Get chosen
Review management that keeps up with the top three on the map.
Kojo Growth sets up and runs review management for local service businesses. Every finished job triggers a review request, every review gets an owner reply, and each month your count, rating and review pace are compared with the top three on Google Maps. Two things we never do: gate reviews by asking only happy customers, or offer anything in exchange for one. The FTC's 2024 rule bans fake and bought reviews, and Google's policies prohibit gating and incentives.
- A review request sent after each finished job, from your own software
- An owner reply drafted for every review, negative ones first
- A monthly comparison with the top three on the map
- Your best Google reviews shown on your website
By the Kojo Growth teamPublished Last updated
Free audit: see what's working and what isn't.
- Your Google Maps ranking across town
- Your reviews against the top three
- Your website on a phone
- Who you're up against
- How many people search for what you do
- The three fixes that matter first
Why it matters
People compare three listings. Reviews decide which one they call.
When someone looks at the map, they see three businesses, three star ratings and three review counts, and tap the one that looks busiest and most trusted. Google counts reviews among the prominence signals that decide who is on that map. Most owners know this and still ask for reviews only when they remember, reply to none of them, and have no idea a competitor gets a review every few days. A review process is built so the only thing you do after the job is mark it done.
- 1
Asking only when you remember
The customers who leave reviews are the ones who get asked, the same day, while the work is fresh. If the ask depends on you remembering, most jobs never get one.
- 2
No reply to anything
A reply shows the next reader that someone is paying attention. An unanswered one-star review, sitting there for months, does the opposite. Replies also tell Google the profile is active.
- 3
Shortcuts that break the rules
Asking only the happy customers, offering a discount for a review, buying reviews. Google removes them and can suspend the profile; the FTC can fine the business. A clean process is slower to start and far safer to rely on.
An example
What the monthly comparison looks like
For example, your new reviews over the last 90 days, next to the three businesses in the top three on the map in your area, plus the two habits that usually explain a gap: whether an ask goes out after every job, and whether the owner replies.
New Google reviews, last 90 days
- You4
- Competitor A26
- Competitor B19
- Competitor C14
- Owner replies
- 1 in 5Top 3: nearly all
- Ask sent after each job
- NoTop 3: yes
What's included
What you get with reviews & reputation.
Everything below is written into the plan before any work starts, and reported on every month.
A review ask after every finished job
When a job is marked done in your job software or texting tool, a text or email goes out asking for a Google review, with a direct link. We write the message in your voice, you approve it, and we set up the trigger. After that it sends on its own.
Every customer gets asked
Google calls selective asking “review gating” and prohibits it, and the FTC's rule bans suppressing genuine negative reviews. Asking every customer follows the rule and also means more asks, so more reviews.
A reply drafted for every review
A short, specific owner reply for each new review, drafted in your voice and posted in your profile once you've approved it. You can edit or veto any reply before it goes live.
Bad reviews handled, not hidden
A calm, factual reply drafted as soon as we see the review, for your OK, an internal note on what happened, and a flag to Google only when a review genuinely breaks its policies. We never try to make legitimate criticism disappear.
A monthly check against the top three
Your review count, average rating, review pace over the last 90 days (how fast new reviews come in) and reply rate, next to the three businesses in the top three on the map for your main keyword. It shows whether the gap is closing and by how much.
Reviews on your website
Your best Google reviews shown on your site and kept current, so the people who found you through search see the proof without leaving the page.
Set up in your own tools
The ask runs inside the job software or texting tool you already use, so your team has nothing new to learn, and every review lands on your own Google Business Profile.
No incentives, no bought reviews
Nothing offered in exchange for a review, none written for customers, none bought. Google's review policies and the FTC's 2024 rule on fake reviews go into your written plan in plain English.
How we do it
How we do it.
Three steps to get going, then the work and a report every month.
- Step 1
Baseline and setup
We record your review count, rating, review pace and reply rate, and the same for the top three on the map. Then we write the ask, set the trigger in your software and test it on a finished job.
- Day-one numbers for you and the top three
- The ask written in your voice
- Trigger tested end to end
- Step 2
Catch up on replies
Every review already on your profile gets a drafted reply for your OK, starting with the ones that have sat unanswered longest. From then on, each new review gets a draft as soon as we see it.
- Existing reviews answered
- Negative reviews handled first
- Replies you can edit before posting
- Step 3
Run, compare, adjust
The ask runs after every job. Every month we compare you with the top three and adjust: a second reminder if few customers respond, a different wording, a prompt on the invoice.
- Replies to every review
- Monthly comparison with the top three
- Ask wording tuned from the numbers
What you get each month
A reply to every review
A reply drafted for every new review as soon as we see it, for your OK, with anything negative handled first.
The ask, checked
A check that the trigger still fires after every finished job, and that the link still lands on your review form.
The comparison
Your count, rating, pace and reply rate against the top three on the map, and against your day-one numbers.
In your monthly report
Reviews this month, share replied, how the gap with the top three moved, and what we'll change next month.
Search demand
People compare stars before they call.
A lot of customers don't search for a plumber; they search for the best one. Each of these searches is someone lining up a handful of businesses by their rating and their most recent reviews.
Searches a month in the US
Real search data- “best plumber near me”Advertisers pay about $28 a click on Google Ads14,800
- “best auto repair near me”Advertisers pay about $5 a click on Google Ads9,900
- “best hvac company near me”Advertisers pay about $21 a click on Google Ads8,100
- “best house cleaning service near me”Advertisers pay about $9 a click on Google Ads6,600
- “top rated roofing companies near me”Advertisers pay about $21 a click on Google Ads1,000
Numbers for several trades and towns are on the industries pages.
Works with
Part of one system.
Every service runs on the same plan, by the same team, in the same monthly report.
- Get found
Google Maps & local SEO
Be easier to find on Google Maps across your area
See the service - Follow up
Email & text follow-up
Missed-call text-back, quote chasers, win-backs
See the service - Get chosen
Social posts
Your finished jobs on Facebook and Instagram
See the service - Build & measure
Monthly reporting
What we did, what changed, what's next
See the service
Industries
Trades where this matters most.
Every trade gets found a little differently. These are the ones where this service tends to do the most.
- HVACNo heat in January means a quick search and a call to the first business that looks trustworthy.
- Auto repairDrivers search “near me” and pick the shop with the most recent, detailed reviews.
- ElectricalPeople want licensed and nearby, and they read the reviews to be sure.
- CleaningFound on Google Maps, kept with follow-up. Weekly and biweekly clients come from showing up and staying in touch.
Three promises
No surprises, in writing.
The same three promises on every plan, for every client.
The audit is free, no strings
You get the findings and the three fixes either way. If we're not the right fit, the audit is still yours.
You own your accounts
Your domain, content, Google Business Profile, analytics and accounts are always yours and stay in your name. If we part ways, any site we built is handed over or bought out on terms set in writing.
Terms in writing first
The plan, the price and the term are written down before any work starts. Term length depends on the work, and it's always on paper.
FAQ
Straight answers, up front.
What owners ask about reviews & reputation before they start.
How do I get more Google reviews?
Ask every customer, right after the job, with a direct link to your review form, and reply to every review you get. That is the method. Most businesses get few reviews because the ask depends on someone remembering, so tie it to the job being marked done in your software and it stops depending on memory.
Is it legal to ask for reviews, and is review gating illegal?
Asking for a review is allowed by Google and by the FTC. Review gating, asking only the customers you expect to be positive, is prohibited by Google's policies, and a profile caught doing it can have reviews removed. The FTC's 2024 rule on fake reviews also bans suppressing or burying genuine negative reviews. We ask every customer, which follows the rules and gets the most reviews.
Can I pay or offer discounts for reviews?
No. Google removes incentivized reviews and can suspend the profile, and the FTC's rule treats bought reviews as deceptive. We don't do it, and we'll tell you in writing that we won't.
How should I reply to a bad review?
Quickly, calmly and with facts. Thank them, say what you understand happened, say what you'll do, and take the detail offline. Don't argue in public. The reply is written for the next person reading it. We draft it, you approve it.
How much is one Google review worth?
Nobody can put an honest number on a single review. What a review does is make the next person more likely to call you instead of the listing next to yours, and tell Google your profile is active and trusted. The pace of reviews matters more than any single one, which is why the comparison tracks the last 90 days.
How many reviews do I need to rank on Google Maps?
Enough to keep up with the three businesses already in the top three on the map for your area. That number is different in every town, which is why we compare you with your actual top three every month rather than quote a target.
How much do reputation management services typically cost?
It depends on how many jobs you finish a month, how many reviews you already have and whether your software can send the ask on its own. After the free audit you get a written plan with the price and the term before any work starts. We don't publish prices, and this service often sits inside a wider plan.
The free audit
See where you stand. Then decide.
Tell us your business name or website and the main city you serve. We'll look at what's working and what isn't, and send you the three fixes that matter first.
- Your Google Maps ranking across town
- Your reviews against the top three
- Your website on a phone
- Who you're up against
- How many people search for what you do
- The three fixes that matter first