Google review policy: what businesses can and can't do

What's allowed

• Asking every customer for an honest review.
• Sending your review link by text, email or QR code.
• Following up with a polite reminder.
• Replying to every review, good or bad.
• Reporting reviews that break the rules.

What's not allowed

• Paying for reviews or buying them from a service.
• Offering discounts, gifts, giveaways or entries for reviews (incentives).
• Writing reviews for your own business, or asking staff or family to.
• Review gating: screening customers and only sending happy ones to Google.
• Asking for reviews to be removed in exchange for something.

Can you pay for Google reviews?

No. Paid or fake reviews break Google's policies. Google can remove them, show a warning on your profile, or restrict your ability to get new reviews.

Google review incentives

Even small rewards, like a $5 coupon or a raffle entry, count as incentives. A thank-you after someone reviews is still an incentive if it was promised in advance. Just ask, and thank them either way.

What can happen if you break the rules

• Reviews removed.
• A warning shown on your profile.
• New reviews blocked for a while.
• In some places, regulators also fine fake-review practices.

What Google allows

• Asking every customer for an honest review.
• Sending your review link by text, email, card or QR code.
• Following up once or twice with a polite reminder.
• Replying publicly to every review.

Common policy mistakes small businesses make

• Running a 'review us and get 10% off' promotion.
• Setting up a tablet in the store and having customers review on it.
• Asking family and staff to leave reviews.
• Only sending the Google link to customers who rated you highly first.
• Buying reviews or using review exchange groups.

What happens if you break the rules

Google may remove reviews, stop new reviews from showing, or place a warning on your profile telling customers that fake reviews were removed. In the US, the FTC also has rules against fake reviews and paying for positive ones. The short-term bump is never worth the risk.

Staying safe with an automated system

Automation is fine, as long as everyone gets the same request and the same Google link. Check that any tool you use doesn't filter customers by rating before sending them to Google, and that texting includes consent and opt-out.

Rules that catch businesses by surprise

• Asking staff, friends or family to leave reviews. Even honest ones are against the rules if they have a conflict of interest.
• Offering a discount, gift, free service or raffle entry in exchange for a review, even if you don't ask for five stars.
• Setting up a review station or tablet in your shop where many reviews come from the same device and place.
• Paying a company to write or post reviews.
• Filtering customers first and only sending happy ones to Google (review gating).
• Asking a customer to remove or change a review in return for a refund.

How the rules apply in different businesses

Restaurants often get offered "free dessert for a review" ideas. Don't. Ask every guest instead, with a QR code on the receipt or a text after an online order.

Salons and spas sometimes run review contests. A contest for reviews counts as an incentive, so skip it. A simple, personal text after each visit works without breaking any rule.

Home services like plumbing, HVAC and roofing sometimes have technicians ask customers to review on the tech's own phone before leaving. Reviews should be written on the customer's own device, in their own time.

Real estate agents should be careful with closing gifts: a gift is fine, but not one that's tied to leaving a review.

The US rule on fake reviews

In addition to Google's own policy, the US Federal Trade Commission has a rule banning fake reviews and testimonials, including buying reviews and hiding negative ones. The safe approach is the same as Google's: ask every real customer for an honest review, with no strings attached.

What is allowed

• Asking every customer for an honest review.
• Sending a direct link to your review form by text, email or QR code.
• Sending one polite reminder.
• Replying to every review, good or bad.
• Reporting reviews that break the rules.

What happens if you break the rules

Google can remove reviews that break its policy, sometimes many at once. In more serious cases it can show a warning on your profile telling customers that suspicious reviews were removed, or limit new reviews for a period. Building back trust after that takes much longer than collecting reviews the honest way in the first place.

If you've used incentives or gating in the past, stop now, switch to asking every customer the same way, and let honest reviews build up from there.

A quick self-check

• Does every customer get the same request and link?
• Is anything offered in return for a review?
• Are reviews written by customers on their own devices?
• Do staff or family members review the business?
• Do you ever ask anyone to change or remove a review?

Training your team

Make sure everyone who talks to customers knows the basics: ask everyone, offer nothing in return, never review the business themselves. A two-minute talk at a team meeting prevents most problems.

How we stay inside the rules

Ask & Get Reviews sends every customer the same Google link, with no rewards and no filtering. That's the only kind of review collection we do.