How to get more Google reviews without breaking the rules

Most happy customers will leave a review if you ask at the right moment and make it one tap. Most businesses do not ask, or ask once in a while when they remember. The fix is a habit, not a trick.

This guide covers when to ask, how to word it, what US law and Google's policy forbid, and how to answer the reviews you get. The rules matter more than they used to. Since 2024 the Federal Trade Commission can seek civil penalties against businesses that knowingly break its rule on fake and manipulated reviews.^[1]

Ask everyone, right after the visit

The best time to ask is while the experience is fresh. For a salon that is the same afternoon. For a plumber it is when the job is marked done. For a clinic it is after the appointment, once the patient is home.

Ask every customer, not only the ones you think were happy. This feels risky, but it is both the honest approach and the one the rules expect. Google's policy says businesses must not discourage negative reviews or selectively ask for positive ones.^[2]

A steady flow of requests also keeps your reviews recent. A profile with a review from last week reads very differently from one whose newest review is a year old.

Text or email, and what to say

Text works well for local services because people read it on the phone they will use to leave the review. Email suits customers who booked by email or who you mostly reach that way. One sensible pattern is a text first, then an email a few days later to anyone who did not respond.

Google lets you create a link or a QR code that opens the review form for your Business Profile directly.^[3] Use it. Every extra step between the message and the form loses people.

Keep the request short and personal. These are examples, not tested scripts.

• "Hi Sam, thanks for coming in today. If you have a minute, a Google review helps other people find us: [link]"
• "Thanks for choosing us for the boiler repair. How did we do? You can leave a review here: [link]"
• "We hope your visit went well. We read every review, good or bad, and it helps us improve: [link]"

Send it from your business name, include the customer's first name, and send it once with one reminder at most. Our review requests go out by text or email after each visit or job, the same message to every customer, and each text is paid from your wallet at published rates.

What the FTC rule bans

In August 2024 the Federal Trade Commission announced a final rule on consumer reviews and testimonials, approved by a 5 to 0 vote.^[1] In plain terms, a business must not do any of the following.

• Write, buy, or sell fake reviews. That includes reviews from people who never used the business and reviews written by AI.
• Pay for a particular sentiment. Offering a reward on the condition that the review is positive (or negative about a rival) is banned.
• Hide insider reviews. Reviews by owners, managers, or staff must clearly disclose the connection.
• Suppress bad reviews. Using threats, intimidation, or false accusations to get a negative review removed is banned.
• Buy fake social proof. Buying followers or views generated by bots is also covered.

The FTC's own questions and answers add two useful points. Asking customers in general to post about their experience is fine. And the rule itself does not ban asking only happy customers, but the FTC warns that the practice could still break the wider FTC Act.^[4] The safe course is to ask everyone.

Google is stricter than the FTC on rewards

The FTC rule allows an incentive as long as it does not depend on what the review says.^[4] Google does not. Its help page for businesses says that offering free or discounted goods or services in exchange for a review is fake and misleading content and is strictly prohibited.^[3]

So no discount codes for reviews, no prize draws for reviewers, and no free add-on at the next visit. Google's policy also says businesses should not require or pressure customers to leave a review while they are on the premises.^[2] Handing someone a tablet at the till and waiting while they type is the kind of thing that line is aimed at.

Staff reviews of their own workplace are a conflict of interest under Google's policy too.^[2] Ask your team not to review the business, and not to review competitors either.

Answer every review, especially the bad ones

Google encourages businesses to reply and suggests focusing on reviews where you can give a helpful update or answer a question.^[3] Future customers read the replies as much as the reviews.

1. Thank good reviews briefly. Mention the service by name where it fits. Do not paste the same line under every review.
2. Reply to bad reviews calmly and within a day or two. Acknowledge the problem, avoid arguing the details in public, and offer a way to talk it through offline.
3. Never share private details. Do not confirm that a reviewer was a patient or client, or mention what they bought. A clinic in particular should keep replies general.
4. Fix the cause. If three reviews mention waiting times, the reply is the small part of the job.

If replying to every review is the part that slips, an AI can draft a reply in your voice for you to check and post. Each AI reply is paid from your wallet.

Make it automatic this week

Here is a setup you can finish in an afternoon.

1. Create your Google review link in your Business Profile and test it on your own phone.
2. Write one short request for text and one for email, using the examples above as a start.
3. Set an automation to send the text when a visit is marked complete, and the email 3 days later if no review has come in.
4. Turn on alerts for new reviews so someone replies within a day or two.
5. Check after a month how many requests went out and how many reviews came in, and adjust the wording or the timing.

Businesses with many visits a week build up reviews fastest, because they ask more often. See how a salon and a home services business time their requests.

Want help setting up review requests? Book a walkthrough, or see the plans. On Grow and Scale our team sets it up for you.