Google Reviews for Christmas Lighting Companies

Getting Google reviews for Christmas lighting companies works differently than for almost any other trade. A plumber or a roofer can ask for reviews twelve months a year. A Christmas light installation business does most of its customer-facing work in a few weeks, sees each customer twice (once to put the lights up, once to take them down), and then goes quiet until next fall. If the review requests don't land inside that window, they mostly don't land at all.

This post is about timing for that model specifically: when to ask, which visit gets the request, how to use the best photo you'll ever have of the job, and how this year's reviews help you fill next year's calendar.

Why Christmas lighting reviews have to land in a six-week window

Most holiday lighting companies I've looked at run a similar calendar. Design visits and booking start in the fall. Installs run from around October into early December, with the calendar filling from the top. The display gets serviced through the season if a strand goes out. Takedown starts in January, and many companies store the lights over the off-season as part of the package.

That shape creates three problems for reviews:

The searching happens before your busy season. People look for a Christmas light install service in October and November. Reviews that show up in January don't help those searchers until next year.
Your crew is slammed exactly when you should be asking. Nobody on a lift in mid-November is thinking about review requests. Asking by hand is the first thing to drop.
Recent reviews read differently in this trade. A homeowner comparing Christmas light installation businesses wants to see that you did this well last season, not three years ago.

So the job is to get the ask out during the install weeks, every time, without your crew having to remember it.

The best moment to ask: the first night the lights are on

For most trades, the right time to ask is when the job is done. For holiday lighting, the job is done when the timer kicks on and the homeowner sees the house lit for the first time.

That evening is the peak. They're standing in the driveway, they're taking pictures, they're probably texting them to family. A review request that arrives that evening or the next morning catches them at the moment they're happiest with the work.

Practically, that means:

If your crew sets timers at install, send the request after the first scheduled turn-on, not while the crew is still packing up in daylight.
If the homeowner wasn't home for the install, wait until they've seen it lit. A request that arrives before they've seen the result asks them to review something they haven't experienced.
Keep the message short and about the lights, not about you. Something like: "Hi Sarah, hope you got to see the house lit up tonight. If you're happy with it, a quick Google review helps other families find us: [link]"

For more wording options, see our Google review request text examples.

Install vs. takedown: which visit gets the request

You see most customers twice. Ask after the install, not the takedown.

Why install wins:

The emotional peak is the first night lit. Takedown is a chore being removed, which is nice but not exciting.
Install reviews land in November and December, while people are still searching and comparing. Takedown reviews land in January, when demand is close to zero.
After the install, the customer is still seeing the work every evening. That keeps the review easy to write.

What takedown is good for: a short thank-you and a re-booking note (more on that below). If someone didn't respond to the install request, a gentle reminder at takedown is fine. Just don't double-ask people who already left a review.

One thing to keep straight: every customer gets the same request. Don't hold the link back from a customer who had a dead section mid-season, and don't send it only to the ones who complimented the crew. Google's rules prohibit selectively asking for positive reviews. If something went wrong, fix it, reply to the review honestly, and move on.

Using the photo of their lit house (with permission)

No other trade gets a better photo of its own work than a lit house at night. Use it, carefully.

Ask before you post it. A photo of someone's home, with the house number or the street visible, belongs to their privacy as much as your marketing. Get a yes, and crop or blur house numbers and plates.
Post approved photos to your Google Business Profile during the season. Fresh photos of real displays show searchers that you're active right now. Our Google Business Profile optimization checklist covers why recent job photos matter.
Mention the photo in the review ask, not as a trade. "Here's the shot we took of your house last night" is a nice touch. "Leave a review and we'll send you the photo" is an incentive, and Google's policies prohibit offering anything in exchange for a review.
Encourage customers to add their own photos to their review. A homeowner's own shot of the house is the most convincing thing a future customer can see.

This is also why the year-round lighting playbook doesn't transfer cleanly. Landscape and architectural lighting has its own timing, covered in our post on Google reviews for outdoor lighting companies. If you also sell permanent roofline lighting, treat those jobs on that year-round schedule, not the holiday one.

Turning this season's reviews into next season's re-bookings

Christmas lighting is one of the few trades where a big share of next year's work can come from this year's customers. Reviews help with that in two ways.

Reviews are what new customers check in October

When you open your booking for next season, a homeowner comparing three companies will scroll your reviews. The ones from last November and December, mentioning the crew, the design and how the house looked, are your sales pitch. That's the payoff for asking during install weeks.

The takedown visit is your re-booking moment

At takedown, the customer has just had a full season with the lights. That's when to:

Thank them for the season.
Tell them when booking opens for next year and whether returning customers get first pick of install dates.
If you offer an early-booking deposit, explain it then. Keep it separate from any review request.

Keep the two asks apart. A review request at install, a re-booking note at takedown. Mixing "leave us a review" with "lock in your spot" in one message makes both weaker.

Holiday lighting company marketing in the off-season

Between February and September, you won't get many new reviews, and that's fine. Use the quiet months to reply to every review you haven't answered, upload the best approved photos from the season, update your profile's services and service area, and make sure your Christmas light installation business shows correct booking information before fall. The general guide to getting more Google reviews covers the steady-state basics.

FAQ

When should a Christmas lighting company ask for Google reviews?

Right after the first night the display is lit, usually the evening of install or the next morning. That's when the customer is happiest and when searchers are still comparing companies.

Should I ask for a review at takedown too?

Only as a gentle reminder for customers who didn't respond after install. Takedown is better used for thanks and re-booking.

Can I offer a discount on next year's install for a review?

No. Google's policies prohibit offering discounts, free services or anything else in exchange for a review. You can offer a returning-customer discount to everyone, as long as it isn't tied to reviewing.

Do reviews from January still help?

They help next season, since they'll still be recent when people start searching in the fall. But reviews that arrive in November and December help this season too, which is why the install visit is the one to prioritize.

Get the asks out during your busiest weeks

The problem with holiday lighting isn't knowing when to ask. It's that the right moment lands when you have no time. Review River sends the requests for you: after each install, the customer gets two texts carrying a personalized image with their name on it, then three follow-up emails, all with the same link to your Google review box. Your crew doesn't have to remember anything.

Try it free for 14 days with no contract. Start your free trial before install season gets busy.