Trustpilot vs Google reviews for trades: which one actually moves bookings

Where buyers actually look

Search behaviour for UK trades is dominated by "[trade] near me" and "[trade] [city]". Both return Google Maps results with the star rating front and centre, plus Google Local Service Ad results above the map pack. The buyer sees stars, count, and one snippet before they decide whether to click your listing.

Trustpilot rarely surfaces for those searches. Trustpilot dominates for product brands, financial-services comparison, and recurring-billing SaaS. For "emergency plumber Glasgow" or "MOT garage Edinburgh", Trustpilot is invisible in the first results page.

When Trustpilot is the right answer

If you sell a product nationally (boilers shipped to the door, custom blinds, fencing kits) or you take payment up-front before delivery, Trustpilot earns its keep. The Trustpilot badge on the checkout page measurably reduces cart abandonment.

If you run B2B services where the buyer is researching across multiple sites before a procurement decision, Trustpilot is a credibility surface they will check.

For doorstep trades selling labour, neither of those apply. Send them to Google.

How to make the Google ask work

Time it. The ask should land 24-48 hours after the job. Same day is too soon (they have not assessed the work). Three days later is too late (the warmth has cooled).

Send via whatever channel they actually used. WhatsApp for trades whose customer base is on WhatsApp. Email for B2B clients. SMS if you have nothing else. Multi-channel automation gets read; email-only gets ignored.

Use the direct-link approach. Get your Google Business Profile place ID and build the review link as g.page/r/<place-id>/review. One tap on a phone goes straight to the star-selection screen. Generic "leave us a review" links cost you 30-40% of conversions to friction.

Pair with rating-gate logic. Ask the customer "On a scale of 1-5, how was the job?" first. 4-5 stars go to the Google link. 1-3 stars go to a private feedback form so bad reviews stay off your profile, and you get a chance to fix the issue before they post anywhere.

Industries where this changes

Restaurants: TripAdvisor still matters for tourist trade, Google for locals. Run both.

Hotels: Booking.com's reviews dominate because Booking.com owns the buying journey. Trustpilot is noise. Google is secondary but useful.

Beauty / clinics: Google primarily, plus Treatwell or Fresha if you book through them.

Where :Impact fits

:Impact's review loop ships pre-configured: 4-5 stars route to Google, 1-3 to a private feedback form. Timing defaults to 24h post-job mark. Channel uses whatever the customer last replied on. Templates pre-loaded for trades, hospitality, beauty, and auto. One toggle to turn on.