Guide · Accounting firms
How CPA firms get Google reviews — without spamming clients
A new client meets you. Then they look you up. If they find two old reviews, your good work is invisible. The fix is not a big campaign. It's one short, honest ask at the right moment.
Why reviews matter for a firm
Before they hire you, 8 in 10 clients look up your firm online. (Hinge Research Institute, 2014 — independent research, not our product numbers.) Most of your clients are happy. Few ever post. Not because they won't — because nobody asked at a good time.
Ask at the finish line
Ask when the client can feel the work is done:
- Return filed — the deadline passed, the stress is gone.
- Year-end close — books closed, numbers clean.
- Engagement wrapped — advisory or bookkeeping work complete.
Not mid-engagement. Not in April chaos. Not in the same email as an invoice.
Keep the note short
One thank-you. One clear ask. One link. That's it.
Sample note — not a real client.
Hi Jordan —
Thanks again for trusting us with your return this year.
If you have a minute, would you leave a short Google review for the firm? Here's the link: [Review link]
— Alex at Harbor Lane CPAs
Write it in your firm's voice. Sign it from a real person.
Ask every client the same way
Ask everyone you'd ask — not just the ones you think will rave. Sending requests only to happy clients is called review gating. Google's rules don't allow it, and it's not fair to the next person reading.
Also: never pay for reviews, never offer a discount for one, never write one yourself.
Read every note before it goes
A firm's name is its whole business. So the safest setup is simple: a person at the firm reads every note before it reaches a client. Edit a line. Skip a client who just had bad news. Then send.
That's how Good Work Reviews works. Nothing reaches a client until you say yes. If you want, automation unlocks after you've approved and sent five notes yourself — not on day one.
Good Work Reviews for accounting firms
One note per job — no nagging
Send once. If they don't post, let it go. A second, third, fourth reminder costs you more goodwill than one review is worth.
A simple routine to start
- Pick your finish lines (return filed, close, engagement done).
- Write one note you'd be proud to sign.
- Send it within a few days of the finish line.
- Read every note before it goes.
- Ask every client the same way.
Want to ask for a referral too? Read when to ask a client for a referral.
Good Work Reviews drafts the note, tracks the ask, and can run on a schedule — you approve every send. How it works