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Google Reviews: How to Ask, Answer and Stay Within the Rules

Sep 27, 2026 | Local Search

Why Reviews Matter So Much Here

Google says it plainly: more reviews and positive ratings can help your local ranking. They also help people choose. A visitor planning a weekend in Lake Placid or Saranac Lake has never been to your shop, restaurant or inn, so what other people say about you carries a lot of weight.

The good news is that asking for reviews is allowed and encouraged. The catch is that there are now firm rules about how you ask, from both Google and the Federal Trade Commission.

How to Ask

Make it easy. In your Google Business Profile, open your reviews and choose "Get more reviews" to copy a direct link or download a QR code. The QR code is only available when you manage your profile from a computer, not from the phone app.

  • Add the link to your thank-you emails and receipts.
  • Print the QR code on a card at the register or in guest rooms.
  • Ask in person at the end of a good job: "If you have a minute, a review would really help us."

Ask everyone, not just the customers you think are happy.

What Google Does Not Allow

Google's policy for reviews on Maps prohibits businesses from:

  • Offering payment, discounts, free goods or services in exchange for reviews.
  • Discouraging negative reviews, or asking only happy customers for reviews. This is often called review gating.
  • Pressuring customers to leave a review while they are still at your business.
  • Asking for reviews that include specific content.
  • Reviewing your own business, having employees or family do it, or reviewing a competitor.

In April 2026 Google added two more: setting quotas for how many reviews staff must collect, and asking for reviews that mention a staff member by name.

When Google finds fake engagement, it can stop new reviews for a while, remove existing ones, and put a warning on your profile telling the public that fake reviews were removed. Google says it blocked or removed more than 292 million policy-breaking reviews in 2025.

The Federal Rule

Since October 21, 2024, a Federal Trade Commission rule has banned fake reviews and testimonials, including reviews written by AI or by people who never used the business, reviews bought to say something specific, undisclosed reviews by owners and employees, and using threats to suppress negative reviews. Courts can impose civil penalties for knowing violations, and each violation can cost more than $50,000.

Google's rules go further than the FTC's. The FTC rule allows some incentives if the review is not required to be positive, and it does not ban review gating outright. Google bans both. Follow Google's rules and you will be on the right side of both.

Answering Reviews

Reply to reviews, good and bad. Google recommends keeping replies short, polite and personal rather than pasting the same thank-you into every one.

For a negative review, acknowledge the problem, apologize if it is warranted, and offer to make it right offline. Never share private details about the customer. Remember that your reply is really written for the next hundred people who read it, and a calm, helpful answer often does more for you than the original complaint did against you.

Fake and Unfair Reviews

If a review breaks Google's rules, such as spam, a review from someone who was never a customer, or offensive content, you can report it from your profile or through Google's Reviews Management Tool. Google says not to report a review just because you disagree with it. A decision can take several days, and if Google does not remove it, you get one appeal.

Your Website Helps Too

Reviews bring people to your website, and your website has to finish the job. Make sure it answers their questions, works on a phone, and is ADA/WCAG compliant so every visitor can use it. For the bigger picture, see Local SEO for Small Towns, or look at how we approach it in Glens Falls, Malone and across the North Country.

Sources and Further Reading