What it looks like
The usual version is a text or email that asks "How did we go, out of five?" Four or five stars gets the Google review link. One to three gets a private feedback form. Plenty of review tools have this switched on by default.
Why it's not allowed
- Google's policy says businesses can't discourage negative reviews or selectively ask for positive ones.
- Australian consumer law treats a review picture that leaves out the negatives as potentially misleading. The ACCC has said so directly about review practices.
- Profiles caught gating can lose reviews or face restrictions, and the review count you built goes with them.
But won't I get bad reviews?
A few, probably. And that's fine. A profile with a 4.8 and a couple of honest three-star reviews with good replies looks more believable than a wall of perfect fives. People read the bad reviews to see how you handle a problem.
What you can still do
- Fix problems before you ask. If a job went wrong, sort it out, then send the link.
- Ask everyone at the same point, right after the job is done.
- Reply to every review, good and bad, calmly and specifically.
- Collect private feedback too, but send the Google link to everyone, not just the happy ones.
Check your review tool
If you use software to send review requests, open its settings and look for anything called a feedback filter, a sentiment gate or a star-rating screen. Turn it off. Many businesses are gating without knowing their tool does it.
Don't want to chase reviews yourself? Our review management asks every customer at the right moment, with your direct link, and replies to what comes in.