Some of the most repeated advice on how to get more Google reviews for a local business breaks Google’s own rules. Ask only your happy customers. Offer a small discount for a review. Ask people to mention your name. Some widely read guides still recommend versions of them.
That matters because reviews carry real weight. BrightLocal’s local ranking factors guide, updated September 2026, calls reviews the second most important factor for Local Pack and AI ranking. That’s BrightLocal’s reading, not Google’s, but it’s a useful one.
So this guide works the other way round. Seven steps: what Google actually bans, your review link, the script, the system, a check on your software, replies and reporting.
It’s written for UK trades and clinics. Think a roofer in Warrington, a dental practice in Widnes or a pest control firm covering Liverpool.
Step 1: Learn What Google Actually Bans (It’s More Than Fake Reviews)
Most people get this rule wrong. Google bans rewards for any review, not just good ones.
Google’s Maps policy says merchants must not offer incentives “such as payment, discounts, free of cost goods and/or services” in exchange for “posting any review or revision or removal of a negative review”. So a prize draw for everyone who reviews, good or bad, still breaks it. Google’s “Tips to get more reviews” page puts this ban in an “Important” box at the top.
You also must not:
- Discourage negative reviews, or selectively solicit positive ones. This is review gating: choosing who to ask based on whether they seem happy.
- Require or pressure customers to review you while they’re on your premises.
- Ask for specific content, such as keywords or a staff member’s name, or set staff a target number of reviews.
What Google can do. A profile caught for fake engagement can be blocked from new reviews, have existing ones unpublished for a set period and show a public warning. Google emails first, and you can appeal. BrightLocal warns Google may remove all your reviews.
What UK law says. Since April 2025, fake reviews and undisclosed incentivised reviews have been banned practices under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (DMCC Act). The CMA can fine up to 10% of global turnover. In March 2026 it opened investigations into five businesses, including Pasta Evangelists over alleged undisclosed discounts for 5-star reviews. The CMA hasn’t reached any conclusions.
“Selectively solicit” is vague, and Phil Rozek (quoted by ReviewTrackers) sets out readings from lenient to strict. This guide takes the strict one: ask everyone, the same way.
Milestone: if a tactic depends on who’s happy, or gives the customer something for posting, drop it.
Step 2: Get Your Direct Google Review Link and QR Code
This takes about a minute, and every later step uses it.
You’ll need a claimed, verified Business Profile first. If you’re not there yet, start with setting up and managing your Google Business Profile.
Then, following Google’s own instructions:
- Go to your Business Profile.
- Select Read reviews, then Get more reviews.
- Copy the link, or right-click the QR code and choose Save image as…
One catch. Google says review QR codes can currently only be generated in a computer browser, not on a phone. Do this at a desk. Once saved, the code scans fine on any phone.
Why bother with a direct link? Because “search for us on Google” asks a lot. The customer has to open Google, find you, find the reviews tab, maybe sign in, then tap the stars. Every extra tap is another chance to get distracted and give up. A direct link drops them straight onto the review box.
Milestone: save the link somewhere your whole team can reach it, like a shared note or your job management software. You’ll use it in every step that follows.
Step 3: Write One Review Request and Use It With Every Customer
Most accidental review gating happens in one friendly sentence at the door.
BrightLocal gives this example from a hotel reception. “Have you enjoyed your stay?” “Yes, it’s been lovely.” “Then we’d really appreciate a Google review.” BrightLocal’s Jamie Banks points out that the problem is the word “then”. The ask now depends on a positive answer. Nobody meant to gate anything, but that’s what happened.
The fix is one fixed script, written down and used with every customer:
- Ask everyone. The ask doesn’t depend on how the job went.
- Don’t pre-qualify. Skip “Were you happy with everything?” right before the ask.
- Don’t request content. No keywords, service names or staff names. “Please mention Dave and the boiler service” is out.
- Don’t pressure anyone to review on the spot.
- Ask for honest feedback on Google, not “a 5-star review”. It keeps the ask neutral.
Two examples we’ve written for you to adapt:
Spoken, at the end of a job or appointment: “We ask everyone we work for to leave an honest review on Google. I’ll send you the link. No pressure either way.”
Written, by SMS, WhatsApp or email: “Thanks for choosing us. We ask everyone we work for to leave an honest review on Google. It helps other people in Runcorn decide. Here’s the link: [link]”
Best for: any business where more than one person talks to customers. If you work alone: write it down anyway, so the ask sounds the same on a bad day as on a good one.
Step 4: Build the Ask Into the Job, Not Into Your Memory
Most businesses don’t lack happy customers. They lack a system for asking.
Ask when you remember and you’ll ask rarely, mostly after the jobs that went well. That drifts back towards gating. Home service business owner Steve Hunsaker says one of the most common Business Profile mistakes is setting it up once, getting a few reviews and forgetting about it.
Google suggests receipts, thank-you emails, the end of a chat, in-store print, email, WhatsApp and Facebook posts. For a UK business, that looks like:
- Trades (roofer, plumber, pest control): the link on the final invoice, plus a WhatsApp or text the day the job is signed off.
- Clinics and dental practices: a QR card at reception and the link in the post-appointment email.
- Solicitors: the link in the letter or email that closes the matter.
The rule that stops this becoming gating: the trigger is a job stage, not a mood. Invoice sent, job complete, appointment finished. Everyone who reaches that stage gets the request.
Ask soon after the work is done, while it’s fresh. Be wary of advice to ask at the customer’s “emotional peak”. A trigger based on how pleased someone seems is a short step from asking only the pleased ones.
Milestone: an automatic message at invoice stage runs on every job. “We’ll ask when we remember” depends on how busy you were that day. That gap is usually where the missing reviews are.
Step 5: Check Your Review Software Isn’t Gating Reviews for You
The riskiest part of your review process might be a setting you’ve never looked at.
Some review tools and templates work like this. A satisfaction survey or star-rating screen goes out first. High scores get sent to Google. Low scores get a private “tell us what went wrong” form. That’s selective solicitation. BrightLocal’s advice is plain: don’t pre-screen with a private survey that only sends happy customers to the public link.
Gating controls which feedback becomes public. Generation makes reviewing easier for everyone.
Watch for the incentive myth too. At least one widely read guide says rewards are fine if they’re given for completing feedback, whatever the rating. Put that next to Google’s wording, which bans incentives for posting “any review”, and it doesn’t appear to hold up.
Run this audit on any tool or template:
- Does every customer get the Google link, whatever score they give?
- Is there a routing rule, such as “4 stars or above sees the Google link”?
- Do templates ask for stars, keywords or staff names?
- Is any reward attached to leaving a review, including prize draws?
- Are staff given review targets? Google bans setting them a number.
A private feedback form alongside the public link is fine. Swapping the link out for some customers isn’t.
Milestone: if the vendor can’t show you that every customer gets the public link, don’t use the tool, however many reviews it promises.
Step 6: Reply to Every Review, the Good and the Bad
A good reply takes two minutes, and it’s written as much for the next person reading your profile as for the reviewer.
Google’s tips page says to value and reply to reviews, positive and negative. BrightLocal’s ranking factors guide adds that search engines can look at whether and how a business responds when judging prominence. We cover the AI search side in how reviews affect AI search. Don’t expect replies alone to move rankings, though.
Google’s guidance, boiled down:
- Keep replies short, polite and specific to the review.
- Don’t turn replies into sales pitches.
- On negative reviews, protect the customer’s privacy. For clinics and dentists, that means never confirming what treatment someone had. Look into the complaint, acknowledge what’s fair, admit mistakes where you made them and reply promptly.
Turn on review notifications so new ones don’t sit unanswered.
Two examples we’ve written to show the idea:
Positive: “Thanks, Sarah. Glad the new guttering held up in last week’s rain. Give us a shout if anything needs looking at.”
Negative, dental practice: “We’re sorry to read this. We can’t discuss anyone’s care here, but we’d like to understand what happened. Please call the practice and ask for the practice manager.”
Milestone: if you’re behind, start with the last month of negative reviews and work forwards. Don’t try to clear the backlog in one evening.
Step 7: Report Reviews That Break Google’s Rules
A one-star review from someone who was never your customer, sitting at the top of your profile. You don’t have to just live with it.
Know the boundary first. Google removes reviews that break its policy, such as spam or profanity. It doesn’t remove honest negative reviews, so reporting genuine criticism wastes your time.
To report a review, per Google’s help page:
- Go to your Business Profile and select Read reviews.
- Next to the review, select Report and choose a reason, such as “Spam” or “Profanity”.
- Select Send report. Google says evaluation typically takes several days.
- For several reviews, or to track progress, use Google’s Reviews Management Tool and choose Report a new review for removal.
- If the answer is “Report reviewed – no policy violation”, you get a one-time appeal covering up to 10 reviews.
The tool shows three statuses: “Decision pending”, “Report reviewed – no policy violation” and “Escalated – check your email for updates”. Google also says its automated spam detection can remove genuine reviews by mistake. If that happens to yours, contact support.
Milestone: reply publicly as well, whatever happens with the report.
That’s the full system: rules, link, script, routine, tool check, replies and reporting. Once it’s running, more Google reviews come in as a by-product of doing the work.
FAQ
Is review gating allowed on Google?
No. Google’s policy says merchants must not “discourage or prohibit negative reviews, or selectively solicit positive reviews from customers”. Asking only happy customers, or routing low scores away from your Google link, counts. Profiles caught for fake engagement can be blocked from new reviews and have existing ones unpublished.
Can I offer a discount or prize draw for leaving any review, good or bad?
No. Google bans incentives in exchange for “posting any review”, so it makes no difference whether the reward depends on the rating. In the UK, undisclosed incentivised reviews are also a banned practice under the DMCC Act 2024.
Is buying or faking Google reviews illegal in the UK?
Yes. Since April 2025, fake reviews have been a banned practice under the DMCC Act 2024, and the CMA can fine up to 10% of global turnover. In March 2026 it opened investigations into five businesses over review practices, and says it hasn’t reached conclusions on any of them.
Can I ask customers to mention my staff or my services in their review?
No. Google bans merchants from asking for reviews that include specific content, including content that names a staff member. Ask for honest feedback and let customers write what they want.
Can I make a Google review QR code on my phone?
Not at the moment. Google says review QR codes can only be generated in a computer browser. Once you’ve saved the image, the code works on any phone.
If you’d rather have someone set this up properly across your profile and your job workflow, tell us what you do and where. You can see a real example of our work on our case studies page. We’ll give you a straight answer on whether we can help, and if we can’t, we’ll say so.