Asking for Google reviews without filtering them
Sending review requests only to happy customers is tempting, and Google prohibits it. Here’s the rule, why it exists, and an honest way to get more reviews.
By the HoorayPass teamPublished September 30, 20266 min readJump to sources
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Filtering, in one sentence
Filtering reviews ("review gating") means first asking customers whether they’re satisfied, then sending only those who say yes to Google. The others are directed to a private form. Many tools still offer it. Google prohibits it.
What Google prohibits
Google’s policy on content posted by Maps users is clear. A business must not:
- offer a benefit (money, discounts, free goods or services) in exchange for a review, or to get a negative review removed or changed;
- discourage or prohibit negative reviews;
- selectively solicit positive reviews.
A stamp given for a review is a benefit. It has no place on a loyalty card.
What a few laws say
Beyond Google, several countries regulate reviews. Two examples, for illustration:
- United States. The Federal Trade Commission rule announced on August 14, 2024 prohibits offering a reward that depends on a positive or negative review, and implying you show all reviews after removing the bad ones.
- United Kingdom. Since April 2025, the competition authority (CMA) treats a rewarded review that doesn’t say so as prohibited.
Check the rules in your country or province: they may be stricter.
Why it’s a good rule for you too
A negative review does less harm than people think, especially when the business replies. According to BrightLocal’s 2026 survey, 89% of consumers expect the owner to respond to reviews. A calm, specific reply to a bad rating shows future customers how you treat people when something goes wrong.
A page where every rating is perfect, on the other hand, inspires less trust.
How to ask, honestly
What’s allowed
- Send the same request to every customer, after their visit.
- Include the direct link to your Google profile, always visible.
- Also offer a short private survey, so they can tell you what went wrong.
- Reply to every review, good and bad.
What to avoid
- Sending only customers who gave a good rating to Google.
- Offering a stamp, a discount or a gift for a review.
- Asking a customer to remove or change a negative review in exchange for a benefit.
- Hiding the Google link from customers who say they’re unhappy.
The private survey is useful: it tells you what a customer might never have written in public. But it comes in addition to the Google link, never instead of it.
What the card does, and what it doesn’t
With HoorayPass, the review request goes to every customer, with no filter and no reward, as Google requires. A one-question private survey can come with it and alert you to a poor rating, so you can call the customer back. A draft reply to your reviews is suggested to you; you approve it. Posting your replies directly on your Google profile is built and will be switched on as soon as Google approves it.
In short
- Filtering reviews is prohibited by Google, and regulated by law in several countries.
- No benefit in exchange for a review, and never a stamp for one.
- Send the same request to everyone, with the Google link always visible.
- Reply to reviews: it’s what customers expect.
Sources
- Google, prohibited and restricted content on Maps (fake engagement)(opens in a new tab)
- Federal Trade Commission (United States), final rule on fake reviews, August 14, 2024(opens in a new tab)
- Competition and Markets Authority (United Kingdom), fake reviews guidance (CMA208)(opens in a new tab)
- BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 (market research)(opens in a new tab)
