The way to get more Google reviews is simple and slightly dull: ask every customer, at the moment the work is finished and they are pleased, using the short review link or QR code from your Google Business Profile, and then reply to every review you receive. What you must not do is buy reviews, write them yourself, or quietly pick who you ask. Google's policies ban all three, and since 6 April 2025 fake reviews, concealed incentives and misleading publication of reviews have been banned practices under UK consumer law. Below is the routine, the wording and what to do about a suspected fake.
Why do Google reviews matter for the map pack?
The map pack is the block of local businesses that Google shows for searches such as "plumber Gravesend". Google's help page says local results are mainly based on relevance, distance and popularity, the last of which it explains under the heading prominence: how well known your business is.
Reviews sit under prominence. The same page says that "more reviews and positive ratings can help your business's local ranking", and that there is no way to request or pay for a better local ranking. Reviews are one of the few local ranking signals a small business can influence directly, at no cost. They also affect clicks: a profile with recent, specific, replied-to reviews is easier to choose than one with none.
If your profile is not verified yet, start with our Google Business Profile setup guide. For the wider picture, see local SEO for Kent businesses and how to get your business found on Google.
What does UK law now say about reviews?
The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 added reviews to the list of practices that are unfair in all circumstances. Paragraph 13 of Schedule 20 sets them out, and the legislation record shows it came into force on 6 April 2025. It bans:
- Submitting, or commissioning anyone to write, a fake consumer review, defined as one that "purports to be, but is not, based on a person's genuine experience".
- Submitting or commissioning a review that conceals the fact it has been incentivised.
- Publishing reviews in a misleading way, which includes leaving out negative reviews while publishing positive ones.
- Offering services to other businesses to do, or help with, any of the above.
The Competition and Markets Authority published its guidance on fake reviews on 4 April 2025, and two points matter here. First, the guidance says that asking customers generally whether they wish to leave a review, without predetermining what they say, is not prohibited. Second, it says a trader may infringe the law by cherry-picking, which can happen "by encouraging just those who are satisfied to leave reviews", so only asking the customers you expect to be kind is a risk under the law as well as under Google's rules.
The CMA can enforce this itself, and its announcement notes that it can fine a business up to 10% of its global turnover for breaking consumer protection law.
What do Google's own review policies ban?
Google's policy on prohibited and restricted content is stricter than UK law in one respect: incentives are not allowed at all, disclosed or not. Businesses must not:
- Offer incentives, "such as payment, discounts, free goods and/or services", in exchange for posting any review.
- "Discourage or prohibit negative reviews, or selectively solicit positive reviews from customers." This is what people mean by review gating.
- Ask staff to solicit a set number of reviews, or reviews with particular content.
- Post reviews based on a conflict of interest, which Google says includes current or former employment and other professional or personal affiliations.
- Post on a competitor's profile to damage its reputation.
Google's page on getting reviews adds that incentives to post, change or remove reviews count as fake and misleading content.
What is allowed and what is not?
| Allowed | Not allowed |
|---|---|
| Asking every customer for an honest review, in person, by text, by email or with a QR code | Offering money, discounts, free goods or services for a review |
| Sending the same request to every customer | Sending the link only to customers you expect to be positive |
| Replying to every review, including critical ones | Offering a refund or gift to get a review changed or removed |
| Reporting a review that breaks Google's policies | Reporting a review because you disagree with it |
| Staff handing out a card with the QR code | Staff, family or friends reviewing the business |
| Showing your Google rating on your website | Displaying only the good reviews and hiding the bad ones |
When and how should you ask?
Ask when the customer has just told you they are pleased: the job is done, the invoice is settled, the parcel has arrived.
Your Business Profile has a short review link and a QR code. Google's instructions are: open your Business Profile, select Read reviews, then Get more reviews. Select Copy to copy the link, or right-click the QR code and save the image. Google notes the QR code can only be generated on a computer browser. The same page suggests putting the link on receipts, in thank-you emails and at the end of a chat, and printing the QR code for display.
Three habits make the difference:
- Ask everyone. Not just the ones who seemed happiest. This keeps you clear of Google's gating rule and the CMA's point about cherry-picking, and Google's own page says "a mix of positive and negative feedback often feels more trustworthy".
- Ask once, then once more. One request at the time, one reminder a week later, then stop.
- Keep the message to the request. No offers, no "while you are here" promotions. The ICO says a service message with promotional elements counts as direct marketing, even where that is not its main purpose, and direct marketing has its own consent rules.
What should the text or email say?
Keep it short, plain and personal: the customer's name, the job and the link.
Text message:
Hi [first name], thanks for having us out today. If you have a minute, an honest Google review would help us a lot, good or bad: [review link]. Thanks, [your name], [business name].
Email:
Subject: A quick favour
Hello [first name],
Thank you for choosing us for [the job] last week. We would be grateful if you could leave a short, honest review on Google. It takes a minute and helps other people in [town] decide:
[review link]
Whatever you thought of the work, it is useful to us. If something was not right, you are welcome to reply to this email instead.
[Your name] [Business name]
Where should a QR code go?
Wherever the customer is when the job is finished: the counter by the card machine, the invoice, a small card the engineer hands over. Print "Leave us an honest Google review" underneath and test it with your own phone first.
Should you reply to every review, including bad ones?
Yes. Google's page on replying says you must verify your business before you can reply, that replies are posted publicly under the customer's review, and that they usually take up to 10 minutes to be reviewed but can sometimes take up to 30 days.
For any review: be professional and polite, keep it short, make the reply count, and be conversational rather than promotional. For a critical one: protect the customer's privacy, avoid personal attacks, be honest about your limitations, apologise where appropriate, personalise the reply and respond promptly.
Do not argue in public, and do not offer a refund or gift in return for the review being changed or taken down: offering a refund or gift card to get a negative review changed is one of the CMA's examples of commissioning a fake review, and Google's policy covers removal too. Put things right because it is right. If the customer then updates their review, that is their decision.
What can you do about a review you think is fake?
First, be honest with yourself. The CMA guidance is clear that a review is not fake just because the business does not like or agree with it, as long as it reflects a genuine experience. Google says the same: "do not report a review just because you disagree with it or dislike it", and it stays out of disputes between businesses and customers.
If the review genuinely breaks policy, for example it is from someone who was never a customer, report it. Open your Business Profile, select Read reviews, then Report next to the review and choose the reason. Google's page says evaluation typically takes several days. If the report is rejected, you can appeal once.
While you wait, reply calmly and factually, for example that you have no record of a customer under that name. Future customers read the reply as closely as the review.
If you would rather not do this yourself
Asking for reviews is a habit rather than a project, and most owners can build it with the link, the wording above and a QR code. If you would rather have someone set up your profile, put the routine in place with your team and keep an eye on what comes in, that is part of our SEO service. We will not buy reviews or filter who you ask, because Google bans both and the CMA guidance says both can breach the Act.