Guide · Reviews

Asking for Google reviews,
without breaking the rules.

You are allowed to ask customers for Google reviews, and Google's own help pages tell you how. The trouble starts with how you ask: rewards, asking only the happy customers, and pressure at the counter are all against Google's policy, and fake or undisclosed reviews can also be a Competition Act problem in Canada.

Published 2026-09-21 · Formory Group

The short answer.

Yes. Google's tips for getting more reviews suggest reminding customers and sending them a Google link or QR code. Asking is normal and expected.

What you cannot do is pay for reviews in any form, ask only the customers you think will be positive, pressure people while they are with you, tell them what to write, or have staff, friends and family fill the gap. Those rules come from Google. Canadian law sits behind them for the fake and undisclosed cases.

What Google's policy actually bans.

Google's Maps user-generated content policy lists the practices under fake engagement. The ones that catch small businesses are:

Incentives. Offering payment, discounts, free goods or free services in exchange for a review, or for changing or removing a negative one. This covers the review itself, not just a good review. "10% off your next visit for leaving a review" breaks the rule even if you accept one-star reviews too.

Review gating. Discouraging or prohibiting negative reviews, or selectively asking for positive ones. The common version is a survey that sends happy customers to Google and unhappy ones to a private feedback form. That is selective solicitation.

Pressure and scripts. The policy says merchants should not require or pressure people to leave reviews while on the premises, and should not ask for specific content. Handing a customer a tablet and waiting while they type counts. So does asking them to mention "best roofer in Oakville".

Conflict of interest. Reviews based on current or former employment, a contractual relationship, or other professional or personal affiliations are not allowed. Staff, subcontractors and relatives should not be reviewing you.

What happens if Google decides you broke it.

The reviews come down. Beyond that, Google's page on Business Profile restrictions says it may stop your profile from receiving new reviews for a set period, unpublish your existing reviews for a set period, or show a warning on your profile telling people that fake reviews were removed.

Google says it emails the owner before applying a restriction, and you can appeal. A public warning on your listing does more damage than a low review count ever would, so this is not a risk worth running for a few extra stars.

Where Canadian law comes in.

The Competition Act prohibits false or misleading representations to the public, and the Competition Bureau has applied that to online reviews. Its 2015 marketing digest named two problem practices: companies encouraging employees to post positive reviews, and companies giving customers incentives to leave positive ones. The concern is an undisclosed connection that makes a review look independent when it is not.

In January 2024 the Bureau issued a notice that businesses could be liable for reviews posted by their employees. Employees must disclose the connection clearly in the review itself, and if they cannot, they should not post.

This is not theoretical. In 2015 Bell Canada agreed to pay a $1.25 million administrative penalty after employees posted positive app reviews without saying they worked for Bell.

In practice, Google's rules are stricter and more specific than anything the Bureau has published, and Google is the one that will act on your listing. If you follow Google's policy, you are well clear of the Bureau's concerns.

A way of asking that holds up.

Ask everyone, at the same moment. Pick a fixed point in the job, such as when the invoice goes out or the day after the work is finished, and ask every customer at that point. Consistency is what keeps you out of selective solicitation. You do not get to skip the difficult job.

Use Google's own link. In your Business Profile, go to Read reviews, then Get more reviews, and copy the link. Google's help page notes that the QR code version can only be generated from a computer browser, not a phone.

Keep the message plain. Something like: "Thanks for having us out. If you have a minute, a Google review helps other people in the area find us." Then the link. No suggested wording, no star rating hint, no reward.

Do not hover. A card with a QR code at the counter is fine. Standing over someone while they write is the pressure Google's policy describes.

Reply to what comes in, good and bad. If a bad one arrives, our guide on responding to a bad Google review covers what to say and when Google will remove one.

What your website should do with reviews.

Put the review link somewhere a returning customer will find it, such as your contact page or the confirmation page after a booking. It saves you from sending it by hand every time.

If you quote reviews on your site, quote real ones as written. The Competition Bureau's guidance on testimonials says not to use testimonials without authorization or distort their scope. Trimming a sentence so "not bad for the price" reads as "not bad" is the kind of edit to avoid.

One technical point your web designer should know: Google's review snippet rules say a business that controls reviews about itself is not eligible for review stars in search from its own LocalBusiness markup. Adding star markup to your own testimonials page will not produce stars, so do not pay extra for it.

How many reviews you actually need depends on your trade and town. We looked at that in how many Google reviews you need.

General information, not legal advice. For questions about the Competition Act, ask the Competition Bureau or a lawyer.

Sources.

The usual questions.

Can I offer a discount for any review, good or bad?

No. Google's policy bans incentives in exchange for posting a review at all, not only positive ones.

Can my employees or family leave us a review?

No. Google's conflict of interest rule covers current and former employees and personal affiliations. The Competition Bureau has also said businesses can be liable for undisclosed employee reviews.

Can I ask only customers I know were happy?

No. Selectively soliciting positive reviews is listed as fake engagement in Google's policy. Ask every customer at the same point in the job.

Can I send the review link by email or text?

Yes. Google's Get more reviews tool gives you a link to share, and asking by message is the method Google itself suggests.

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Asking for Google reviews,without breaking the rules.