You can find people selling Google reviews in about two minutes. You can also buy them. Every one of them carries risk: paid reviews break Google's policy, they fall under the FTC's rule against fake reviews, and the ones that survive tell customers nothing they can trust.
Here's what actually goes wrong, in plain terms.
What the rules say
Google's Maps user-generated content policy prohibits fake engagement. That includes reviews not based on a real experience, paid reviews (payment in kind counts), and multiple accounts posting at one person's request. The same policy covers incentives: you can't offer payment, discounts or free goods or services in exchange for a review, or to change or remove one.
Violations lead to removal. Read Google's policy page rather than trusting a seller's claim that their accounts are "safe."
The FTC
The FTC announced a final rule in August 2024 that bans fake and false reviews and testimonials, and it took effect on October 21, 2024. It prohibits writing or buying fake reviews, including AI-generated ones, and offering incentives that require a particular sentiment. It also requires disclosure of insider reviews unless the relationship is already clear to readers, and it bars using fake social media followers or similar indicators when you knew or should have known they were fake. Courts can impose civil penalties for knowing violations. The FTC's questions and answers on the rule cover each of these.
This is general information, not legal advice.
Why it backfires in practice
- They can disappear. Reviews that break policy get removed. Your money is gone and the rating drops back.
- They look wrong. A sudden pile of five-star reviews from accounts with no history reads as bought to anyone who clicks.
- They are thin. "Great service, highly recommend" posted by someone who has never seen your truck says nothing about a roof, a furnace or a fence. Real customers mention the job.
- You have no proof they're real. If a seller's accounts are exposed, your listing is the one tied to the mess.
- A competitor can report you. You made it easy.
A fake review buys the look of a business with happy customers and skips the customers.
What about discounts and gifts?
It's the same problem in a friendlier outfit. "Leave us a review and get 10% off your next job" is an incentive. Google's policy bars it. The FTC rule bars compensation tied to a particular sentiment.
Related trap: asking only your happiest customers. Google's policy does not allow selectively soliciting positive reviews or discouraging negative ones. Ask everyone who did a job with you and take what comes.
Warning: Family, staff and friends
Reviews from relatives, employees or friends fall under conflicts of interest in Google's policy. If an employee writes one, the FTC rule expects a clear disclosure of the connection. The safest rule is that reviews should come from customers who actually bought from you.
What to do instead
Real reviews are slower than bought ones but they last. The fix is mostly a habit.
Ask every customer
Every completed job gets a request, including the ones where the customer was hard to read.
Ask within a day or two
The work is done and still fresh. The [pillar guide on getting more Google reviews](/us/blog/how-to-get-more-google-reviews) goes through timing.
Make it one tap
Send a direct link or put up a QR code. See [how to find your Google review link](/us/blog/how-to-find-your-google-review-link) and the [review QR code guide](/us/blog/google-review-qr-codes).
Reply to every review
Replies show future customers you're paying attention. [Positive review responses](/us/blog/positive-review-responses) has copyable examples.
Here's a plain text you can send today:
Review request text
If you're stuck with a handful of reviews and a competitor with hundreds, it feels slow. A review a week is about 50 in a year, and each one is still there next year. Use the free review link generator to make your link and QR code.
Got a fake review against you?
If someone else is posting fake reviews about your business, the answer is reporting, not matching it with your own. See can you delete a Google review.
Plan: Reviews that come from the job, not a vendor
With Local ($189 a month), Mitch texts the review link to each customer after the job. You enter their mobile number and a consent tick, and Mitch drafts replies for you to approve. Try it free for 14 days. See the [review requests page](/us/platform/reviews).
More in the reviews hub.
Get real reviews without remembering to ask
Mitch sends the request after every job. Your customers write the reviews.