Guide for contractors

Google Review Rules

Google lets you ask customers for reviews as long as the review is genuine, nothing is offered in return, and you don’t try to steer the rating or what they write. Asking only happy customers, offering a discount, pushing for a review on the spot or scripting the text: all off limits.

Here are the rules one by one, each tied to Google’s own wording, then what the FTC’s rule on consumer reviews adds.

Updated October 2, 2026

What Google prohibits

Every rule below comes from Google’s prohibited and restricted content policy, under “Fake & Misleading Content & Behavior.”

Review gating. Google doesn’t allow merchants to “discourage or prohibit negative reviews, or selectively solicit positive reviews from customers.” Sending the Google link only to customers who answered “happy” to a first question, and routing everyone else to a private form, is exactly that. Some tools sell it as a feature; Google’s policy prohibits it.
Incentives. No “payment, discounts, free goods and/or services” in exchange for posting any review, or for revising or removing a negative one. That holds even if the review is honest.
On-the-spot pressure. Merchants “should not require or pressure users to leave ratings or write reviews while on the premises.” Handing over a card is fine; waiting at the door until they finish typing is not.
Content requests. Don’t ask customers to include specific content, including a team member’s name. No pre-written review for them to paste.
Quotas for your crew. Google gives the example of merchants requesting that staff solicit a certain number of reviews.
Fake reviews and review swaps. Content not based on a real experience, paid reviews, reviews posted from multiple accounts, and reviews based on a conflict of interest. Two contractors who trade reviews without ever hiring each other fall right into this.

What’s allowed, in Google’s words: soliciting or encouraging reviews that represent a genuine experience, “without offering incentives to do so or attempting to influence the rating or the contents of the review.”

What it costs your profile

Reviews that break the rules get removed. On top of that, Google can restrict a profile that violates its fake engagement policy (Google’s help): no new reviews for a set period, existing reviews unpublished for a set period, or a warning telling customers that fake reviews were removed. Google notifies you by email, and you can appeal.

What the FTC rule adds

The FTC’s Rule on the Use of Consumer Reviews and Testimonials (16 CFR Part 465) took effect on October 21, 2024 (FTC Q&A). The parts that matter most for a contractor (rule text):

Fake reviews (§ 465.2). A business can’t write, create or sell a fake consumer review, or buy one it knew or should have known was fake.
Paying for a particular sentiment (§ 465.4). A business can’t offer compensation or incentives conditioned, expressly or by implication, on a review being positive (or negative). Note the difference: the FTC rule doesn’t ban every incentive, but Google does, so for Google reviews the stricter rule wins.
Insider reviews (§ 465.5). Officers and managers can’t post reviews of their own business without disclosing the relationship, and there are limits on asking employees and relatives for reviews.
Review suppression (§ 465.7). No unfounded legal threats, physical threats, intimidation, or knowingly false public accusations to stop a review or get one removed.

On review gating specifically, the FTC wrote that § 465.4 does not cover it, but that “review gating can nonetheless violate Section 5 of the FTC Act” (FTC final rule).

Penalties: the FTC can take knowing violators to federal court and seek civil penalties for each violation (FTC final rule). The maximum for that type of violation was raised to $53,088 per violation in the FTC’s January 2025 inflation adjustment (FTC). This page is a summary, not legal advice.

Why Own Your Ratings asks every customer the same way

Own Your Ratings has no star filter, no “were you happy?” question before the link, and no private form for unhappy customers. Every customer gets the same message with the direct link to your Google review box, sent from your own phone: you tap Send.

It’s not only about staying inside the rules. Google’s own tips for getting reviews say a mix of positive and negative feedback often feels more trustworthy. A profile with varied reviews and solid replies reads better than a wall of 5 stars. Compliant texts to copy: review request templates.

Frequently asked questions

Can I offer a discount for a Google review?

No, not even for an honest one. Google prohibits any incentive in exchange for a review (policy). The FTC rule is narrower, but Google’s policy applies to Google reviews.

Is review gating illegal?

Google’s policy prohibits it outright. The FTC says its review rule’s incentive section doesn’t cover gating, but that gating can still violate Section 5 of the FTC Act (FTC final rule).

Can I ask for a review in person at the end of the job?

Yes, it’s the best moment. What’s off limits is requiring or pressuring the customer to write it on the spot.

Can my techs ask for reviews?

Yes, as long as they ask every customer, offer nothing, and aren’t given review quotas. Google also asks that staff not request reviews that mention them by name.