Lead-gen playbook
How to get more Google reviews without breaking the rules
Ask every customer, the same way, soon after the job, with a direct link to your Google review form. Don't offer anything in return, don't ask only the happy ones, and never write or buy reviews. Google prohibits all three, and since October 2024 the FTC's rule makes fake reviews a federal violation with civil penalties.
Published · 7 min read · 6 sources · By the AOS Sites team
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The review playbook
7 steps, in order. The detail behind each one is below.
- Get your Google review linkCreate the short review link or QR code from your Business Profile, so customers land straight on the review form.
- Ask every customer, not just the happy onesSend the same ask to everyone you serve. No "were you happy?" screen that sends only fans to Google.
- Ask soon after the job, with one reminder at mostAsk the day the job is done, while it's fresh. One gentle reminder a few days later, then stop.
- Offer nothing in returnNo discounts, gift cards, entries in a drawing or free services for a review. Google treats any of these as fake engagement.
- Never write, buy or swap reviewsNo reviews from you, your staff, your family or a review seller, and no review trades with other businesses.
- Reply to every review within a few daysThank people by name for something specific; answer criticism calmly and offer to sort it out by phone or email.
- Flag reviews that break the rulesIf a review is fake or breaks Google's policies, report it through your profile. Never threaten the reviewer.
Why do reviews matter so much for a local business?
They're what strangers trust. In BrightLocal's 2026 survey of 1,002 US consumers, 97% said they read reviews for local businesses, 85% said positive reviews make them more likely to use a business, and 77% said negative ones make them less likely.[1]
Recency and volume count too. The same survey found 74% of consumers care only about reviews from the last three months and 47% won't use a business with fewer than 20 reviews. A wall of five-star reviews from 2021 doesn't help much in 2026.[1]
Google weighs them as well: its help center says more reviews and positive ratings can help your local ranking. That's the reason the rules below matter. Because reviews are valuable, Google and the FTC police how businesses get them.[2]
What does Google prohibit when you ask for reviews?
Google's rules for reviews on Maps and Business Profiles start from one idea: reviews must reflect a genuine experience. Its policy on fake engagement then lists specific things businesses must not do.[3][4]
| Allowed | Not allowed |
|---|---|
| Asking every customer for an honest review | Not allowed: Asking only customers you expect to be happy (review gating) |
| Sending a direct review link or QR code | Not allowed: Discouraging or prohibiting negative reviews |
| Reminding customers once | Not allowed: Offering payment, discounts, free goods or services for a review |
| Replying to every review | Not allowed: Offering anything to change or remove a negative review |
| Asking staff to mention reviews to customers | Not allowed: Setting staff quotas or asking for specific content |
Google's own help page is blunt: offering incentives, like free or discounted goods or services, in exchange for customers posting, changing or removing reviews is considered fake and misleading content and is strictly prohibited.[4]
What does the FTC's fake review rule ban?
On August 14, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission announced a final rule banning fake reviews and testimonials; it took effect on October 21, 2024. The rule lets the FTC seek civil penalties against people who knowingly break it.[5][6]
- Fake reviews: writing, selling or spreading reviews that misrepresent who wrote them (including AI-generated ones) or the reviewer's real experience.
- Conditioned incentives: paying or rewarding people for reviews that express a particular sentiment, positive or negative.
- Undisclosed insider reviews: reviews by your officers, managers, employees or agents without clearly disclosing the connection, and some solicitations of reviews from their relatives.
- Fake "independent" review sites you control.
- Review suppression: unfounded legal threats, intimidation or false accusations to get negative reviews removed, and implying the reviews you show are all or most of those you got when you hid the bad ones.
- Fake social media indicators, like bought followers or views.
Sources: [5]
One nuance: the FTC's guidance says its rule doesn't ban incentives that aren't tied to a particular sentiment. Google's policy still prohibits any incentive for a review on Google, so for your Google profile the answer stays no.[6][4]
How should you ask for a review?
Just ask, and make it easy. BrightLocal found 78% of consumers were asked to leave feedback for a business in the past year, and 83% of people asked went on to leave a review. Asking is the whole strategy; the rest is doing it every time.[1]
- Ask the day the job is done, in person if you can, and follow with a message that has the link.
- Use the short review link or QR code Google gives you, so the review form opens directly.
- Keep the message to two sentences: thank them, ask for an honest review, include the link.
- Send one reminder a few days later if they haven't left one, and then stop.
Sources: [4]
Email is the simple default. If you'd rather text, make sure the customer agreed to receive texts from you first; the missed-call text-back playbook explains the texting rules.
How should you reply to reviews?
Reply to all of them, and soon. In BrightLocal's survey, 89% of consumers expect a response, 19% expect it the same day, and 81% within a week. Generic, templated replies put off 50% of consumers, so write each one yourself.[1]
- Use the reviewer's name and mention something specific they said.
- Keep it conversational, not promotional: Google advises against using replies to push deals.
- Never share a reviewer's private information or make it personal.
- For complex complaints, invite them to call or email so you can sort it out privately.
Sources: [4]
A calm, helpful reply to a bad review is often read by more future customers than the review itself. Google notes that constructive replies can show you care and may even encourage the customer to update their review.[4]
What should you do about a bad or fake review?
If it's a real customer, reply calmly, own what went wrong, and offer to fix it. You may ask them to update their review after you've made it right; you may not offer them anything to change or remove it.[3][4]
If it breaks Google's policies (it's fake, from someone who was never a customer, or contains abuse), report it through your Business Profile. Google's help center says you can flag reviews you believe violate its content policies.[4]
Don't threaten. The FTC's rule specifically bans using unfounded legal threats, intimidation or false accusations to get negative reviews removed.[5]
Can you automate review requests and stay within the rules?
Yes, if the automation asks everyone the same way. The risk with tools is the features that break the rules: happiness filters that route only fans to Google, or reward offers. Check any tool you use for those before you switch it on.
AOS Sites' review requests (part of Growth and Pro) were built around these rules: every customer gets the same short ask with your Google review link by email, and one reminder three days later only if they haven't opened it, written back or left a review. Never more than two messages, no "were you happy?" filter and nothing offered in return. Requests go out when you mark a lead Won, or when you tap. See how review requests work.