Why Homeowners Trust Businesses with More Reviews (and How to Get Them)

May 27, 2025

Business reviews are often the first thing that homeowners check when seeking a new service provider. Online reviews reveal if you are a skilled and professional business that customers can trust.

In fact, up to 90% of homeowners consider online reviews before hiring a contractor. Often, they will read the reviews before even contacting any companies. This is why home services reputation management is essential. For small business owners, building up a bank of strong reviews can help you stand out in your market. It also does part of the sales work for you. Positive reviews give customers a level of trust before they even pick up the phone.

In this article, we’ll look at the power of social proof for home service businesses and the importance of online reviews. We’ll also consider what homeowners look for in reviews, and then dissect how having more reviews can help your business.

We’ll end with tips on how to get more reviews without annoying your customers. With the right steps, your business can earn and keep customer trust.

The Power of Social Proof in Home Services

Reviews matter more in home services than in other sectors. Hiring someone to come into your home is personal. This pro is coming into your family’s personal space.

This is why social proof is one of the most powerful tools for small businesses. People want to know that you will treat their house carefully and with respect.

Up to 99% of consumers say that they read reviews when shopping online. Also, 97% of them say that these reviews are an essential part of their buying decisions. While homeowners want experienced service providers, trust is just as important to them. Positive reviews help to establish trust before the first interaction.

More Reviews Mean More Social Proof

It is not just about having a perfect 5-star rating but also the number of reviews and ratings you receive.

Bad reviews aren’t necessarily a deal breaker. Many people see mixed reviews and feedback as proof that the business is active and experienced. It also means they strive to provide quality service. Mixed reviews can make your business feel more authentic and reassuring. It also helps reduce skepticism. People are always on the lookout for a business that is too good to be true.

The more reviews you have, the stronger your social proof. In a competitive market, this can mean the difference between getting the job and being overlooked.

However, it’s essential to be able to get reviews without pestering your customers. You also need to carefully manage negative reviews and put a positive spin on them.

RELATED ARTICLE: Grow Your Business With Customer Testimonials

What Homeowners Look for in Reviews

Homeowners don’t just look at star ratings in online business reviews. They also read the details of other customers’ feedback. Their goal is to understand the experience they can expect from your business. Figuring out what they want to have can improve your review strategy. It can also help you build a better reputation.

Here are some of the key qualities that stand out to potential customers:

Recency of reviews: Recent reviews show your business is active. They also indicate you provide good service. If your last review was from one or two years ago, homeowners might wonder if you’re still in business.
Quantity of reviews: More reviews build more trust. A business with 100 reviews will generally feel more reliable and trustworthy than one with just 10. This is even true if both have the same average rating.
Star ratings and written comments: A high rating is nice. It does matter to customers, but it isn’t everything. Many homeowners look at written comments to see how you deal with real-life situations. They want to see real stories about how you solved problems. These narratives can show your commitment to customer satisfaction.
Professionalism, communication, and cleanliness: Details matter. Homeowners look for mentions of things that show quality service. These include showing up on time, being polite, keeping things tidy, and explaining the work clearly.
Organic feedback: Customers don’t want forced reviews. They will be suspicious of reviews that are too positive. Always encourage honest feedback. Tell customers to be totally honest with their comments.

Homeowners trust reviews that are honest. They are not only looking for glowing praise. In fact, they may not trust companies that only have positive feedback. Realistic reviews provide the kind of social proof that people value. These are the reviews that can help grow your business.

5 Ways More Reviews Build Stronger Trust

Word-of-mouth marketing remains essential for small home services businesses. You should consider online reviews as electronic word-of-mouth ads. As with face-to-face recommendations, keeping those reviews coming helps your business grow. The more real recommendations you provide, the easier it is to win over cautious homeowners.

Here are the important ways that having more reviews can help you build trust.

Shows consistency over time: A regular flow of positive reviews shows that your business is consistent. You provide quality service every month, all year round. Prospective customers don’t feel like they have to “take a chance” on you.
Increases visibility on Google and directories: Getting more Google customer reviews helps improve your ranking on Google and local search sites. Homeowners in the area will be able to find you. And, they’ll know you’re a real local business.
Reduces the impact of bad reviews: Even great businesses can get a negative review sometimes. But when you have many positive ones, a few bad critiques won’t scare people away.
Validates quality and reliability: A large number of reviews means a lot of satisfied customers. This is powerful proof that you’re reliable and do quality work. Many new customers want to see this before they hire you.
Encourages faster buying decisions: When homeowners see happy customers vouching for you, they will feel more confident. They will be more likely to hire rather than hesitate or shop around.

The challenge is that not every satisfied customer will automatically leave a review. You might need to find ways to inspire them to leave feedback.

How to Get More Reviews (Without Annoying Customers)

Getting more customer reviews can be challenging. Some customers may not want to leave feedback, even if they have a good experience. How can you get them to do so without being pushy? Using the right tools, timing, and tone helps you get the feedback you need for social proof. With the right approach, you can make the experience positive for everyone involved.

Here are five ways to get more business reviews without annoying your customers:

Ask immediately after service. Timing is important. The best moment to request a review is when your customers are happiest. This is usually right after the job is done and the satisfaction is still fresh.
Use automation. Automate review requests via text or email. You can do this through a CRM or review platform like pulseM to save time and increase consistency.
Personalize review requests. Make your request for reviews feel genuine. Accomplish this by mentioning the technician’s name or the specific service performed. A personal touch will always go a long way.
Make reviews easy. Simpler is always better. Send a direct link to your review page so that customers can leave feedback with just one click, without extra steps.
Follow up (but don’t spam). pulseM can schedule one or more gentle reminders a few days later. This nudges busy homeowners to offer reviews without being pushy.

Small changes to the way you ask for feedback can make it easier to generate online reviews.

FROM ONE OF OUR PARTNERS: How to Get Customers to Leave Reviews for Your Local Home Services Business

Final Thoughts: Trust Is Earned Through Consistency

Building trust with homeowners isn’t just a one-time task. It is an ongoing effort. Customer trust needs to be continuously reloaded. Consistent reviews play a big role in this process. Strong reviews show how consistently your business provides quality service to customers. Because of this, generating online reviews should be a core business process, not a once-in-a-while task.

It takes time to hone a review strategy. However, there are steps you can take right now to get started.

Take a look at your current review strategy. Are you asking for reviews consistently? Are you doing so in a way that doesn’t pressure customers?
See if reviews are straightforward. Are you making it easy for customers to leave feedback? Do they need to take more than one step to reach a review page?
Automate the process. Do you have a system in place to follow up automatically? Getting reviews shouldn’t take time away from your core business activities.
Get the right tools. Do you have a review management system in place? If not, consider researching tools like pulseM to help streamline review collection and management.
Ask your customers. Ask your clients for feedback on how they prefer to leave reviews. They’ll tell you their preferred methods. You can then make sure you offer these avenues to your future customers.

With the right tools and approach, you can collect the social proof necessary to push your home service business forward. Not only will this help your marketing, but it will also improve your reputation among current and future customers.