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How to ask for reviews the right way

How to ask every customer for a Google review, why incentives and gating are out, what the FTC's 2024 review rule bans, and how to reply to negative reviews.

Updated November 5, 2026 · 5 min read · By CarpetOS

Your Google reviews are public and easy to find. Google's help says reviews "show next to your Business Profile in Maps and Search." So the real question isn't whether to ask, but how to ask without breaking Google's rules or federal law.

This guide covers who to ask, when and how, what you can't offer or do, what the Federal Trade Commission's 2024 rule on reviews prohibits, and how to reply to reviews, including the negative ones.

Ask every customer, not just the happy ones

It is tempting to send review requests only to customers you think loved the job, or to send a quick satisfaction survey first and pass only the happy ones on to Google, a practice sometimes called review gating. Google's prohibited and restricted content policy rules it out. Under "Rating Manipulation," Google says it does not allow merchants to "Discourage or prohibit negative reviews, or selectively solicit positive reviews from customers."

The FTC's guidance says its review rule "does not contain a specific prohibition against such conduct," but adds: "But this practice could violate the FTC Act." That comes from the FTC's Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule: Questions and Answers (November 2024).

The simple, safe habit is to send the same request to every customer after every job. Google's tips to get more reviews put it this way: "Honest and balanced reviews can help potential customers decide. A mix of positive and negative feedback often feels more trustworthy."

Ask when the job is done, with a direct link

Make leaving a review as easy as possible. Google's help on creating a review link or QR code explains that you can "create and share a link or QR code to request reviews." To get it, go to your Business Profile, select Read Reviews, then Get more reviews, and copy the link. Google notes that review QR codes "can only be generated on a computer browser, not on mobile devices."

Google suggests putting the link on your receipts and in thank-you emails. For a carpet cleaner, both go out as the job wraps up, while the clean carpet is still fresh in the customer's mind. Google adds that you can "also send review requests through email, WhatsApp message, or Facebook post."

Keep the request short: thank the customer, include the link, and stop there. Google's tips mention that "Customers must be signed into a Google Account to leave a review," and that they can set one up with a non-Gmail email address.

No incentives, no pressure, no scripts

Google does not allow businesses to "Offer incentives – such as payment, discounts, free goods and/or services - in exchange for posting any review or revision or removal of a negative review." That rules out a discount on the next clean, a free add-on or any other reward for a review. Google's glossary entry on incentivized reviews defines them to include "any other benefit offered to the reviewer."

The FTC rule is narrower. It bans incentives "conditioned expressly or by implication on" a review "expressing a particular sentiment, whether positive or negative." Google's policy is stricter for Google reviews, so for your Business Profile the rule is no incentives at all.

Google's policy also says businesses "should not require or pressure users to leave ratings or write reviews while on the premises, nor should they request that specific content be included." It specifically lists "Merchants requesting that staff solicit a certain number of reviews" and asking for content "that identifies a staff member." In practice: no review quotas for your technicians, and no asking customers to mention a tech by name.

Google does allow merchants to "Solicit or encourage the posting of content that does represent a genuine experience, without offering incentives to do so or attempting to influence the rating or the contents of the review."

No fake, insider or bought reviews

The FTC's Rule on the Use of Consumer Reviews and Testimonials, 16 CFR Part 465, was published August 22, 2024, and according to the FTC's Q&A "went into effect on October 21, 2024." Among other things, it makes it an unfair or deceptive practice for a business to:

  • Write, create or sell a review that misrepresents that the reviewer exists or had experience with the business, or misrepresents that experience.
  • Buy such reviews, or get them from its "officers, managers, employees, or agents, or any of their immediate relatives" when it knew or should have known they were misleading.
  • Pay or reward people for reviews expressing a particular sentiment.
  • Have an officer or manager post a review without "a clear and conspicuous disclosure" of their relationship to the business.
  • Use "an unfounded or groundless legal threat, a physical threat, intimidation, or a public false accusation" to stop a review or get one removed.
  • Hide negative reviews on your own website while implying the ones shown represent most or all reviews.

The rule's insider and purchased-review provisions do not apply to "generalized solicitations to purchasers to post reviews," which is what asking every customer is. The Q&A states that "The rule authorizes courts to impose civil penalties for knowing violations."

Google's policy reaches further for Google reviews. It removes content "based on a conflict of interest," including "current or former employment" and "familial relationships," along with content "posted from multiple accounts by or at the request of one person." It also bans posting on "a competitor's place or business to undermine" its reputation. Leave reviews of your business to real customers, and leave your competitors alone.

Replying to reviews, including the bad ones

You need a verified Business Profile to reply, according to Google's help on managing customer reviews. Replies are public, the reviewer is notified, and "Customers can still change their review after reading your reply."

Google's reply tips are practical: "Be professional and polite," "Keep it short and simple," and "Be conversational, not promotional," which means no deals or offers in replies.

For negative reviews, Google suggests that you acknowledge mistakes, "Apologize when appropriate," and "Respond in a timely manner." It warns: "Never share a reviewer's private information or engage in personal attacks. If a situation is complex, politely request that the reviewer contact you via phone or email to resolve the issue privately."

The FTC's Q&A gives similar advice: "Yes, you can respond publicly to the review, and yes, you should watch what you say." If you believe a review breaks Google's policies, Google says you can flag it. Reporting a review is the right route. Threatening the reviewer is not.

CarpetOS sends a review request with a link to your Google profile when a job is completed, to every customer.

Quick checklist

  • Send the same review request to every customer after every job.
  • Use your Google review link from your Business Profile.
  • Never offer discounts, freebies or other rewards for reviews.
  • Don't ask customers to mention a tech, and don't give staff review quotas.
  • No reviews from staff, family or friends, and never on competitors.
  • Reply to reviews politely and briefly, and take complex problems offline.
  • Flag policy-breaking reviews to Google instead of confronting the reviewer.

Sources

This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change, so check the linked sources and talk to a professional about your situation.

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