Reviews · 2026-08-21

How to Ask Customers for a Google Review (Without Breaking the Rules)

The rules changed — most advice hasn't caught up

Google updated its Business Profile solicitation policies in April 2026. The UK's Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (DMCCA) has been enforced since April 2025. Together, they make several once-common review solicitation practices explicitly illegal or policy-violating.

Before thinking about wording or timing, you need to know what is banned.

What you cannot do

Review gating — pre-screening customers by expected sentiment and routing happy ones to Google while sending unhappy ones to a private feedback form — is illegal under UK law and a direct violation of Google's policies. All customers must receive the same public review link, regardless of their anticipated rating (CMA guidance, updated September 2025; Google April 2026 update).

Incentives — discounts, loyalty points, free sessions, prize draw entries, or gifts in exchange for a review — are completely prohibited by Google. Under the DMCCA, concealing that a review was incentivised is a banned practice carrying fines of up to 10% of global annual turnover or £300,000, whichever is higher (DMCCA Schedule 20).

Content direction — asking customers to mention specific staff names, keywords, or service details — was explicitly banned by Google in the April 2026 update. Reviews must be in the customer's own words.

Staff quotas — linking employee bonuses or performance targets to the number of reviews collected — violate Google's guidelines.

Shared devices and kiosks — in-store tablets or review stations are against Google's policy. Multiple reviews from the same IP address trigger automated spam filters and can result in profile suspension.

What you can do

You can ask every customer for a review, openly and equally, after they have experienced your service. The request must use the official, unmasked Google review link (the g.page/r/[ID]/review or search.google.com/local/writereview?placeid=[PlaceID] format — shortened or redirected URLs risk being blocked by Google's filters).

The ask must be neutral: no star suggestion, no sentiment steering, no conditional language.

When to ask

Timing matters more than wording. The evidence points to two optimal windows:

The post-experience window: 1–24 hours after the customer's first attended session. This captures peak positive engagement before recall decay sets in (the evidence report's review-solicitation benchmarks, grade b). Asking at the point of signup — before the customer has experienced anything — is premature.

The milestone window: 3–4 weeks into an ongoing relationship. This works for class-based businesses where satisfaction builds over several sessions.

Asking too late introduces recall decay. Asking too often triggers fatigue. A structured sequence works best: first ask within hours of the session, a second gentle nudge 5–7 days later, and a final reminder 5–7 days after that. Three touches maximum. The system must stop the moment a customer clicks through to the review page — redundant messages after action are the fastest path to blocks and complaints.

Which channel

The channel gap is wide enough to be decisive. WhatsApp review requests achieve 45–60% click-through rates using native quick-reply buttons, compared with 9–19% for SMS and 2–5% for email (Wylto 2026 performance benchmark, 2.3 million campaigns, grade b).

In-person requests achieve high initial verbal commitment but actual completion drops below 10% when the customer has to search for the profile manually afterwards. QR codes suffer multi-step friction (scan, load, log in) and typically yield 3–8% completion (Shopify and Zonka Feedback benchmarks, grade b).

For UK businesses where WhatsApp is the primary customer channel, sending the review link in the same conversation thread is the lowest-friction option.

Example wording

Keep it short, neutral, and free of star suggestions:

"Thanks for attending the session today. If you have a moment, we'd really appreciate your honest feedback on Google — it helps other families find us. [Google Review Link]"

Do not add "we'd love a five-star review" or "if you enjoyed it." Both constitute sentiment steering under the current rules.

Protecting your WhatsApp quality rating

Under Meta's platform guidelines, a business must keep its complaint rate (blocks and reports) below 1% per 1,000 messages. If block rates exceed 2%, Meta degrades the phone number's quality rating from Green to Yellow or Red, restricting daily messaging volume and potentially suspending the account.

Three review request messages spread across two weeks, with automatic stop-after-click logic, are designed to reduce redundant messages and the risk of blocks and complaints. Sending review requests to customers who have not recently interacted with your business — or sending more than three — increases that risk.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I offer a discount for a Google review?

No. Google completely prohibits incentives of any kind in exchange for reviews, including discounts, free sessions, loyalty points, and prize draws. Under the DMCCA 2024, concealing an incentivised review is a banned commercial practice carrying fines of up to 10% of global turnover or £300,000.

Can I ask customers to mention a specific staff member?

No. Google's April 2026 policy update explicitly bans content direction, including prompts to mention staff names, service keywords, or specific details. Reviews must be in the customer's own words.

How many times can I ask the same customer for a review?

The evidence supports a maximum of three touches: an initial ask, one follow-up after 5–7 days, and a final nudge 5–7 days later. The sequence must stop immediately once the customer clicks through. Going beyond three risks crossing Meta's complaint-rate threshold and annoying the customer.