Seven honest questions, checked against Google's review policies and the FTC's Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule. Answer privately — nothing leaves your browser.
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This checkup is educational, not legal advice. Policies referenced: Google's review content policies and the FTC's Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule (16 CFR Part 465).
Yes — asking for honest reviews is allowed and encouraged. The trouble starts with how some businesses ask: paying for reviews, filtering who gets asked based on how happy they seem, requesting a specific star rating, or posting reviews themselves. That's what this checkup screens for.
Review gating is pre-screening customers — usually with a "how was your experience?" survey — and only showing the Google review link to the happy ones. Google's review policies prohibit it. A private feedback path for unhappy customers is fine, as long as everyone can still reach the public review page.
Consequences range from the offending reviews being removed, to review functionality being restricted, to the business profile being suspended — and rebuilding from a suspension is far harder than building right the first time. FTC rule violations can additionally carry civil penalties.
Every customer asked, never gated. Honest requests, never incentivized. Consent-based texting. It's not just safer — it's why the reviews stick.
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