Overview
Google has updated its review policy to make review solicitation rules more explicit.
Businesses can still ask customers to leave reviews. However, review requests should be neutral, open-ended, and based on the customer’s genuine experience.
This means businesses should avoid influencing what customers write in their reviews. This includes prompting customers to mention a specific staff member, technician, employee, or service provider.
What changed?
Google’s Rating Manipulation policy clarifies that businesses should not request specific content in reviews.
This includes:
Asking staff to collect a certain number of reviews
Asking staff to request reviews with specific content
Asking customers to mention a staff member or technician
Offering incentives, rewards, or prizes in exchange for reviews
Encouraging only satisfied customers to leave reviews
Source: Google Business Profile / Google Maps User Generated Content policy
What does this mean for review request templates?
Review request templates should not guide or influence what customers write.
Avoid templates that include or imply:
“Mention your technician by name.”
“Tell us how [EmployeeName] did.”
“Leave a review for [StaffName].”
“Our team members earn rewards when mentioned in reviews.”
“Help [EmployeeName] win a prize by leaving a review.”
“If you had a great experience, review us on Google. If not, contact us directly.”
The safer approach is to ask for honest, unbiased feedback about the customer’s experience.
Recommended template guidance
Recommended
Use neutral, open-ended language:
Example 1: Thank you for choosing [Business Name]. Your feedback helps us improve and helps other customers make informed decisions. Please share your honest experience on Google.
Example 2: We’d appreciate your feedback. Please take a moment to share your honest experience with [Business Name] on Google.
Avoid
Do not use language like:
Tell us how [EmployeeName] did during your visit
Mention your technician in your review
Our employees can win rewards when customers mention them
If you had a great experience, leave us a Google review. If not, contact us directly
What should customers update in Birdeye?
Customers should review their Google review request templates and remove:
Staff name merge fields
Technician name merge fields
Employee name references
“Mention this person” prompts
Incentive, reward, contest, or prize language
Review quotas or leaderboard language
“5-star review” or rating guidance
Conditional flows that direct unhappy customers away from Google
Where to update templates
Go to the Marketing Automation AI tab.
Go to Templates AI, select Email, and under the Saved tab, find the review request email templates to edit.
Hover over the desired template and click Edit. Review any templates used for Google review requests and remove language that could influence the customer’s response.
To edit a review request text template, select Text under the Templates AI tab. Hover over the desired text template and click Edit.
To learn how to create templates, refer to the article: How to Create Email and Text Templates Using the Template Builder (Birdeye Marketing Automation).
FAQs
Can I still ask customers for Google reviews?
Yes. Businesses can ask for reviews as long as the request reflects a genuine experience and does not influence the rating or content.
Can a customer mention a staff member on their own?
Yes. Customers may naturally mention staff in their reviews. The risk arises when the business prompts or encourages them to do so.
Can we include the technician’s name in the message without asking customers to mention them?
Birdeye’s recommended best practice is to avoid including staff names in Google review request templates. Even without a direct prompt, it may influence review content.
Do we need to update existing templates?
Yes. Any template that includes staff names, prompts, incentives, contests, or rating guidance should be updated.
Can we run internal contests based on reviews or name mentions?
This is not recommended. Google’s policy discourages requesting reviews with specific content or encouraging staff to generate reviews tied to performance metrics.
Is this legal advice?
No. This article provides product and policy-aligned guidance. Businesses should consult their legal or compliance teams for specific advice.