Google Business Profile
Can you ask customers for Google reviews, and what's against the rules?
Short answer
Yes. You can ask customers for an honest Google review by link, QR code, text or email. What Google doesn't allow is asking only the customers you expect to be happy, or trying to influence the review with a reward, pressure or suggested wording. Australian consumer law adds its own expectations. The ACCC describes conditions for offering incentives, but meeting them doesn't guarantee a reward is lawful, and Google doesn't allow rewards for reviews at all.
Reviews are often the first thing people read before they decide who to call, and Google’s own help pages encourage businesses to ask for them. Problems usually start with how a business asks, or with what it does when a review it doesn’t like turns up. This article covers both: the rules for asking, and what to do with negative reviews and ones you suspect are fake.
Two sets of rules apply at once
Google’s content policy decides what can stay on Google Maps and what can happen to your Business Profile (Google, content policy). Australian consumer law, as the ACCC explains it, is about whether the way reviews are gathered or shown could mislead the people reading them (ACCC, Managing online reviews). A review on Google has to sit comfortably under both.
| What you might do | Google’s policy | ACCC guidance |
|---|---|---|
| Ask customers for a review | Allowed, by review link or QR code | Reviews should reflect the genuine opinion of the person who used the service |
| Ask only the customers you expect to be happy | Not allowed | Not addressed directly |
| Offer a reward for a review | Not allowed, in any form | Conditions apply (see Incentives below) |
| Suggest what to write, or which rating to give | Not allowed | Reviews should reflect the reviewer’s own opinion |
| Discourage, suppress or remove genuine negative reviews | Not allowed to discourage or prohibit them | May mislead consumers |
| Reviews from people with a stake in the business | Not allowed (conflict of interest) | May mislead if the connection isn’t stated |
Sources: Google, content policy, Google, Tips to get more reviews and ACCC. The sections below explain each row with examples.
How to ask
Google suggests sharing a review link or a QR code (Google, Tips to get more reviews). You’ll find both in your Business Profile under Read reviews, then Get more reviews. At the time of writing, the QR code can only be generated on a computer browser, not on a phone (Google, review link and QR code). Customers need to be signed in to a Google Account to leave a review, and the account doesn’t have to use a Gmail address (Google, Tips to get more reviews).
Google doesn’t tell you who to ask or when. What it rules out is selecting only the customers you expect to be positive, discouraging negative reviews, pressuring people, and asking for specific content (Google, content policy). Within those limits, here is what we suggest. These are our recommendations, not Google rules.
- Use one consistent process for every customer whose job is finished, so nobody is left out because of how you think they’ll rate you.
- Ask once the customer has seen the finished work, not halfway through.
- Send one request, and if you follow up, keep it to one polite reminder.
- Leave the link with the customer rather than waiting while they write. Google says businesses shouldn’t pressure people to leave reviews “while on the premises” (Google, content policy), and for a trade business the closest equivalent is standing in someone’s kitchen while they type.
These are fictional examples we wrote for this article, not wording from Google.
Example: a text after the job (fictional) Hi Sam, thanks for having us out today. If you’ve got a minute, we’d really appreciate an honest Google review. Good or bad, it helps the next person decide. Here’s the link: [review link]. Thanks, Dave
Example: an email with the invoice (fictional) Your invoice is attached. If you’d like to leave a Google review, there’s a link at the bottom of this email. We read every review, including the critical ones.
Example: handing over a card on site (fictional) “There’s a QR code on this card that goes straight to our Google reviews, if you feel like leaving one later. No pressure either way.”
Two requests that would break Google’s rules. Also fictional:
Not this: “Leave us a 5-star review and get $20 off your next service.”
Not this: “Happy with the job? Leave us a Google review. Not happy? Reply to this message and tell us instead.”
The first offers a reward and names a rating. The second steers only happy customers to Google.
Asking only the customers you expect to be happy
Filtering who receives the review link is often called “review gating”. Google doesn’t allow businesses to “selectively solicit positive reviews from customers” (Google, content policy).
It isn’t always as obvious as choosing names off a list. Here’s a set-up that looks reasonable but still filters. This is a fictional example.
A follow-up message asks customers to rate the job out of five. Anyone who picks four or five stars is thanked and given the Google review link. Anyone who picks three or fewer gets an apology and a private feedback form instead.
Only the satisfied customers are pointed to Google, so the reviews that reach Google have been filtered.
The fix we suggest is to give every customer the same request with the same link. Our reading of the policy is that also offering a private way to contact you is fine, as long as every customer gets it and it never takes the place of the review link.
Incentives
This is where Google and Australian law part ways.
The ACCC’s guidance. The ACCC says businesses that offer incentives for positive reviews risk misleading consumers and breaching the law. It says incentives offered to customers to provide reviews must be applied whether the review is positive or negative, and clearly disclosed so readers know the review was incentivised (ACCC). Those are conditions the ACCC sets out, not a guarantee that a particular reward is lawful. The ACCC gives general guidance rather than legal advice, and it notes that the context reviews appear in affects how people read them. If you’re considering a reward linked to reviews on your own website or another platform, get legal advice first.
Google’s policy. Google doesn’t allow businesses to offer incentives, “such as payment, discounts, free goods and/or services”, in exchange for posting a review, changing one or removing a negative one (Google, content policy). Its definition of an incentivised review covers “any other benefit offered to the reviewer” (Google, glossary). There’s no exception for rewards that are disclosed or offered to everyone. For reviews on Google, meeting the ACCC’s conditions doesn’t make a reward acceptable.
Some rewards to customers are obvious and some aren’t. All of these are fictional scenarios.
- A discount. “10% off your next service when you leave a Google review.” Not allowed on Google, even if it applies to every review, good or bad.
- A prize draw. “Everyone who leaves a review this month goes into the draw for a $100 voucher.” Our reading is that a chance to win is still a benefit offered for the review.
- A refund in exchange for silence. Offering money back if the customer won’t post a negative review, or will take one down. Google’s policy covers rewards for removing negative reviews and doesn’t allow businesses to discourage them (Google, content policy). The ACCC says suppressing or removing genuine negative reviews may mislead consumers (ACCC). If a customer has a fair complaint and you want to put it right, fix the problem without conditions on their review.
Review targets for staff
This rule is separate from incentives. It covers what you ask your own staff to do, not what you offer the reviewer. Google doesn’t allow businesses to ask employees to collect “a certain number of reviews”, or reviews with specific content, “including content that identifies a staff member” (Google, content policy). A fictional example of what this rules out:
“Every tech needs five Google reviews a month, and make sure customers mention you by name.”
It’s fine for staff to hand over the review card or send the link as part of the normal job wrap-up. Our view is that a bonus for each review collected works like a quota and pushes staff to lean on customers, so we’d avoid it, even though Google’s wording doesn’t mention staff bonuses specifically.
Reviews from people with a stake in the business
Google doesn’t allow reviews based on a conflict of interest. Its examples include current or former employment, “a contractual or consultory relationship”, and professional or personal affiliations such as industry competitors and family (Google, content policy).
That doesn’t mean having a contract with you disqualifies a reviewer. Customers usually have a contract with the business too, and they’re exactly the people Google wants reviews from. Our reading is that the conflict lies in a relationship that gives someone a reason to favour or harm the business beyond their experience as a customer. Some examples:
- an employee, or a former employee;
- a family member or business partner;
- a subcontractor, supplier or consultant reviewing the business they work with;
- a competitor reviewing a rival.
The ACCC makes a similar point from the consumer-law side: reviews by family, employees or people paid by the business can mislead when the connection isn’t stated (ACCC).
When a genuine negative review comes in
Google says not to report a review just because you disagree with it or dislike it, and that negative reviews “aren’t always a sign of poor service” (Google, reporting reviews). What you can do is reply. Google’s advice is to be professional and polite, keep it short, apologise where it’s appropriate, never share the reviewer’s private information, avoid personal attacks and not use the reply to offer deals. If the situation is complicated, ask the reviewer to contact you by phone or email (Google, Tips to get more reviews).
Example: reply to a fair complaint (fictional) Hi Karen, thanks for letting us know. You’re right that we arrived after the time we gave you, and I’m sorry about that. I’d like to talk the rest through with you directly. You can reach me at [business email], or I can call you if you prefer. Dave, owner
Things that tend to make matters worse, and in some cases break the rules above:
- arguing the details in public;
- mentioning anything personal about the customer or the job site;
- offering a discount or refund in the reply;
- asking the customer to remove or change the review in exchange for anything;
- threatening the customer.
When you think a review is fake
The ACCC lists signs that a review may be fake (ACCC). Some of them, such as many reviews written from the same email or IP address, rely on data the review platform holds. The signs below are ones you can check on the public listing:
- a sudden run of very positive or very negative reviews over a short period;
- the reviewer’s public profile, including their other reviews if they’re visible;
- reviews that are generic, with nothing specific about the job;
- similar names or very similar wording across several reviews;
- details that don’t fit your business, such as a service you don’t offer or an area you don’t cover.
None of these proves a review is fake on its own, and neither does being unable to match a review to a job. A customer might use a nickname on Google, someone else in the household might have booked the work, or the job might be recorded under a company name. Treat each sign as a reason to look further. The ACCC also says a business needs an adequate basis to conclude a review is likely to be fake before acting on that belief (ACCC).
If you believe a review breaks Google’s policies, report it from your Business Profile under Read reviews, or through Google’s Reviews Management Tool (Google, reporting reviews). Google says only reviews that break its policies are eligible for removal, evaluation typically takes several days, and if a reported review isn’t removed you can submit a one-time appeal. Google makes the final decision, so a review you’re confident is false may stay up.
You can also reply publicly, as long as the reply doesn’t accuse anyone or reveal personal information.
Example: reply when you can’t identify the job (fictional) Hi Jordan, thanks for taking the time to write this. We’d like to look into it, but we haven’t been able to match it to a job yet. Could you get in touch at [business email] with a few details so we can find it? Mel, [business name]
If the matter goes beyond what Google will handle, such as a review you believe is defamatory, talk to a lawyer. The ACCC accepts reports about fake or misleading reviews, but it doesn’t resolve individual disputes or give legal advice (ACCC).
What can happen if the rules are broken
For breaches of its fake engagement policy, Google says it may stop a Business Profile from receiving new reviews for a set period, unpublish its existing reviews for a set period, or show a warning telling people that fake reviews were removed. Businesses can appeal (Google, profile restrictions).
Under Australian law, the ACCC can investigate when a business misleads people about online reviews and may take compliance or enforcement action (ACCC). Two of the cases it describes will feel familiar to trade businesses. A removalist admitted publishing testimonials as genuine when they had been copied from another site and changed. An online platform where customers seek quotes for jobs, including building work, let businesses draft their own reviews, which were published automatically if the customer didn’t respond within three days. The Federal Court ordered that platform to pay penalties.
A quick checklist
- Google’s rules: no reward to a customer for posting, changing or removing a review, including discounts, prize draws and refunds.
- Google’s rules: don’t ask staff to collect a set number of reviews, or reviews with specific content such as their own name.
- Google’s rules: don’t ask only the customers you expect to be happy, and don’t steer anyone towards a rating or wording.
- Google’s rules: no reviews based on a conflict of interest, such as from employees, family or competitors.
- Our suggestion: one consistent request process for every finished job, with at most one reminder.
- Our suggestion: reply to negative reviews calmly, without personal details or offers, and take the detail offline.
- Google’s guidance: report a review only when you believe it breaks Google’s policies, not because you dislike it.
If you’d like help with how your profile handles reviews, our Google Business Profile page explains how we approach it.
About this article
This is a plain-English summary of Google’s published review policies and the ACCC’s guidance on online reviews, as checked on the dates listed under Sources. Google changes its policies from time to time, so check the current versions before acting on them. This article is not legal advice, and LC Performance Marketing is a marketing agency, not a legal adviser.
Sources
The sources this article relies on, and the day each was last checked.
- Prohibited & restricted content (Fake engagement, Rating manipulation) — Google Maps User Generated Content Policy Help. Checked .
- Incentivized or Biased Reviews (glossary) — Google Maps User Contributed Content Policy Help. Checked .
- Tips to get more reviews — Google Business Profile Help. Checked .
- Create a Google link or QR code to request reviews — Google Business Profile Help. Checked .
- Report inappropriate reviews on your Business Profile — Google Business Profile Help. Checked .
- Business Profile restrictions for policy violations — Google Business Profile Help. Checked .
- Managing online reviews — Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). Checked .
About the author
Alfred Jr. · LC Performance Marketing
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