01 / Set the boundary
Ask for an honest review—not a five-star outcome.
The safest review system is neutral, consistent and connected to a real customer experience.
Google’s current guidance allows a business to share its review link or QR code and remind customers to leave a review. Its Maps content policy prohibits fake engagement, incentives for reviews, pressure to include particular content, and selectively soliciting positive feedback while discouraging negative reviews.[1][2]
Australian Consumer Law also matters. The ACCC explains that fake or misleading reviews are unlawful and that incentives tied to positive reviews risk misleading consumers. For Google reviews, follow the stricter platform rule: do not offer any payment, discount, gift or other benefit in exchange for a review.[4][2]
Allowed
Invite a genuine customer to describe their real experience using a direct Google review link or QR code.
Not allowed
Buy reviews, offer rewards, write reviews for customers, ask staff or connected parties, or require a particular rating or wording.
Review gating
Do not send happy customers to Google while privately diverting unhappy customers. Use the same neutral invitation regardless of sentiment.
02 / Build the workflow
Make the request easy, timely and repeatable.
A reliable process removes friction without pressuring the customer or scripting the answer.
If a review request is included in a commercial email or SMS, assess Australia’s spam rules for consent, sender identification and unsubscribe functionality. ACMA’s guidance is the primary reference; this article is not legal advice.[5]
- 01
Choose a genuine completion point
Ask after the product is delivered, appointment is complete or issue is resolved—when the customer can fairly assess the experience.
- Apply the trigger consistently across eligible customers.
- Do not ask while withholding service, support or a benefit.
- 02
Create the official link or QR code
Use the review link or QR code available from the Business Profile so the customer reaches the correct listing.
- Test the destination on mobile before publishing it.
- Keep printed codes clear and associated with the correct location.
- 03
Use neutral invitation copy
Ask for an honest review of the experience. Do not request five stars, supply keywords or tell the customer what to say.
- Identify the business and explain why feedback is useful.
- Make participation optional and easy to decline.
- 04
Keep follow-up proportionate
One considerate reminder may be enough. Repeated messages can damage trust and may create marketing-message compliance issues.
- Record the request so teams do not duplicate it.
- Respect opt-outs and channel preferences.
03 / Use better wording
A good request leaves the rating to the customer.
After an appointment
Thank you for visiting [Business]. If you would like to share your honest experience, you can leave a Google review here: [link]. Feedback is optional and helps us improve.
After a completed service
Your service is now complete. If you have a moment, we welcome an honest Google review about your experience: [link]. Please do not include private information.
Bilingual follow-up
Send the invitation in the customer’s chosen language, but use the same neutral standard and the same review destination for English- and Chinese-speaking customers.
04 / Respond consistently
Treat replies as customer service in public.
A useful reply acknowledges the person, protects privacy and gives the next reader confidence in how the business handles feedback.
Google advises businesses to keep replies professional and explains that only reviews violating policy are eligible for removal. Preserve relevant records, report through the official tools and continue responding to legitimate feedback.[1][3]
- 01
Positive reviews
Thank the reviewer and respond to a real detail without copying the same promotional paragraph into every reply.
- 02
Critical reviews
Stay factual, avoid arguing and invite an appropriate offline conversation. Do not reveal booking, health, financial or other private information.
- 03
Policy-violating reviews
Report a review only when it breaches Google’s policy. Disagreement or a low rating alone is not a removal reason.
05 / Learn from the pattern
Measure the system, not just the star average.
- Request coverage: are all eligible customers given the same neutral opportunity?
- Response rate over a consistent period, without setting coercive staff quotas.
- Review themes that point to operational strengths or recurring problems.
- Response time and whether sensitive issues are moved to an appropriate private channel.
- Profile actions and qualified enquiries alongside reviews—without claiming direct causation from a single rating change.
06 / Put it into practice
A seven-point review process for a small team.
- Confirm the correct Business Profile and test its official review link.
- Define an objective service-completion trigger for eligible customers.
- Write one neutral request in each language the business actually supports.
- Remove rewards, five-star prompts, keyword scripts and sentiment screening.
- Check consent and unsubscribe requirements for email or SMS workflows.
- Assign review replies and escalation boundaries, including privacy rules.
- Review themes monthly and improve the underlying customer experience.
Author and method
How this review guide was prepared.
Melb Marketing compared Google’s current Business Profile review guidance and Maps content policy with Australian regulator guidance from the ACCC and ACMA. It translates those primary sources into an operational checklist; it is not legal advice.
- Platform policy
- Google’s own guidance is used for review links, incentives, selective solicitation, replies and removals.
- Australian context
- ACCC and ACMA sources explain the consumer-law and electronic-message considerations around the workflow.
- No invented results
- The guide does not promise a review volume, rating, ranking position or enquiry increase.
Primary references
Official sources used in this guide.
Policies and Australian regulatory guidance can change. Check these live pages before launching a campaign.