Can you pay people for reviews?

The rule surprises people because it covers real customers too. Google's review policies prohibit soliciting reviews in exchange for anything of value: cash, discounts, entry into a prize draw, a free dessert. The review can be from a genuine customer and completely honest, and it still breaks the policy if it was rewarded, because payment reliably bends what people write.

UK law runs alongside. Under the consumer protection regime in force since April 2025, a review obtained through an undisclosed incentive is treated as misleading, and businesses publishing reviews are expected to take reasonable steps to keep incentivised ones out or clearly labelled. Disclosure might satisfy the law in some settings, but it does not satisfy Google, so for Google reviews the practical rule is simply never.

The line to hold is between asking and rewarding. You can ask every customer, ask at the perfect moment, send the direct link, follow up, print QR codes on invoices, and none of it costs the customer anything or breaks any rule. The moment the ask carries a reward, you are on the wrong side.

Watch the accidental versions. A prize draw for everyone who leaves a review, a discount code in the follow-up text, staff bonuses tied to named five-stars that lead to staff nudging customers with offers: all common, all incentivised solicitation. The clean staff incentive rewards jobs that generate reviews organically, without the customer being offered anything.

If a marketing company pitches you paid review generation, that is the commissioning ban with your business name attached to it. The businesses winning on reviews in your area are almost never paying for them, they are just asking relentlessly and making it effortless.