Note (September 2026): This guide now reflects the US FTC rule on fake reviews (in force since October 21, 2024) and the UK ban on fake and cherry-picked reviews (in force since April 6, 2025); earlier advice to display only positive reviews has been corrected.
To integrate review services into your marketing strategy, ask every customer for an honest review on a platform such as Google Business Profile or Trustpilot, then reuse those genuine reviews on your website, social media, videos and case studies. Never buy reviews, offer rewards for positive ones, or hide negative ones: Google, the US FTC and the UK CMA all prohibit it.
Key Takeaways
- Review services are the platforms and tools that collect, host and display customer reviews, such as Google Business Profile, Yelp and Trustpilot.
- Google lets businesses ask customers for reviews, but prohibits incentives and “selectively soliciting positive reviews” (review gating).
- Yelp tells businesses not to ask anyone for reviews at all, so each platform needs its own approach.
- The US FTC rule on consumer reviews and testimonials took effect on October 21, 2024; the UK made fake reviews a banned practice on April 6, 2025, with CMA fines of up to 10% of global turnover.
- Showing reviews on your own site will not earn Google star rich results for your LocalBusiness or Organization markup, because Google treats them as self-serving.
More and more businesses are turning to review services as a way to improve their marketing efforts. The reason is simple: genuine customer reviews give prospective buyers independent evidence about a product or service, and review platforms such as Google Business Profile, Yelp and Trustpilot make that evidence visible in search results and maps. Used correctly, they can help you reach new customers, build trust with existing ones and support your SEO ranking.
Below are practical tips on how to integrate review services into your marketing strategy. Note that not every online “review” is a customer review: an article such as a Masterpapers review is a write-up of an academic essay-writing service, and services that write assignments for students are illegal in England and Wales and in Australia, according to Wikipedia’s article on essay mills. This guide is about genuine customer reviews of your own business.
Share Reviews on Social Media
One great way to integrate review services into your marketing strategy is by sharing reviews on social media. This can help increase brand awareness and build trust with potential customers. When sharing reviews on social media, credit the platform the review came from and ask the reviewer before tagging or naming them.
This will help increase visibility for your business. Additionally, you can use hashtags to reach a wider audience. If you’re not sure how to get started, read the review platform’s own business guidelines first: Google, for example, lets businesses remind customers to leave reviews through a Google link or QR code, while Yelp asks businesses not to request reviews at all.
Incorporate Reviews in Your Video Content
Incorporating reviews in your video content is a great way to increase customer confidence and build trust with potential customers. By featuring reviews in your videos, you can show that you’re not afraid to let others speak their mind about your product or service.
This can be a powerful marketing tool, especially when well-known industry experts give their honest opinion; if an expert is paid, given free products or otherwise connected to your business, that connection must be clearly disclosed under US FTC rules. If you don’t have any existing reviews, consider reaching out to some of your most satisfied customers and asking them if they’d be willing to provide a review on the camera.
Including review footage in your marketing videos is a great way to give potential customers an insight into what others think of your product or service. It’s also an opportunity to build trust and show that you’re not afraid to let others have their say.
If you don’t have any existing reviews, reach out to some of your most satisfied customers and ask them if they’d be willing to provide a review on the camera.
Display Reviews on Your Website
Displaying reviews on your website is a great way to show potential customers that you’re trustworthy and reliable. It also helps to build social proof, which can be helpful in boosting conversions. To get started, you’ll need to gather reviews from your past customers.
You can do this by sending out surveys or emailing them directly. Once you have collected reviews, display them prominently on your website, including the less favorable ones: hiding negative reviews or cherry-picking positive ones is a banned practice in the UK and can be deceptive under US law.
If you don’t have any reviews yet, don’t worry! There are other ways to build trust with potential customers. For example, you could highlight customer testimonials or display badges from third-party review sites like Trustpilot or Yelp.
Building trust with potential customers is essential for any business looking to succeed online. By taking the time to integrate review services into your marketing strategy, you’ll be well on your way to achieving your goals.
Highlight Customer Stories
One way to integrate review services into your marketing strategy is by highlighting customer stories. Highlighting customer stories is a great way to show off your product or service in a real-world setting and allows you to collect user-generated content (UGC) that you can use in future marketing campaigns.
When collecting customer stories, be sure to get permission from the customer to use their story and images publicly. You can then showcase the customer story on your website, social media channels, or even in traditional marketing collateral like case studies or brochures.
Not only does highlighting customer stories help promote your product or service, but it also builds trust with potential customers who see that you have happy and satisfied customers.
If you’re looking for ways to integrate review services into your marketing strategy, consider highlighting customer stories as a way to show off your product or service in a real-world setting.
In Conclusion
There are a variety of ways to integrate review services into your marketing strategy. It’s important to find the right solution for your business and then put in the effort to make sure your customers are aware of the program. Review services can be an excellent way to improve customer loyalty and increase sales, but only if they are used correctly.
What Are Review Services?
Review services are the platforms and tools that collect, host and display customer reviews of a business, product or service. Public review platforms include Google Business Profile (reviews shown in Google Search and Google Maps), Yelp and Trustpilot; review-management software sends review requests and pulls reviews into a website widget or dashboard.
Each platform sets its own rules, and consumer-protection law sits on top of those rules. A review strategy that works on Google can break Yelp’s guidelines, so check the policy of every platform you use before sending a single request.
How to Integrate Review Services Step by Step
- Choose the platforms that matter to your customers. Local businesses usually start with Google Business Profile; online brands often add Trustpilot or product reviews on their store.
- Read each platform’s business rules. Google allows review requests but bans incentives and selective solicitation; Yelp asks businesses not to request reviews at all.
- Ask every customer the same way. Send one standard request, link or QR code to all buyers after the purchase, without first asking whether they were happy.
- Respond to reviews, including negative ones. A calm, factual public reply shows prospective customers how you handle problems.
- Get permission before reusing a review. Ask before putting a customer’s name, photo or story in an ad, video or case study.
- Reuse reviews across channels. Quote genuine reviews on social media, in videos, on product pages and in email, and say which platform each came from.
- Keep the picture current and complete. Show recent reviews and do not remove critical ones; the UK CMA also treats relying on out-of-date reviews that no longer reflect the product as misleading.
Review Platform and Legal Rules Compared
| Platform or regulator | Can you ask customers for reviews? | Incentives | Hiding or filtering negative reviews |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Business Profile / Google Maps | Yes, for example with a Google review link or QR code | Prohibited (payment, discounts, free goods or services) | Prohibited: no discouraging negative reviews or selectively soliciting positive ones |
| Yelp | No: Yelp says not to ask anyone to review your business | Not applicable | Solicited reviews may be filtered out by Yelp’s recommendation software |
| US FTC rule (in force October 21, 2024) | Yes, general requests to all purchasers are allowed | Allowed only if not conditioned on a positive or negative sentiment, and must be disclosed | Suppressing reviews through threats or intimidation is prohibited; putting only five-star reviews on top by default may be deceptive |
| UK DMCC Act 2024 (fake review rules in force April 6, 2025) | Yes | Paid-for reviews must be clearly marked as incentivised | Suppressing negative reviews and cherry-picking positive ones are banned practices |
What Does the Law Say About Fake Reviews?
United States: the FTC Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule
The US Federal Trade Commission announced its final rule banning fake reviews and testimonials on August 14, 2024. The rule was published in the Federal Register on August 22, 2024 and took effect on October 21, 2024.
According to the FTC, the rule prohibits:
- creating, selling or buying fake consumer reviews and testimonials, including AI-generated fake reviews;
- offering compensation or incentives conditioned on a review expressing a particular sentiment;
- undisclosed reviews by company insiders such as officers, managers and employees;
- company-controlled review websites that claim to be independent;
- suppressing negative reviews through unfounded legal threats, intimidation or false accusations;
- buying or selling fake social media indicators such as followers or views.
The rule lets the FTC seek civil penalties from businesses that knowingly break it.
United Kingdom: the DMCC Act
In the UK, the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 made fake reviews a banned practice from April 6, 2025. According to the UK government and the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the ban covers obtaining and posting fake reviews, paid-for reviews that are not clearly marked as incentivised, and misleading handling of reviews such as hiding negative ones. The CMA can fine a business up to 10% of its global turnover for breaching consumer protection law, and businesses that publish reviews must take reasonable and proportionate steps to prevent and remove fake ones.
Do Reviews on Your Own Website Show Star Ratings in Google?
Usually not for the business itself. Google’s review snippet documentation states that if the entity being reviewed controls the reviews about itself, its pages using LocalBusiness or other Organization structured data are ineligible for the star review feature. This applies to reviews on the business’s own site, including embedded third-party widgets.
Review markup can still be eligible on pages about supported item types, such as a Product, Book, Course, Event, Movie, Recipe or Software App, when the reviews come directly from users. The main search value of reviews for a local business therefore comes from the reviews on Google Business Profile itself, which appear in Google Search and Maps. For more on that side, see this guide to why local SEO matters for your business.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Review gating: asking “Were you happy?” first and sending only satisfied customers to Google. Google lists selective solicitation of positive reviews as prohibited.
- Rewards for reviews on Google: discounts or free items in exchange for a Google review break Google’s policy even when the review is honest.
- Staff and family reviews: Google treats reviews based on a conflict of interest, including current or former employment, as prohibited content, and the FTC rule requires insiders to disclose their connection.
- Asking for Yelp reviews: Yelp’s guidance is not to ask customers, friends or family for reviews.
- Using a review without permission: get consent before a customer’s words, name or image appear in advertising.
- Showing only five-star reviews: a mix of ratings is more credible, and cherry-picking is a banned practice in the UK.
Related Guides
Reviews work best as part of a wider plan. See these ways to build a positive online reputation for your business, these social media marketing tips for small businesses, these tips to boost your video marketing, and these methods for measuring customer loyalty.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it legal to ask customers for reviews?
Yes, in general. The US FTC says general requests for reviews sent to all purchasers are allowed, and Google lets businesses remind customers to leave reviews with a Google link or QR code. Yelp is the notable exception: it asks businesses not to request reviews.
Can I give customers a discount for leaving a review?
Not on Google, which prohibits incentives such as payment, discounts or free goods in exchange for reviews. Under the FTC rule, an incentive is not banned if it does not require a particular sentiment, but it must be disclosed; in the UK, incentivised reviews must be clearly marked.
What is review gating?
Review gating is screening customers first and asking only the happy ones to post a public review. Google prohibits it as selective solicitation of positive reviews, and the UK treats cherry-picking positive reviews as a banned practice.
Can I delete negative reviews from my website?
Removing a genuine negative review to make your rating look better is risky. In the UK, suppressing negative reviews is a banned practice; in the US, the FTC rule prohibits suppressing reviews through threats or intimidation, and ordering reviews to hide criticism may be deceptive under the FTC Act. Removing reviews that are fake or abusive is a different matter.
Do customer reviews help SEO?
Reviews on Google Business Profile appear directly in Google Search and Maps, where searchers see them. Reviews on your own website do not earn star rich results for your LocalBusiness or Organization markup, because Google treats them as self-serving.
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