Why the number and freshness of your reviews matter

According to Google, more reviews and positive ratings can help your business's local ranking1. Customers look at volume and dates: in BrightLocal's 2026 survey, 47% of consumers wouldn't use a business with fewer than 20 reviews, and 74% only care about reviews written in the last three months2.

Getting reviews is therefore not a one-off operation, it's a habit. You still need to build it without breaking rules that Google enforces strictly.

What Google allows

Google puts it in black and white: merchants may ask for or encourage reviews that reflect a genuine experience, without offering anything in return and without trying to influence the rating or the content3. It advises reminding customers to leave a review, using a link or a QR code4.

What Google prohibits

Its policy on user-generated content in Maps prohibits merchants from3:

  • offering an incentive (payment, discount, free goods or services) in exchange for a review, or for changing or removing a negative review;
  • discouraging or prohibiting negative reviews, or selectively soliciting positive reviews;
  • requiring customers to leave a review on the premises, pressuring them to do so, or asking them to include specific content;
  • setting staff a number of reviews to collect, or asking them to solicit reviews that mention a team member.

Reviews from employees, former employees or relatives are also excluded: the policy rules out content based on a conflict of interest3.

The filtering trap: asking only happy customers

It's the most widespread practice, and it is prohibited: sending the review request only to satisfied customers, or first asking "Are you happy with us?" and directing only those who say yes to Google. Google prohibits selectively soliciting positive reviews3. Trustpilot is even more explicit: it prohibits directing satisfied customers to a review and dissatisfied ones to direct contact5.

Collecting an unhappy customer's feedback is still an excellent idea. But the request for a public review must go to all your customers, in the same way.

What you risk

Reviews obtained in exchange for an incentive are removed. Beyond that, Google may restrict the profile of a business that broke its rules: no new reviews for a period, existing reviews hidden, or a warning shown to users saying that fake reviews have been removed6. In the European Union, submitting or commissioning fake reviews is also on the list of commercial practices considered unfair in all circumstances7. See our guide to fake reviews.

Five methods that work, and are allowed

  1. Just ask. 28% of consumers say they "always" leave a review when asked, up from 16% a year earlier2.
  2. Pick the right moment: at the end of the meal, when handing over the keys, at checkout. Google mentions receipts, thank-you emails and the end of a chat8.
  3. Make it easy with your profile's direct link or QR code: follow our step-by-step guide.
  4. Remind customers that a short review is fine. A Google Account is needed to post, but it can be created with a non-Gmail address4.
  5. Reply to the reviews you get. Hotels that start responding receive more reviews: 12% more, according to a study published in Marketing Science9.

Don't fear mixed reviews

Asking everyone means accepting a few less glowing reviews. Google points it out: a mix of positive and negative feedback often feels more trustworthy4. A 4.7 profile with thoughtful replies inspires more confidence than a too-perfect 5.0.

And ReplyTop?

ReplyTop replies to every review you get, positive or negative, within hours: that's the fifth method, without giving up your evenings.