Word of mouth built your business. Your nan told her neighbour, who told their mate at the pub, and before you knew it you had a full diary. It worked brilliantly, until it didn’t scale.

Word of mouth is slow, it stays local, and it disappears the moment the conversation ends. A customer who leaves you a review is still recommending you to strangers two years later, to anyone who searches for your trade.

Why Online Reviews Matter

The numbers:

93% of customers read online reviews before hiring a trade
72% won’t take action until they’ve read at least four reviews
A one-star increase on Google can mean 5-9% more revenue
88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations

If nobody is managing your online presence, most potential customers never find you.

Where to Focus

You don’t need to be everywhere. Three platforms do the work for heating and plumbing firms.

1. Google Business Profile (Essential)

Free to set up, and it puts your star rating in local search results and on Google Maps. Most customers start their search here, so start here too.

2. Checkatrade / MyBuilder / Bark

Customers on these sites are already looking for someone to do the job, and verified reviews carry extra trust. Worth the subscription once you’re growing.

3. Facebook

The recommendations feature is powerful in local communities, and community groups are modern word of mouth. Customers can tag you in a post without leaving the app.

How to Get More Reviews

Most engineers never ask. That is the whole barrier. Here is a system that fixes it.

The 3-Step Review Request

At job completion: “Really glad you’re happy with the work. If you’ve got a minute, a Google review would mean the world, it really helps small businesses like mine.”
Follow-up text, same day: “Thanks again for choosing [Your Business]. Here’s a quick link to leave a review if you’d like: [direct Google review link]”
One week later, if no review: “Hope you’re still enjoying the new [bathroom/kitchen/wiring]. Just a gentle reminder, if you’ve got 30 seconds, a review would be a massive help: [link]“

Make It Easy

Send the direct link rather than making anyone search for your business. Ask when the customer is happiest, which is usually the moment the job is finished and everything works. Tell them a one-line review is plenty, because the ones who think they need to write an essay write nothing at all.

Handling Negative Reviews

They happen, even to the best heating and plumbing firms.

Respond within 24 hours and stay professional however unfair it feels. Acknowledge the experience (“I’m sorry you had this experience”), then move the conversation off the platform: “Please call me on [number] so we can sort this out.” If you resolve it, politely ask whether they’d consider updating the review.

What sinks firms is the other four responses. Arguing publicly loses you the audience even when you’re right. Silence reads as guilt. Fake reviews to bury the bad one get caught by Google’s algorithm. And anything personal, however justified, is the line customers remember.

Building a Review Culture

The best engineers make reviews part of the job rather than an afterthought. Put a QR code on your business cards that links straight to your Google review page, and a friendly request in your invoice footer. Add “See our reviews on Google” to the van. Take before and after photos, because customers share those themselves.

From Reviews to Referrals

Online reviews don’t replace word of mouth, they amplify it. When someone recommends you to a friend, that friend Googles you. Fifty five-star reviews confirming the recommendation win the job before you’ve picked up the phone.

Your 30-Day Action Plan

Week 1: Set up or claim your Google Business Profile. Add photos, services and business hours.

Week 2: Text your last 10 happy customers with a direct review link. Three or four of them will leave one.

Week 3: Add a review request to your invoice template and your follow-up process.

Week 4: Respond to every existing review, good and bad. Set up Google alerts for your business name.

Your reputation already exists. The only question is whether the person searching for a heating engineer at 9pm on a Sunday can find it.