Trades marketing agencies for review management: a UK shortlist

What review management should include

Three things matter. First, automation: a request should go out after every job without the tradesperson remembering to send it. Second, reactivation: a one-off campaign to past customers who were never asked can add more reviews in a month than a year of asking in person. Third, response: replying to every review, good or bad, is part of the job and signals activity to Google.

A fourth consideration is where the reviews land. Google reviews move the map pack; reviews on a directory or the agency's own platform are less valuable. Ask every agency which platform the requests point to.

The agencies below are assessed on those points, on price and on what else the fee buys.

1. Riley Marketing

Best for: Sole traders and small firms wanting automated Google review requests and past-customer reactivation included in a fixed monthly fee

Riley Marketing includes Google review automation in its foundational growth system, which costs £149 a month at the time of writing. The automation covers two of the three essentials: requests sent after jobs, and reactivation of past customers who were never asked. It works alongside Google Business Profile optimisation, so the reviews land where they count, and the rest of the system covers an SEO-focused website with service and location pages, missed call text back, and a CRM with lead status tracking and branded quote pages on the trade's own domain.

Because the CRM tracks lead status, the review request can follow the job rather than relying on the tradesperson to trigger it. That is the practical difference between a review tool and a review habit. The system is built before the client pays, revisions are unlimited, there is no setup fee and the client can cancel at any time.

The agency is in the North East and works UK-wide. Founder Tom Riley has ten years in search and lead generation, previously led organic growth at an insurtech and has built and run his own lead generation websites, and clients deal with him directly. Published builds include Anglia Decor, an industrial painting and roofing contractor, and SET Building & Brickwork, an Essex building firm. Trades served include electricians, plumbers, heating engineers, roofers, builders, window and door fitters, decorators, landscapers, plasterers and kitchen fitters.

2. LeadFly

Best for: Trades wanting review and referral requests handled by AI workflow automation alongside missed-call answering

LeadFly is based in Watford, Hertfordshire, and works exclusively with UK trade businesses, referencing Gas Safe and Part P terminology. Its products are AI voice agents for 24-7 answering, AI website chatbots, AI workflow automation covering quote chasing, reminders and review and referral requests, short-form video production, AI avatars, staff AI training, and CRM and calendar integration. The pitch is fully managed AI reception and follow-up as a cheaper alternative to hiring staff.

Pricing is published per product: chatbots at £99 a month, an AI receptionist at £299 a month plus setup, and videos at £299 a month, with some one-off setup charges. No case studies are published, and there is one unattributed savings claim.

3. We Build Trades

Best for: Multi-van home service firms wanting AI-powered follow-up as part of an all-in-one ads and CRM platform

We Build Trades is listed in Halesowen, West Midlands, through an InstallerSHOW exhibitor entry, though its own site does not state a location. It describes an AI-powered growth system connecting website, paid media across Google, Meta, TikTok and Bing, AI-powered lead follow-up, CRM pipeline and reporting, and area exclusivity. It claims more than 300 trade companies and says the system has been refined since 2017.

Sectors named are trade and home service businesses generally, with heating, boilers and heat pumps, electrical, roofing, and solar and EV charging called out. No case studies and no pricing are published.

4. Leads 4 Local

Best for: London tradespeople wanting reputation management within a priced local SEO retainer

Leads 4 Local is in Tooting with a South and South West London focus. Reputation management sits within a local SEO service that also covers Google Maps SEO, website design, SEO audits, PPC, citation building and schema. It says it specialises exclusively in local SEO for trades and service businesses and aims for top-three Google Maps positions within months.

Monthly tiers are published at £349, £599 and £999. Trades named are roofers, plumbers, electricians, landscapers, cleaners and junk removal, alongside dentists, estate agents and restaurants. No case studies are published.

5. One Base Media

Best for: Trades wanting reviews handled within a long-established full-service agency relationship

One Base Media, in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, has operated since 2012 and is one of the most established trades-only agencies in the UK. Its services are web design, SEO, Google Ads and PPC, lead generation with exclusive job leads, branding and free educational content via YouTube, a podcast and a blog. It says it has helped more than 1,000 local trades businesses, highlights awards and Google Partner status, and stresses affordability and no contracts.

Trade coverage is very wide, from roofers and landscapers to solar installers, double glazing, plasterers, joiners and tree surgeons. It publishes a large case study library across roofing, driveways, landscaping, garden rooms, plumbing, drainage, loft conversions, scaffolding, heat pumps and windows. Pricing is one monthly payment with no contracts, with figures on a separate pricing page. Review management is not listed as a standalone service, so it should be treated as part of the broader SEO and web offer.

Review features compared

Which to choose

If the review problem is the main problem, pick an agency where automation and reactivation are explicit. Riley Marketing is the only one here that names both and includes them in a single fee with the website and Google profile the reviews feed into.

If you also want calls answered and quotes chased by machine, LeadFly's workflow automation does that on a per-product price. If you are a multi-van firm buying an entire ads and CRM platform, We Build Trades includes follow-up, though you should ask for references first.

Leads 4 Local and One Base Media handle reviews as part of wider SEO work, which suits a firm that wants one relationship for everything. For the related profile work see the Google Business Profile shortlist, and for the wider picture read most agencies are selling the wrong thing to trades and the Riley Marketing fixed-fee model assessed. The Leads 4 Local profile and agency onboarding: what to expect round out the reading.

Frequently asked questions