How to ask customers for Google reviews (and stay within the rules)

Ask everyone, the same way

Google's policy for business reviews says a business may encourage reviews that reflect a genuine experience, but must not "selectively solicit positive reviews" or discourage negative ones. In practice that means you send the same short request to every customer after the job, not only to the ones you think were happy.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission's 2024 rule on reviews points the same way: it bans incentives that depend on a review saying something positive (or negative), and it bans hiding negative reviews while presenting the rest as the full picture.

When to ask

The best moment is right after the work is finished, while the customer still remembers the details. A same-day message with a direct link does better than a reminder two weeks later.

What to send

Keep it short and personal. For example:

• "Hi Maria, thank you for choosing us for your kitchen faucet today."
• "If you have a minute, a short review helps other people find us:" followed by your review link
• Your name, so it reads like a person, not a system

What not to do

• Do not offer a discount, gift or entry into a draw in exchange for a review. Google does not allow incentives for reviews at all.
• Do not ask only happy customers, or send unhappy ones somewhere else first (often called "review gating").
• Do not write reviews yourself, ask staff or family to, or buy them.

Making it a habit

Websites made with simple a site. have an "Ask for a review" button on finished jobs in the inbox. It opens a ready-to-send email with your Google review link, and it is the same request for every customer.