Can you ask customers for a 5-star review?

Yes, you can ask customers for a review. You just can’t ask for a five-star one. Ask everyone for an honest review in their own words, offer nothing in return, and you’re on the right side of both Google and UK law. Everything else on this page is about how to do that without it feeling awkward.

Why asking for five stars crosses the line

It feels harmless, doesn’t it? You’ve done a good job, the customer seems happy, so you say “if you could leave us five stars, that’d be brilliant.” Friendly, quick, done.

But that sentence is trying to decide the rating before the customer has. Google’s rules say businesses can ask for content that represents a genuine experience, as long as they don’t offer incentives or attempt to influence the rating or the contents of the review. Asking for “five stars” is an attempt to influence the rating. That’s the whole problem.

The same goes for steering the content. Google says businesses shouldn’t request that specific content be included, which covers asking staff to get reviews that mention a particular person. It also covers setting staff a number of reviews to collect. And you shouldn’t pressure anyone to leave a rating while they’re still standing in your shop, salon or van.

There’s a second rule sitting right next to it: you mustn’t selectively ask for positive reviews. So the plan of only asking the people who look pleased is out as well. Ask everyone, or ask no one.

Google backs this up in its own advice to businesses: honest and balanced reviews help potential customers decide, and a mix of positive and negative feedback often feels more trustworthy.

And if Google decides engagement is fake, it can restrict your profile. That might mean no new reviews for a set period, existing reviews being unpublished for a set period, or a warning shown to customers saying fake reviews were removed. Not a great look when someone’s deciding where to get their hair cut.

What UK law says

This isn’t just a platform rulebook any more. The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 bans submitting or commissioning a fake consumer review, or a review that conceals it was incentivised. The relevant bit is Schedule 20, paragraph 13, in force from 6 April 2025.

A fake consumer review, in the Act’s terms, is one that purports to be, but is not, based on a person’s genuine experience. So the test comes back to the same place: is this the customer’s real experience, in their own words?

The Competition and Markets Authority published guidance on this on 4 April 2025 (it’s called CMA208). It says reviews reflecting a genuine experience are allowed. It also says that encouraging reviews “without predetermining the contents or sentiment expressed in the review, for example by merely emailing customers generally to ask if they wish to provide a review” is not prohibited. That’s a reassuring line for a small business owner. Asking is fine.

The examples it gives of banned commissioning are fairly clear-cut. One is offering a customer a free or discounted product in exchange for a five-star review that isn’t their genuine experience. Another is sharing a social media post asking for five-star reviews in exchange for free products.

That’s the shape of it. This is general information, not legal advice, so if your situation is unusual, get proper advice. For more on the law itself, see our guide to fake reviews and UK law.

What an honest request looks like

An honest request has four parts, and none of them is complicated.

First, you thank the customer for something specific. The job, the haircut, the coffee order they’ve had every morning for a month. It shows you noticed them as a person rather than a transaction.

Second, you ask for their honest feedback. Not good feedback, not positive feedback. Honest.

Third, you give them the link, so they don’t have to hunt for your business on Google Maps. If you’re not sure where yours lives, our guide on finding your Google review link walks through it.

And fourth, you stop. No mention of stars, no hint about what you’d like them to say, and nothing offered in return. The request ends, and what happens next is up to them.

You also send it to every customer, not a selected few. That’s the part people skip, because it’s tempting to filter. Filtering by how the job went, or by who seemed cheerful, is exactly the selective asking Google warns against. If you want a fuller walkthrough, there’s one on how to ask for an honest review.

Wording examples you can use

Here are three short requests. Change the details so they sound like you, because a message that sounds like a template gets ignored.

Fictional example. Hi Priya, thanks for coming in today, it was lovely to see you again. If you have a minute, we’d really value your honest feedback on Google: [link]

That’s a salon text. Specific thanks, honest feedback, link, nothing else.

Fictional example. Hello, thanks for having us in to sort the boiler. It was good to get it back up and running for you. If you’d like to tell others how we did, you can leave an honest review on Google here: [link]

That’s an email from a tradesperson. It’s a touch longer because emails can be, but the shape is the same.

Fictional example. Tell us how we did on Google.

And that’s a line for a counter QR card, which is about as short as a request gets. Pair it with the code and you’re done. You can make one with our Google review QR card maker.

If you’d like help drafting your own, the review request builder is built for this. As for reminders, one at most is plenty. A single nudge a little while after the first message is reasonable. A second, third and fourth starts to feel like pressure, and pressure is what the rules warn against.

Phrases to drop

Some wording looks innocent and isn’t. Cut these out of your messages, your staff scripts and your signs:

• “Five stars”, because it names the rating you want.
• “Top marks”, which is the same thing in a friendlier coat.
• “If you’re happy, please…”, because it quietly screens out everyone who isn’t.
• “Mention [staff name]”, since requesting specific content is off the table.
• “Leave us a good review”, which asks for a verdict rather than an experience.
• Anything offering a reward. No discounts, no freebies, no prize draws.

Notice that most of these sound polite. That’s why they slip in. The test is simple: does the wording tell the customer what to say or how to score? If it does, rewrite it.

Making it easy without steering

Making it easy is allowed, and it’s worth doing, because a clumsy process loses honest reviewers as surely as a pushy one does.

Google’s own tips say businesses can ask customers to visit a Google link or scan a QR code. So put the link in your messages and the code on your counter, receipt or invoice. Keep the path short: one tap or one scan, then they’re writing.

One thing worth knowing is that customers need a Google Account to post. It doesn’t have to be Gmail: Google says one can be set up with a non-Gmail email address. If someone says they can’t leave a review, check that first.

What you’re doing here is removing friction and leaving the outcome alone. A clear link and a polite ask, sent to everyone, leaves the rating where it belongs: with the customer.

If your profile has already been restricted, our guide to Google review policy restrictions and appeals covers what to do next. And for the full rulebook, there’s the rules on asking for Google reviews.

That’s all there is to it. Ask, thank, link, stop.

Questions people ask

Is it OK to say "we'd love a good review"?

It's safer to drop it. Google allows businesses to ask for reviews that reflect a genuine experience, but not to try to influence the rating or the contents. "Good" asks for a verdict before the customer has given one. Asking for honest feedback, with your review link, does the same job without steering anyone.

Can I ask only the customers who seemed happy?

No. Google's policy says businesses must not selectively ask for positive reviews or discourage negative ones. Send the same request to every customer, including the ones you suspect had a mixed time. Google itself says a mix of positive and negative feedback often feels more trustworthy to people reading your profile.

Can I offer a discount if a customer leaves five stars?

No. Google bans incentives such as payment, discounts or free goods and services for posting a review, and the CMA's guidance gives a free or discounted product in exchange for a five-star review as an example of commissioning a review the law bans. Ask honestly and offer nothing in return.

What happens if Google thinks reviews were steered or bought?

Google removes the reviews it finds break its fake engagement policy, and it can also restrict the profile. Examples it gives include no new reviews for a set period, existing reviews unpublished for a set period, and a warning telling customers that fake reviews were removed. Businesses can appeal a restriction.