Why Google reviews matter
Reviews are one of the main things Google looks at when it decides which local businesses to show, and they’re what customers read before they call. AI assistants lean on the same signals: when someone asks ChatGPT or Google’s AI Mode for a good local business, the ones with plenty of genuine, recent reviews are the ones that get named.
The rules on asking for reviews in the UK
- Ask everyone, not just happy customers. Sending only your happiest customers to Google (“review gating”) is against Google’s policy.
- Never pay or reward people for reviews. No discounts, vouchers or prize draws. Google calls incentives fake engagement and bans them.
- It’s also the law. Since 6 April 2025, the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act has banned fake reviews and hidden incentivised reviews in the UK, with fines of up to 10% of global turnover.
- Never write reviews yourself or ask friends and staff to pose as customers.
The wording this tool writes for you follows these rules: it asks for an honest review and offers nothing in return.
Tips that get more reviews
- Ask at the moment the customer is happiest: when the job is finished or the order arrives.
- Put the card by the till, in the van, on invoices and in your email signature.
- Reply to every review, good or bad, politely and within a few days.
Sources
- Google Business Profile Help: get more reviews
- Google Maps user contributed content policy
- CMS: the DMCC Act consumer rules from 6 April 2025
- Which?: fake reviews banned under new law
By the Spyglo Team · Facts checked 10 October 2026