unfair, no comment reviews): the twelve general templates.

Where to put your review QR code

  • On the invoice handed over at the end of the job, when the customer sees the finished garden.
  • On a small sticker on the vehicle or on the business card left at the end of a visit.
  • In the message sent after the job, with the direct link to your listing.

The direct link, the QR code and an A4 poster with your name are made here: Google review link and QR code (free, no account). The same QR code for all your customers, with no sorting.

To check on your Google listing

  • The services: design, maintenance, pruning, tree work, automatic watering.
  • Your service areas and the days you travel.
  • Before-and-after photos of jobs, with the customers’ agreement, and of your equipment.

To go through the rest: the 17-point listing check-up. A complete listing doesn't guarantee a better ranking, it mostly keeps you from losing a customer over wrong info.

To avoid

  • Blaming the weather in a public reply without acknowledging the delay.
  • Publishing photos of a customer’s garden without their agreement.
  • Offering a pruning or a service in exchange for a review: Google forbids it.

Google's rules change: read its official help from time to time. More details: getting more Google reviews, honestly. These tips are practical, they don't replace legal advice.

A review to deal with now?

With a free SwimUp account, you paste the review and get a tailored reply draft (3 per day). Always read it over before publishing. No bank card. SwimUp also offers paid services around Google reviews, shown on the home page.

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