How to get Google reviews, reply to them and stop fake ones

To get more Google reviews, ask all your clients for one at a fixed point in your process. Use the link or the QR code from your Google Business Profile and offer nothing in return. Reply to bad reviews without giving a single detail about the writer, and bear in mind that Google only removes a review if it breaks its policies or the law.

Below you will find 6 messages to ask for reviews, 6 model replies (2 for law firms and clinics) and a decision map for fake reviews. Each rule comes with its source: Google’s policy, the BOE (Spain’s Official State Gazette) or a decision by the Spanish Data Protection Agency (AEPD).

Reviews help you on the map, and they do not all have to be 5 stars

Google ranks local results by relevance, distance and prominence. On prominence it says: “The more reviews and positive ratings a business has, the better its local ranking will be”.

Perfection is not the goal. According to Google, “a mix of positive and negative feedback usually looks more trustworthy”. If you do not show up on the map yet, start with how to appear on Google Maps; if you run a law firm, with the audit of its Google Business Profile.

What Google allows when you ask for reviews, and what it penalises

The Google Maps content policy allows you to “request or encourage the posting of content that represents an authentic experience”. Always without incentives and without trying to influence the rating or the content.

If Google detects fake engagement, it can stop you from receiving new reviews, hide the ones you have and show a warning on your profile. It notifies you by email and you can appeal.

The law points the same way. Adding or commissioning fake reviews, or distorting real ones to promote yourself, is a misleading practice (art. 27.8 of the Unfair Competition Law (Ley de Competencia Desleal, LCD)). It is also a consumer protection infringement (art. 47, letter m, of the Consumer Protection Law (Ley de Consumidores)).

Ask for the review at a fixed point in the process, not from the clients you like

Our approach: tie the request to something that happens with every client, such as the invoice, the handover or the patient’s discharge. If the trigger is automatic, nobody decides who gets asked.

And do not wait. Since Law 10/2025, the Consumer Protection Law has required reviews to refer to services purchased or used in the previous 30 calendar days (art. 20.4). It does not say how this is checked on a platform such as Google. Cautious approach: ask for the review within that period.

The link and the QR code come from your profile: “Read reviews” and then “Get more reviews”. For now, the QR code can only be generated from a computer browser. Reviewers need a Google account, which they can create with an email address that is not Gmail.

Cautious approach: use the channel you already use with that client and ask once, with one reminder at most. Never do it with data you process on behalf of others, as we explain for property managers (administradores de fincas).

6 messages to ask for reviews that comply with Google’s policies

None of them offers anything, asks for stars or suggests words, and all of them work just as well for a happy client as for an unhappy one. Change what is in square brackets, or fill it in with your details in the review message generator.

1. Email

Subject: How did it go with [business]?

Hello [name],

Thank you for trusting us. If you like, you can share your experience on Google. It is voluntary, and it helps us whether everything went well or something could be better.

Here is the link: [review link]

Kind regards, [name and position]

2. WhatsApp or SMS

Hello [name]. This is [name] from [business]. Thank you for coming in. If you would like to tell people on Google how it went, here is the link: [review link]. Best wishes.

3. In person, as the client leaves

Thank you for coming in. If you feel like telling people on Google how it went, here is the code. Whenever suits you, and it is fine too if there was something you did not like.

Give them a card with the QR code and let them do it later. Standing over them while they write is pressuring them on your premises.

4. Invoice, receipt or delivery note

How did we look after you? You can tell people on Google, good or bad: scan this code or go to [review link].

5. Law firm or tax and accounting firm: closing letter

With this letter we close your matter. If you like, you can share on Google what it was like to work with us: [review link]. It is voluntary. We recommend that you do not include personal details or details of the matter. Because of professional secrecy, we will not comment on them either when we reply.

In a tax and accounting firm, keep “professional secrecy” (secreto profesional) if your code of professional conduct provides for it, as those of administrative agents (gestores administrativos) and economists do. If not, use “confidentiality”, the duty in article 5 of the LOPDGDD, Spain’s data protection law. The email and WhatsApp versions are in the Google Business Profile guide for law firms.

6. Clinic or healthcare centre: SMS after discharge

Hello [name]. Thank you for trusting [clinic]. If you would like to tell people on Google how we looked after you, here is the link: [review link]. For your privacy, we recommend that you do not include any health information. Best wishes.

Cautious approach: do not name the treatment, because anyone can read the preview on a phone screen. In mental health or assisted reproduction, send nothing: leave the QR code at reception.

Suggesting that clients leave out personal details does not influence the rating: Google’s policy does not allow personal information, such as medical information, either. What you must never write is “if there was something you did not like, tell us first”. That is discouraging negative reviews.

Reply briefly, sign your reply and give no detail about the writer

Google asks for replies that are friendly, short and signed with your name or initials, and says you should “never” share reviewers’ private information. It does not require you to reply to every review. According to its reviews help page:

• You can only reply once your profile is verified.
• Google reviews every reply. This usually takes up to 10 minutes, but it can take 30 days.
• The reviewer receives a notification and can change their review after reading your reply.

The law gives you the right to reply through the same channel (art. 20.4 of the Consumer Protection Law). It does not give you permission to use the client’s data, as 3 AEPD cases show:

• A restaurant replied to negative reviews saying that their authors were friends of a former employee, whom it named and whose disciplinary sanction it described. Fine of €1,500 (PS/00395/2021).
• A pharmacy replied to a one-star review with the name and dose of the prescribed medicine. The AEPD treated it as health data and issued the pharmacist with a warning (PA/00001/2023).
• An eye institute replied by publishing the reviewer’s name, ID number (DNI), phone number and health data. Fine of €7,000 (PS/00122/2023).

This applies to any business: revealing private information you know through your professional activity is an unlawful intrusion (art. 7.4 of Organic Law 1/1982 on the right to honour and privacy).

Our approach: reply to negative and neutral reviews within 48 hours and in the language of the review, Valencian included. If you use AI to draft the reply, do not give it any client data and check the text before publishing it.

6 model replies

1. Positive review

Thank you, [name], for taking a moment to write to us. We are glad that [what they highlight, in general terms: the service, the timing] lived up to expectations. We will be here next time. [Name], [position].

If they mention a treatment or a matter, do not repeat it.

2. Neutral or mixed review

Thank you for going into detail, [name]. We have taken note of what you say about [the wait, the opening hours]. [What you have changed or are going to review, in one sentence]. If you would like to talk it through, write to us at [email]. [Name], [position].

3. Fair negative review

You are right, [name], and we are sorry. [What went wrong, in one sentence and with no one’s details]. We have already [specific change]. We would like to put it right with you: call us on [phone] and ask for [name]. [Name], [position].

Do not offer compensation in public: Google points out that you do not need to offer a client deals or promotions. If you compensate privately, do not make it conditional on them changing the review.

4. Negative review you do not recognise

Hello. We have checked [our bookings, the orders for that date] and cannot find a visit that matches what you describe. If it was you, we want to understand what happened: write to us at [email] or call us on [phone]. [Name], [position].

Do not accuse anyone or say who you think is behind it: that is what cost the restaurant its fine. Report it separately, using the decision map.

5. Law firm or tax and accounting firm, whatever the rating

Thank you for leaving your feedback. Because of professional secrecy, we do not comment in public on any matter, and we do not confirm who is or has been a client. If you would like to talk about it, write to us at [email] or call us on [phone]. [Name], [position].

6. Clinic or healthcare centre, whatever the rating

Thank you for writing to us. Out of respect for the confidentiality of everyone we care for, we do not comment in public on any consultation or treatment. We want to hear from you: call us on [phone] or write to [email] and [name and position] will help you.

A law firm or a clinic cannot defend itself with the facts

Professional secrecy and health data do not give way because the client has told their own story.

Lawyers. They must keep secret everything they learn through their professional work (art. 542.3 of the Organic Law of the Judiciary (LOPJ)). The Code of Professional Conduct (Código Deontológico) includes what you know about the opposing party (art. 5.2). It only allows you to use what secrecy covers in disciplinary proceedings or to defend yourself against a claim (art. 5.9). In addition, the client’s consent does not excuse you from preserving it (art. 5.10).

Cautious approach: if you suspect the opposing party is the one writing, do not say so, either in your reply or in your report. And give written instructions to whoever replies on your behalf: you must make your staff respect secrecy (art. 22.4 of the General Statute of the Legal Profession, or Estatuto General de la Abogacía).

Clinics. Patients have the right to the confidentiality of their health data (art. 7.1 of Law 41/2002 on patient autonomy), which is a special category of data (GDPR, art. 9). As with the pharmacy, the name of a medicine is enough. The code of medical ethics allows secrecy to be breached if keeping it harms your reputation, but “before the appropriate bodies” (art. 31.2). Cautious approach: a reply on Google is not one of them; your professional association (colegio) or a court is.

Decision map: can I ask for it to be removed?

Google sums it up like this: “Do not report a review just because you disagree with it or do not like it”. It only removes reviews that break its policies. Go through these questions in order:

1. Are they asking you for money, products or a favour to remove negative reviews?
   • Yes: it is extortion, and Google treats it as a serious violation. Do not reply or pay, keep screenshots with the date and the sender, and use the merchant extortion form.
   • No: go to 2.
2. Is the review not based on a real experience with your business? Someone who was never a client, a competitor, a former employee or several identical reviews in a few days.
   • Yes: report it. Google prohibits content without a real experience and content with a conflict of interest.
   • No: go to 3.
3. Does it contain insults, threats, personal data, hate, sexual content or topics unrelated to your business?
   • Yes: report it for that specific reason.
   • No: go to 4.
4. Is it the negative opinion of a real client, even if it seems exaggerated to you?
   • Yes: Google will not remove it. Reply with template 3 or 4 and, if you solve the problem, tell them they can update it, without offering anything in return.
5. Did you report it and Google did not remove it?
   • Submit a one-time appeal. You can appeal up to 10 reviews at once.
6. Was the appeal rejected and do you believe the review breaks the law? For example, it attributes false facts to you or publishes someone’s personal data.
   • Use the form for removal on legal grounds.
   • In the EU you can go to an out-of-court dispute settlement body, although its decision is not binding on Google.
   • The last resort is the courts: consult a lawyer.

How to report a review, step by step

On your profile, go to “Read reviews”, click “Report” next to the review, choose the reason and submit. The assessment usually takes several days. The status and the one-time appeal are in the review management tool.

Prepare your evidence first (our approach):

• The link to the review: in Google Maps, next to the review, “Share review”.
• A screenshot showing the date.
• Why you believe it is not genuine: no booking, order or invoice matches, or the text is repeated in other reviews.

If a flood of reviews follows a news story or a controversy, Google can turn off posting for that place for a while. Report them and do not rise to the bait.

The Consumer Protection Law gives you one more argument. If a review is not from someone who used your service, or is misleading, you can request its removal. You have to prove “conclusively” that it is not from a client (art. 20.4), and the law does not say before whom or how. Cautious approach: cite it in your legal removal request, with only the essential evidence and no data about other clients.

If you can prove a competitor is behind it, the Unfair Competition Law gives you actions such as cessation or damages (art. 32). That is a lawsuit: weigh it up with a lawyer.

What you must never do

• Writing on a competitor’s profile. Google prohibits it. And criticising their business in a way that is not accurate, true and relevant is disparagement (art. 9 of the LCD).
• Putting a tablet on the counter for reviews. Cautious approach: Google watches for “unusual review volumes or patterns”, and writing a review in front of you looks too much like pressure.
• Creating another profile to start from scratch. You can only have one Business Profile per business, and the duplicate is not shown.
• Paying someone who is extorting you. Google warns that paying does not guarantee the reviews will be removed.
• Replying in the heat of the moment. Our approach: write the reply, wait an hour and reread it before publishing.

How to show your reviews on your website without breaching the Consumer Protection Law

If your website shows reviews, through a Google widget or copied, article 20.4 of the Consumer Protection Law applies to you. It requires 3 things:

1. Stating whether or not you guarantee that they come from clients who actually used your service.
2. Explaining clearly how you process them.
3. That they refer to services purchased or used in the 30 calendar days before the review. Law 10/2025 added this one, from 28 December 2025.

If challenged, it is up to you to prove that you informed properly (art. 20.5), and failing to do so is a misleading practice (art. 20.6). The Unfair Competition Law adds that you cannot claim they come from real clients without taking reasonable steps to check it (art. 27.7). Nor can you distort them (art. 27.8).

Cautious approach: do not show only the 5-star ones. Show the most recent ones with this notice next to them:

About these reviews. These are reviews published on our Google Business Profile. We ask our clients for feedback within 30 days of the service. We show the [number] most recent ones, positive or negative, without editing them. We do not verify that each author was a client: Google publishes and moderates them according to its policies. You can read them all at [link to the profile].

You cannot check the third requirement on a Google review. That is why the notice says when you ask for reviews. If you want to go further, link to your profile instead of copying reviews.

If you do verify them, for example because you only ask people who have an invoice for their feedback, say so and explain how. And 3 caveats:

• Law firms. The Statute prohibits references to clients without their authorisation in advertising (art. 20.2.e), and the Code of Professional Conduct requires that authorisation in writing (art. 6.3.e). A named review on your website is such a reference: better to link to your profile. We explain it in advertising for lawyers.
• Clinics. Copied onto your website, reviews become your advertising, and healthcare regulations limit testimonials. We explain it in healthcare advertising.
• Stars on Google. With reviews about your own business, your website is not eligible for stars in the results, even if you use Google’s widget.

Measure 5 numbers every month

Cross-check this data with your profile performance: calls, direction requests and clicks to your website. If reviews disappear, first check the reasons Google gives, such as a pending moderation check or a removal for spam.

What to do on Monday

1. Get the link and the QR code from your profile on a computer.
2. Choose your fixed moment and the request template that fits it. If you have a team, put it in writing.
3. Remove any incentive, prize draw or prior survey you currently use.
4. Read your last 20 replies and edit any that give a detail about the client, their matter or their health.
5. Run suspicious reviews through the decision map and report only those that fit.
6. If you show reviews on your website, add the article 20.4 notice.

If you would rather not do it alone, at NOR studio we set up this system as part of our local SEO work for SMEs, law firms and clinics in Castellón and Valencia. And if you first want to know where you stand, request your audit.