Facts checked October 25, 2026, against the sources listed at the end.

No, you can't offer incentives for Google reviews. Google's policy bans any incentive for a review, such as payment, discounts, or free goods or services. Separately, the FTC's 2024 rule on reviews bans incentives tied to a review being positive or negative, on any website.

Check this first: look at everything you hand or send customers. That means receipts, invoices, emails, texts, signs and your website. Find any line that offers something for a review, such as "10% off your next visit when you review us." Take it down today.

This article sums up what Google and the FTC say in their own pages. It is not legal advice. For your own situation, ask a lawyer.

What does Google's policy say about review incentives?

Google's review policy gives examples of the incentives it bans: "payment, discounts, free goods and/or services." Businesses may not offer them for "posting any review." Nor may they offer them for the "revision or removal of a negative review" (Prohibited & restricted content).

Google's help page for business owners is blunter. It says offering incentives "is considered fake engagement and is strictly prohibited" (Create a Google link or QR code to request reviews).

Three things in that wording are easy to miss:

  • It covers every review, not just good ones. A reward for an honest review is still a reward.
  • It covers changing or removing a review. You can't offer a refund or a discount to get a bad review edited or taken down.
  • The list starts with "such as." So it is examples, not a complete list.

Is a gift card drawing or a thank-you gift allowed?

Google doesn't name drawings, raffles or gift cards on the page. But its list of incentives begins with "such as," and a drawing entry has value. Our reading is that Google treats it like any other reward. We found no Google page that allows it.

The FTC's rule points the same way. In its definitions, it describes buying a review as giving "something of value" for one. Its examples include "money, gift certificates, products, services, discounts, coupons, contest entries, or another review" (16 CFR 465.1(m)).

A thank-you note after someone leaves a review is not on either list. In our view, a thank-you gift that customers come to expect for reviewing is still a reward.

What happens if Google finds incentivized reviews?

First, the reviews go. Google says reviews "posted due to an incentive offered by a business" will be "removed from Maps" (Prohibited & restricted content). Google also says reviews removed for policy violations "won't be restored" (About missing or delayed reviews).

Then Google may restrict the whole profile. Its examples include (Business Profile restrictions for policy violations):

  • No new reviews or ratings for a set period
  • Existing reviews and ratings unpublished for a set period
  • A warning on the profile telling customers that fake reviews were removed

Google says it emails the owner before it applies a restriction, and that the owner can appeal. Google does not publish how long a set period lasts. If reviews have already vanished, see Google reviews disappeared? Check your own profile first.

What does the FTC rule say about paying for reviews?

The FTC's Rule on the Use of Consumer Reviews and Testimonials went into effect on October 21, 2024 (FTC Q&A). It is a federal rule, published at 16 CFR Part 465.

The section on incentives is short. It bans a business from giving "compensation or other incentives" for reviews "expressing a particular sentiment, whether positive or negative" (16 CFR 465.4). The ban also covers an incentive tied to sentiment only by implication.

FTC staff give an example of an implied condition: "Tell us how much you loved your visit to John's Steakhouse and get a $5 coupon." They also say this section "applies whether the reviews appear on your website or third-party review platforms." Google is a third-party platform.

The FTC says courts can impose civil penalties for knowing violations of the rule. The FTC's Q&A page does not give a dollar amount, so neither do we.

So does the FTC allow incentives that aren't tied to a good review?

The rule itself doesn't ban them, but that does not make them safe. FTC staff say the rule "does not prohibit giving incentives for reviews." That holds only if no review has to "express a particular sentiment." Then comes the warning: "failing to disclose incentives could be a violation of the FTC Act" (FTC Q&A).

The FTC's guide for businesses adds that even then, "the review should disclose the incentive" (FTC guide). The same guide tells you to know each platform's rules first. It notes that some platforms ban incentivized reviews "even if the reviews disclose" the incentive.

Google is one of those platforms. So for Google reviews, the two sets of rules add up to one answer. No incentives of any kind.

Can I ask only my happy customers for a review?

Not on Google. Google's policy does not allow businesses to "selectively solicit positive reviews from customers" (Prohibited & restricted content). People call this review gating.

The FTC rule does not specifically ban it. In the FTC's words, the rule "does not contain a specific prohibition against such conduct." But FTC staff add that "this practice could violate the FTC Act" (FTC Q&A). The FTC guide says, "Don't ask for reviews only from customers you think will leave positive ones." Google forbids it either way.

What does the FTC rule say about getting bad reviews taken down?

Part of the rule's section on review suppression bans certain tactics used to stop a review or get one removed (16 CFR 465.7). They are:

  • An "unfounded or groundless legal threat"
  • A physical threat or intimidation
  • A public accusation the business knows is false, or makes with reckless disregard for the truth

FTC staff say you can still reply to a negative review in public. You can also contact the customer to fix the problem (FTC Q&A). And you can report a review to Google that breaks its rules. The FTC guide warns, "Don't misuse this option to get rid of honest, negative reviews." Google says the same: don't report a review "just because you disagree with it" (Report inappropriate reviews).

What is allowed when asking for Google reviews?

Quite a lot. Google says businesses may ask for reviews of a "genuine experience." The conditions: no incentives, and no attempt "to influence the rating or the contents of the review" (Prohibited & restricted content). Ask every customer the same way, and thank people with nothing attached.

Where to put your review link and what to say are covered in How to get Google reviews without being pushy. Our article on why a competitor shows up first on Google Maps explains where reviews fit with the other things Google weighs.

Where does Alloro fit in?

This is Alloro's own work. Alloro manages the Google Business Profile and drafts replies to new Google reviews. Every change Alloro drafts waits for the owner's okay. It costs $499 a month per location, with no contract.

Sources

How this article was made: AI helped draft it. A person checked every fact against the sources listed above and approved it before it was published.