Guide · Google reviews
How to get more Google reviews
Google’s own advice fits in three moves: ask every customer, make leaving a review take one tap, and answer what people write. Below are the menus, a message you can copy, the rules that get reviews removed and what to do with the bad ones.
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Step 1
Get your review link
Google gives every Business Profile a link your customers can use to leave a review. Open your Business Profile, select Read reviews and then Get more reviews. Select Copy, and the link is ready to share.
Customers need a Google Account to leave a review. They can create one with any email address, Gmail or not.
Step 2
Print the QR code
The same screen shows a QR code. Google only generates it in a computer browser: right-click the code and select Save image as.
Where Google suggests putting the link or the code
- On your receipts
- In thank-you emails
- At the end of a chat
- Printed in your store
- In a WhatsApp message, an email or a Facebook post
Source: Google Business Profile Help, “Create a Google link or QR code to request reviews”, read October 4, 2026.Read Google’s steps
Step 3
Ask every customer, the same way
Google lets you ask for reviews as long as you offer nothing in return and don’t try to steer the rating or the words. Two rules catch owners who mean well.
Ask everyone
Asking only the customers who seem happy is selective solicitation, and Google’s policy bans it.
Don’t press on the spot
Google’s policy says not to require or pressure customers to leave a review while they are still at your business.
The same goes for your team. Google bars asking staff to bring in a set number of reviews, or reviews that name an employee.
A message you can copy
Thanks for choosing us today. If you have a minute, tell others how it went: [your review link]
Gracias por elegirnos hoy. Si tienes un minuto, cuéntales a otros cómo te fue: [tu enlace de reseñas]
Every review answered, plus this link and QR code for your customers, is part of our monthly work on Google profiles.
Local SEOThe rules
What gets reviews removed, or your business fined
Google’s policy bans
- Reviews paid for, in money or in kind
- Discounts, free products or any other incentive for a review, or for changing or removing one
- Reviews from employees, former employees, family or anyone with a conflict of interest
- Several reviews posted by one person from different accounts
- Asking only the customers you expect to be happy
The FTC rule bans, since October 21, 2024
- Fake reviews, including reviews written by AI
- Paying for reviews that must say something positive or negative
- Reviews by owners or managers that hide the connection
- Threats or false accusations to get a review taken down
Each violation of the FTC rule can cost up to $53,088.00 in civil penalties.
If an SEO or reputation company does any of this for you, the FTC says you can be held responsible for what it does on your behalf.
Sources: Google Maps user contributed content policy; FTC, 16 CFR Part 465 and its announcement of August 14, 2024; 16 CFR 1.98; FTC, “Soliciting and Paying for Online Reviews”. Read October 4, 2026.Read the FTC rule
Replies
Answer every review
Only verified Business Profiles can reply. Open Read reviews and select Reply next to the review. Google checks each reply against its policies, usually within 10 minutes and sometimes up to 30 days, then lets the reviewer know you answered.
Reviewers can still edit their review after reading your reply.
What Google suggests for a reply
- Keep it short and answer what the person said
- Use their name and sign with your name or initials
- Leave offers out: the reviewer is already a customer
- With a bad review, keep the customer’s private details out of it
- Say what you can and can’t do, and apologize when it fits
- Offer to continue by phone or email
We add one tip of our own: reply in the language of the review.
Comments and direct messages on Facebook and Instagram get the same treatment in a service of their own.
Social media managementReports
When a review breaks the rules
You can report any review, but Google only removes the ones that break its policies. An honest bad review stays.
- Open your Business Profile and select Read reviews
- Next to the review, select Report
- Pick the reason, such as Spam or Profanity, and select Send report
Google takes several days to decide. The Reviews Management Tool shows the status, and you get one appeal if you disagree.
Don’t use reports to clear out honest negative reviews: the FTC lists that among the practices to avoid.
Timing
How long new reviews take to count
A new review can take a few days to appear while Google checks it against its policies. Your star score is the average of every published rating, and it can take up to 2 weeks to update after a new review.
Sources: Google Business Profile Help, “Manage customer reviews”, “Report inappropriate reviews”, “About missing or delayed reviews” and “Understand review scores”, read October 4, 2026.Read Google’s page
Questions
Quick answers about Google reviews
Can I offer a discount for a Google review?
No. Google bans incentives of any kind, such as payment, discounts or free products, in exchange for posting, changing or removing a review.
Can my employees review my business?
No. Google removes reviews based on a conflict of interest, and that includes current and former employees and family.
How do I remove a bad Google review?
Report it from Read reviews if it breaks Google’s policies. If it is an honest bad review, reply instead: explain what you can do and offer to continue by phone or email.
Why did a review disappear from my profile?
Google checks reviews against its policies, which can delay them a few days, and removes the ones that break them. Reviews removed for a policy violation are not restored.
Rather not do it yourself?
We answer the reviews for you
Our Starter plan answers every review on your Google Business Profile and gives you the link and QR code to ask all your customers, from $1,500.00 a month.
Marketing audit: $500.00, credited in full if you sign a plan within 30 days: against the setup or, if it has none, the first month. The 20-minute call is free.