Google reviews for UK and Australian businesses: the rules and how to get more

How do customers leave a Google review?

They need to be signed in to a Google account. Google's Maps help page gives the steps on a computer:

1. Sign in to Google Maps.
2. Search for the business.
3. Scroll and select Write a review.
4. Choose a star rating, and add a written review and photos if they want to.

Google's help page has separate steps for the Android and iPhone apps. Reviews are public and show the name on the reviewer's Google profile, and Google says you can't post an anonymous review.

You can skip the searching for them. Google gives every verified business a direct review link and QR code: in your Business Profile, select Read reviews, then Get more reviews, then Copy. Google suggests putting it on receipts, in thank-you emails and on a printed QR code in your shop. Our free Google review link tool builds the same link if you can't sign in.

Is buying Google reviews illegal?

Yes, in both countries, and it breaks Google's own policy everywhere. The pages selling “real UK Google reviews” are offering you something the law calls fake.

The CMA's guidance (CMA208) says cherry-picking can happen by “encouraging just those who are satisfied to leave reviews”, and warns against “arbitrarily stopping and starting review invitations”. In 2026 the CMA opened its first investigations under the new rules, including whether one business asked staff to write positive reviews (no breach has been found yet). In Australia, the ACCC also flags reviews from family, employees or anyone paid by the business, and reviews from people who never used the service.

Google is stricter than both laws on one point: incentives. UK and Australian law allow a disclosed incentive; Google bans them outright for reviews, including discounts and free goods. So on Google, ask everyone, offer nothing.

What is the fake-review warning on a profile?

If Google finds fake engagement on a profile, it can go further than deleting the reviews. Its help page lists three restrictions it may apply for a set period:

• The profile can't receive new reviews or ratings.
• Existing reviews and ratings are unpublished.
• The profile shows customers a warning that fake reviews were removed.

Google says owners are emailed before a restriction is applied and can appeal. A warning on your profile is visible to every customer comparing you with a competitor, so a few bought reviews can cost far more than they ever brought in. If someone else has left fake reviews on your profile, report them; our guide to removing fake Google reviews shows how.

Google vs Trustpilot (UK) and Google vs ProductReview (Australia): which matters more?

For a local business, Google first: its reviews sit on your Maps and Search listing, where customers find you, and they're free. Trustpilot and ProductReview matter more for online shops and for products people research before buying.

Tradies should also look at hipages, where reviews come from jobs booked on the platform; our guide to hipages costs covers what you pay. UK trades have Checkatrade; see Checkatrade's costs. Our country pages for the UK and Australia list the review sites customers use in each trade.

How can UK and Australian businesses get more Google reviews legally?

Ask every customer, the same way, soon after the visit, with one tap to the review form. That's the whole method, and it's legal in both countries:

1. Get your review link and QR code from your Business Profile.
2. Send it to every customer within a few hours, by text or email, from a name they know.
3. Send one reminder two or three days later, then stop.
4. Print the QR code where people pay or wait.
5. Reply to every review, good and bad, within a day or two.

What to avoid: discounts or prize draws for reviews, asking only customers you think are happy, staff review targets, writing reviews for customers and sending unhappy customers to a private form instead of Google. Our guides to sending your review link and getting more Google reviews have more scripts.

Start with the free review link tool. When you want the asking done for you, Flexi Local's Reviews plan sends your link after every visit, reminds once and drafts each reply. It's £79 a month in the UK (£159 for Reviews + Leads), with a 14-day free trial (card needed; cancel before day 14 and you pay nothing). Australian prices are on our pricing page.