Short answer: yes. Asking your customers to leave an honest Google review is allowed, and Google itself encourages businesses to do it. It gives you a link and a button for exactly this purpose.
The trouble starts with how some businesses ask. There are two sets of rules to know: Google's own review policy, and in the US, the Federal Trade Commission's rule on consumer reviews. This article explains both in plain English. It's general information, not legal advice. If you're unsure about something specific, ask a lawyer.
What Google's review policy says
Google wants reviews to reflect real customers' genuine experiences. Its policy for business owners boils down to a few points:
- No incentives. Don't offer money, discounts, free items or prize entries in exchange for reviews.
- No selective asking. Don't ask only the customers you expect to be happy, and don't discourage negative reviews. This practice is known as review gating.
- No fake or conflict-of-interest reviews. Owners, staff and their families shouldn't review the business, and you shouldn't review competitors.
- No review stations. Don't set up a tablet in your store for customers to leave reviews on the spot.
Google can remove reviews that break these rules, and businesses that repeatedly break them can face restrictions on their profile.
What the FTC rule says
In 2024 the FTC finalized its rule on the use of consumer reviews and testimonials, which took effect in October 2024. It lets the FTC seek civil penalties against businesses that knowingly break it. The main things it bans:
- Fake reviews: reviews from people who don't exist or who never used the business, including ones written by AI.
- Buying reviews that depend on sentiment: offering something in return for a positive (or a negative) review.
- Undisclosed insider reviews: reviews by owners, managers or employees, or that they ask relatives to write, without making the connection clear.
- Review suppression: using threats, intimidation or false accusations to get reviews removed or stop people posting them.
- Fake "independent" review sites that are really run by the business.
The FTC's earlier guidance for businesses on asking for reviews also warns against review gating. Separately, the US Consumer Review Fairness Act makes it illegal to use contract terms that stop customers posting honest reviews.
A quick checklist
| Practice | OK? |
|---|---|
| Asking every customer for an honest review | Yes |
| Sending your Google review link by text or email after an order | Yes, with the customer's permission to message them |
| Putting a review QR code on receipts and takeout bags | Yes |
| Replying to reviews, good and bad | Yes, and recommended |
| "Leave a review and get 10% off" | No |
| Asking only customers who said they were happy | No (review gating) |
| Staff or family writing reviews | No |
| Buying reviews from any service | No |
| Pressuring a customer to delete a bad review | No |
A note on text messages
If you ask for reviews by text, the usual US rules on business texting apply: have the customer's permission to message them, identify your business, and honor opt-outs such as replying STOP. The same goes for email: include a way to unsubscribe. A good ordering system or messaging tool handles these for you.
The honest approach works better anyway
It's tempting to see these rules as obstacles. In practice, the compliant approach is also the effective one. Asking every customer, every time, at the right moment, with one tap to the review form, brings in far more reviews than a discount scheme or a handful of hand-picked fans ever would. And because they're genuine, people believe them.
That's how NEAPES Reviews works: every customer gets the same short request by text and email after their order, with no incentive and no filtering. For the practical steps, see how to get more Google reviews.
Frequently asked questions
Is it legal to ask customers for Google reviews?
Yes. Asking customers for honest reviews is allowed and Google encourages it. What's not allowed is offering incentives, asking only happy customers, or writing or buying fake reviews.
What is review gating?
Review gating means filtering customers first, for example asking how their visit was and sending only the happy ones to Google. Google's review policy doesn't allow it, and the FTC's guidance for businesses warns against it.
Can employees leave reviews for the business they work at?
They shouldn't. Google treats it as a conflict of interest, and the FTC rule bans undisclosed reviews by owners, managers and employees.
Can I text customers asking for a review?
Yes, if they've given you permission to message them. Identify your business in the text and honor opt-outs such as STOP.
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