Reviews and reputation guide 05

Review Site Rules Compared: Google, Yelp, Facebook, and More

Each review site has its own rules. Follow the site's own rules, not your review software's default settings. What is fine on Google can be against the rules on Yelp.

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The operating sequence

List your review sites
Read each site's rules
Set what's allowed
Turn off what isn't
Recheck when rules change

Why this matters

One review request sent everywhere can break some sites' rules.

Review sites disagree about asking for reviews. Google lets businesses ask customers and share a link. Yelp's guidelines say businesses should never ask customers to write reviews. Tripadvisor lets businesses encourage reviews but bans rewards and asking only guests who had a good time. Review software often sends the same request to every site it supports, which can put you on the wrong side of a site's rules.

Site rules sit alongside the law, not in place of it. The FTC's Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule bans fake reviews, rewards that depend on a review being positive or negative, undisclosed staff reviews, and review suppression, whatever a site allows. If a site's rules seem to permit something the FTC rule prohibits, follow the stricter rule.

Responsible practices

Follow each site's own rules and keep your software in line with them.

List the sites you actually use

Write down each review site where you have a profile and where you ask customers to review you. Include industry sites such as Houzz, Angi, Healthgrades, or Avvo if they matter in your field.

Read the site's own rules

Use each site's current policy page, not a vendor's help article, a blog post, or what competitors do. The comparison on this page links to each site's own policy.

Set your software to match

Turn off requests to any site that doesn't allow them, such as Yelp. Your software's default settings are not a guide to what each site permits.

Watch staff incentives

Google does not allow businesses to require staff to collect a set number of reviews or reviews with specific content, and Tripadvisor bans rewarding employees for reviews. Reward good service, not review counts.

Pause when you are unsure

If a site changes its rules, sends a warning, or you can't tell what your software is doing, stop sending requests to that site until you've checked.

Recheck on a schedule

Look at each site's rules at least once a year and whenever you change software, add a reward, or see a warning on your profile.

Worked example

How the main review sites compare

This summary reflects each site's published policy when this guide was last updated. Rules change, so open the linked policy before you rely on it. Federal rules on fake and paid reviews apply on every site.

Google: You may ask customers for reviews and share a link or QR code. No rewards for reviews. Don't discourage negative reviews, ask only happy customers, or require staff to collect a set number of reviews or reviews with specific content.
Yelp: Yelp's Content Guidelines say businesses should never ask customers to write reviews. Let customers find you on Yelp on their own. Yelp may place a Consumer Alert on pages where it finds paid or suspicious reviews.
Facebook: Page owners can turn recommendations on or off in Page settings. Check Meta's current help pages before asking for recommendations or offering anything in return.
Tripadvisor: Businesses may encourage reviews, but Tripadvisor bans rewards for reviews, rewarding employees for reviews, and asking only guests who had a good experience.
BBB: BBB does not accept reviews given in exchange for a discount, gift, or other reward, even when the reward is disclosed. Only the customer who dealt with the business can post a review.
Nextdoor: Nextdoor's business guidance encourages asking neighbors who have done business with you to recommend you. Check its current help pages, and remember federal rules on rewards and insider reviews still apply.
Houzz and Angi: Houzz's review policy bars reviews from the business's employees or relatives and requires any reward to be clearly stated in the review. For Angi, check its current terms before sending requests.
Healthgrades and Avvo: Healthgrades says doctors cannot pay for good reviews or to remove negative ones. Avvo's guidelines say reviews should come from people who were clients or consulted the lawyer. Licensing-board and privacy rules may add limits, so check those too.

Ask on sites that allow it, stay off Yelp requests entirely, and never reward a review anywhere.

Review site rules

Match your review requests to each site.

What you can do yourself

01
List every review site where you have a profile.
02
Open each site's policy page and note whether you may ask for reviews.
03
Turn off review requests to Yelp and any other site that forbids them.
04
Remove any reward tied to reviews, for customers or staff.
05
Put a yearly reminder on your calendar to recheck each site's rules.

What to ask your provider or staff to handle

01
List every review site their software sends requests to, and turn off any you haven't approved.
02
Show you the site policy they relied on for each one.
03
Tell you before changing which sites, messages, or rewards the software uses.

Avoid these mistakes

Do not treat every review site the same.

Sending the same request to Google, Yelp, and every directory because the software supports it
Treating a vendor's sales page or an old screenshot as the site's current rules
Rewarding staff for the number of reviews or for reviews that mention them by name
Assuming that if a site allows something, federal law does too
Letting an agency change review sites or messages without telling you

Customers decide what they write and review sites decide what stays up, so ratings, review counts, and removals are not guaranteed.

Questions business owners ask

Know which rules apply and when to check again.

01Can I send one review request to every site?

No. Google allows fair, reward-free requests, but Yelp says businesses should never ask for reviews, and other sites have their own limits. Check each site before you send.

02How often should I check review site rules?

At least once a year, and right away when you change software, add a reward, see a warning on your profile, or hear that a site changed its policy.

03If a site allows something, does that mean it's legal?

Not necessarily. Site rules and the law are separate. The FTC rule on reviews applies whatever a site allows, and professional or privacy rules may add more. Ask a qualified adviser about your specific situation.

04What if my review vendor can't explain what its software does?

Pause it. Ask which sites it sends to, what messages it uses, whether it filters customers, and whether it offers rewards. If they can't show you, don't rely on the results they report.

Primary guidance

Review site policies and federal guidance

Follow each site's rules

Know what each review site allows before you ask.

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