You’re about to print a sign for the counter: “Leave us a review and get 10% off your next visit.” It looks like a fair and friendly way to get Google reviews.
Don’t print it. Google bans any reward in exchange for a review, and that includes discounts, gifts and prize draws. Australian law is a little looser than Google on this point, but for reviews on Google, it’s Google’s rule that decides what happens to your profile.
We run review outreach for Australian businesses at BuyReviews, and this is one of the most common mistakes we see from honest owners. Here’s how the two sets of rules fit together.
Can you offer incentives for Google reviews in Australia?
No. Google says offering free or discounted goods or services in exchange for reviews is fake engagement, and it’s strictly prohibited.
It doesn’t matter that your customers are real, or that you’d reward a bad review as happily as a good one. Google’s concern is that a reward changes why the review was written.
What does Google count as an incentive?
More than most owners expect. Discounts and free products are the obvious ones. Reporting on Google’s policy also lists gift cards, loyalty points and prize draws.
The ban covers more than new reviews. Google says you can’t offer anything for changing an existing review or removing a negative one. So “we’ll refund you if you take that review down” breaks the rule as well.
What does Australian law say about review incentives?
The ACCC takes a different line. It doesn’t ban incentives outright, but it says businesses that offer them risk misleading consumers.
It sets two conditions. The incentive must apply no matter if the review is positive or negative. And it must be clearly disclosed, so people reading the review know it was incentivised.
That guidance covers reviews anywhere, including your own website. There, an offer that meets both conditions can be lawful.
Why can’t you follow the ACCC rule on Google?
Because Google runs the platform, and its rule is stricter. Meeting the legal standard doesn’t stop Google from removing reviews or restricting your profile.
There’s a practical problem too. The ACCC wants incentivised reviews clearly disclosed, and you can’t add a label to someone else’s Google review. In our view, that makes a compliant incentive on Google close to impossible, even before Google’s own ban.
What happens if Google finds incentivised reviews?
Google can remove the reviews and restrict the profile. The listed restrictions are no new reviews for a set period, existing reviews unpublished for a set period, and a public warning that fake reviews were removed.
This isn’t a theoretical risk. One notice shared publicly in 2026 told a business that Google had found more incentivised reviews after an earlier violation. Its reviews were hidden and new ones blocked for two months, with a warning shown to customers.
Think about how the offer spreads. It’s on a sign, in an email, or on a receipt, and any customer can pass it to Google. We wouldn’t count on it going unnoticed.
Can you reward staff for collecting reviews?
Our view is that rewarding staff for asking is a different thing, because the reviewer gets nothing. Plenty of businesses do it.
Keep it tied to asking, not to results. A bonus for every five-star review pushes staff to pressure customers or pick only the happy ones. A small reward for asking every customer doesn’t. Staff should never write reviews themselves.
Is a thank-you after the review allowed?
A thank-you in words is fine, and we’d encourage it. Reply to the review within a day or two and mention something specific about the job.
We’d steer clear of gifts, even surprise ones sent afterwards. Once customers hear that reviewers get something, it works as an incentive, and it can be reported as one.
What should you do if you’ve already offered incentives?
Stop the offer today and tidy up. Here’s the order we’d do it in.
- Take down every sign, and remove the offer from emails, receipts, social posts and your website.
- Tell staff to stop mentioning it.
- Check the inbox of the Google account that manages your Business Profile for any message from Google.
- Search your business name and look for a warning on your profile.
- Switch to asking with no reward, starting with this week’s customers.
If Google does restrict your profile, its notice explains how to appeal. Be straightforward about what you’ve changed.
How do you get more Google reviews without incentives?
You make it easy and you ask at the right time. In our experience, timing does more than any reward.
- On a computer, sign in to the Google account that manages your Business Profile and search your business name.
- Select Read reviews, then Get more reviews, then Copy. Google gives you this link, so you won’t need a Google review link generator.
- Ask every customer in person on the day the job is done.
- Send the link within the hour by text, or with a short review request email template that asks for an honest review.
- Send one reminder a week later.
- Reply to every review, including complaints.
Step 6 matters when a review is negative. You can’t pay to have it changed, but when you respond to negative Google reviews and fix the issue, Google says the customer can update it.
If a review is fake, that’s different. Select the three dots, then Report review. It’s the only proper way to remove fake Google reviews.
At BuyReviews, we run steps 3 to 5 for you. You share your customer list, we send the requests and reminders, and nobody is rewarded for posting. That’s how we help owners get Google reviews and improve Google reviews safely. For Google reviews, Australia has two rulebooks, and good online reputation management in Australia means meeting both.
Frequently asked questions
Can I offer a discount for a Google review in Australia?
Not on Google. Google bans any discount, gift or free service in exchange for a review and treats it as fake engagement, even when the customer is real. Australian law is less strict, but Google’s rule decides what happens to your profile. Break it and Google can remove reviews and restrict the profile.
Can I run a prize draw for customers who leave reviews?
No, not for Google reviews. A prize draw entry is a reward for posting, so it falls under Google’s ban on incentives, the same as a discount or gift card. It doesn’t matter that only one person wins. If you want to run a competition, keep it separate from reviews altogether.
Is it legal to offer incentives for reviews on my own website?
It can be, under the ACCC’s two conditions. The incentive has to apply to positive and negative reviews alike, and it has to be clearly disclosed so readers know the review was incentivised. If you only reward positive reviews, or hide the reward, you risk misleading consumers and breaching the law.
Can I offer something to a customer to change a bad review?
No. Google’s ban covers rewards for changing an existing review or removing a negative one, as well as rewards for posting. What you can do is fix the customer’s problem and reply politely. Google says customers can update their review after reading your reply, and in our experience some do once the issue is sorted.
Can I give staff a bonus for getting reviews?
In our view, rewarding staff for asking is different from rewarding customers for posting, because the reviewer gets nothing. Tie any bonus to the number of customers asked, never to star ratings or review wording. Staff must not write reviews themselves or pressure customers, and the customer’s opinion has to stay their own.
What should you do next?
Bin the discount sign. Copy your review link and ask the next customer in person, with nothing offered in return.
If you’d like the asking done for you, send BuyReviews your customer list and we’ll help you get Google reviews Australia without a single incentive.
