True Trade Guide

Guide

Asking Customers for Reviews: What the FTC Rule and Google Allow

Updated By Rolando and Esmeralda Cornejo, True Trade Guide

The short answer

You can ask every customer for an honest review, but don’t offer anything in return, don’t ask only the happy ones, and don’t have employees or family post reviews. The FTC’s rule on consumer reviews bans fake reviews and paying for reviews that say something positive or negative, and Google’s own policy goes further by banning incentives for any review.

At a front door, a customer holds a phone showing a star rating screen while a landscaper in work gloves gestures, with a hedge and a yellow wheelbarrow behind
Illustrative image.

What is fine

Asking real customers for an honest review is allowed. Google’s policy says businesses may solicit reviews from customers as long as they don’t offer incentives or pick and choose who to ask. A simple, polite request after the job, by text or email with a link to your profile, works for both rules.

The FTC rule (16 CFR Part 465)

The Federal Trade Commission’s Trade Regulation Rule on the Use of Consumer Reviews and Testimonials was published in the Federal Register on August 22, 2024 (89 FR 68077). In plain terms, it covers:

Section What it bans, in plain English
§ 465.2 Fake reviews and testimonials, such as reviews by people who don’t exist or who never used your service, and buying or getting them knowing they’re fake.
§ 465.4 Giving something of value for a review when it’s conditioned on the review saying something positive (or negative about a competitor).
§ 465.5 Reviews by owners, officers or managers, and some reviews from employees or relatives, without clear disclosure of the connection.
§ 465.6 Presenting a review site you control as an independent one.
§ 465.7 Suppressing reviews, for example with unfounded legal threats or intimidation, or hiding negative reviews while implying you show them all.
§ 465.8 Buying or selling fake social media followers or views.

This is a summary. Read the rule text on eCFR for exact wording, and talk to an attorney about your own situation.

Google’s review policy is stricter

Google’s Maps user-contributed content policy doesn’t allow businesses to:

  • Offer or accept money, products, discounts or other incentives for reviews, even when the review isn’t required to be positive.
  • Selectively solicit positive reviews (for example, asking only customers who seemed happy, sometimes called “review gating”).
  • Pressure customers to write reviews on the spot, at your place of business or on your device.
  • Set review quotas for staff, or have owners or employees review their own business or a competitor (a conflict of interest).

The difference that trips people up. The FTC rule targets incentives tied to a positive or negative review. Google bans incentives for any review on Google. A “$10 off your next service for a review” offer can break Google’s policy even when you say any review is fine.

A simple way to ask

  • Ask every customer after the job, the same way each time.
  • Send your profile’s review link by text or email so they can review on their own time and device.
  • Keep the message short: thank them, ask for an honest review, and include the link. Offer nothing in return.
  • Don’t ask employees, relatives or friends to post reviews of your business.

When you get a bad review

  • Reply politely and briefly, without customer private details, and offer to talk offline.
  • Don’t threaten legal action over an honest review. The FTC rule addresses review suppression through unfounded legal threats and intimidation.
  • If a review breaks Google’s policy (for example, it’s fake or off-topic), you can report it to Google for review.

Reviews also feed into how Google judges prominence in local results. See our Google Business Profile guide.

Frequently asked questions

Can I offer a discount for a Google review?

Not under Google’s policy. Google’s Maps content policy doesn’t allow incentives such as money, products or discounts for reviews, even if the review doesn’t have to be positive.

Is it legal to ask customers for reviews?

Yes. Asking real customers for honest reviews is fine. The FTC rule targets fake reviews, reviews bought on the condition of a certain sentiment, undisclosed insider reviews and review suppression. Google says to ask without incentives and without picking only happy customers.

Can my employees review my business?

Google’s policy treats that as a conflict of interest, and the FTC rule restricts undisclosed reviews by owners, managers and, in some cases, employees and relatives. Don’t do it.

Can I only ask customers who were happy?

Google’s policy says not to selectively solicit positive reviews. Ask every customer the same way.

Sources

General information only, not professional, tax or legal advice. Platform policies, tax rules, licensing rules and software prices change and can vary by state: check the official source, and talk to a tax professional or attorney about your own situation.