Google review rules for local businesses

What's allowed

• Asking every customer for a review: by email, in person, on receipts or with a QR card on the counter.
• Sending a friendly reminder to customers who haven't reviewed yet.
• Replying publicly to any review, including negative ones, as long as you stay factual and polite.
• Reporting reviews that break Google's rules, such as ones about a different business.

1. Don't pick only happy customers

Google doesn't allow businesses to "selectively solicit positive reviews" or to discourage negative ones. This is often called review gating: asking customers how they feel first, then sending only the happy ones to Google and the unhappy ones to a private form.

The FTC's staff guidance says asking only customers you expect to be happy could also break US consumer-protection law. The safe approach is simple: give every customer the same link.

2. Don't offer anything in return

Google bans reviews that are paid for, "directly or in kind". That includes discounts, free items, gift cards, prize draws, or anything else in exchange for a review. It also includes paying a customer to change or remove a negative review.

The FTC's rule goes further on one point: an incentive that depends on the review being positive is banned outright, even if you disclose it. Because Google's policy bans rewards of any kind, the simplest rule is no rewards at all.

3. Don't pressure customers

Google also says businesses shouldn't:

• Require or pressure customers to leave a review while they're still at your business.
• Ask customers to mention particular things in their review.
• Give staff a target number of reviews to collect.

Put a card out or send an email, then let customers decide in their own time.

4. No fake, bought or insider reviews

Writing fake reviews, buying them, or selling them is banned by both Google and the FTC's rule. Reviews must come from a real experience.

Reviews from your staff, family, or anyone with a business connection to you count as a conflict of interest under Google's policy. The FTC's rule also requires such reviews to clearly disclose the relationship. Asking all your customers by email is fine, even if someone who happens to work for you replies.

5. Don't try to silence bad reviews

The FTC's rule bans using intimidation or groundless legal threats to stop or remove a review, and making false accusations about a reviewer. You can respond publicly, and a calm, helpful reply often does more for your reputation than the review itself.

What can happen if you break them

Google removes reviews that break its policy, and businesses that keep doing it risk restrictions on their profile. In the US, the FTC rule has been in force since October 21, 2024, and courts can impose civil penalties for knowing violations. The FTC's 2025 warning letters cited penalties of up to $53,088 per violation.