Google reviews: what is allowed and how to reply well.

Google shows reviews right with your business profile, in Search and in Maps.¹ No wonder offers circulate that promise more stars fast, from a package of fifty reviews to a free drink at the bar in exchange for a review.

This post shows which of that is allowed in Austria, under the Unfair Competition Act (UWG) and under Google's own policies, and how to reply to reviews in a way that helps later readers. It reflects the state of 20 October 2026. It gives an overview and is not legal advice.

What is allowed with Google reviews

In short: you may ask for honest reviews, you may reply publicly, and you may report reviews that break Google's rules. Google says explicitly that businesses may encourage reviews that reflect a genuine experience, as long as they offer nothing for them and do not try to influence the rating or the content.²

Everything else rests on two sets of rules that complement each other: the UWG, which applies to every business in Austria, and the policies Google uses to police the Google Business Profile.

What Austria's UWG prohibits

Since 2022, fake reviews have been on the UWG's so-called blacklist, the annex of commercial practices „die unter allen Umständen als unlauter gelten“ (that are unfair in all circumstances).³ They were added by the Second Modernisation Directive Implementation Act (MoRUG II), published on 19 July 2022, which implements EU Directive 2019/2161.⁴ The new items took effect on the day after publication.³

Two items concern reviews:³

• Item 23c prohibits submitting fake consumer reviews or endorsements, commissioning others to do so, and misrepresenting consumer reviews in social media to promote sales. Bought reviews and reviews written by you or people close to you fall under it.
• Item 23b prohibits claiming that reviews come from consumers who actually used or bought the product without having taken reasonable steps to check this.

The UWG is enforced mainly through civil law. Competitors, the Austrian Economic Chamber (WKO) and, for misleading practices, the consumer association VKI, among others, can sue for an injunction; a harmed business can also claim damages.³

Can you buy Google reviews?

No. Besides the UWG, Google also prohibits paid reviews, "directly or in kind", as well as content posted from multiple accounts and reviews based on a conflict of interest, such as employment at the business.²

If Google finds a violation, it removes the reviews and can also restrict the profile. Google's examples: the profile cannot receive new reviews for a set period, existing reviews are unpublished for a time, and a warning tells people that fake reviews were removed.⁵ You can appeal such a restriction.⁵

A voucher for a review: is that allowed?

No, not even if the review is honest. Google prohibits incentives such as payment, discounts or free goods and services in exchange for posting a review, changing one or removing a negative one.² The Business Profile help calls such incentives "strictly prohibited" and treats the resulting reviews as fake and misleading content.¹

So-called review gating is not allowed either: asking only satisfied customers for a review, or discouraging negative ones. Google also asks businesses not to pressure customers into reviewing on the premises, not to request specific content, and not to set staff a quota of reviews.²

How to ask for reviews properly

Google itself recommends reminding customers and giving them a link or a QR code, which you create in your business profile.¹ What matters is asking everyone, not just the regulars who are already delighted. Google itself notes that a mix of positive and negative reviews often feels more trustworthy.¹

What works in practice:

• a QR code on the receipt, the menu or a stand at the till,
• the link in the confirmation or thank-you email after an appointment,
• a short, neutral request: "We'd appreciate your honest review."

To leave a review, customers need a Google Account, which they can also create with a non-Gmail email address.¹

How to reply to a negative Google review

You can reply once your profile is verified.⁶ Your reply appears publicly under the review as the business, not under your personal name, and the person who wrote the review is notified.⁶ Google checks replies before publishing them, usually within ten minutes, sometimes up to 30 days.⁶

For critical reviews, Google gives four pointers: never share private information or get personal, be honest about what you can and cannot do, apologise where appropriate, and address the reviewer by name.¹ For complex cases, Google suggests asking the reviewer to call or email you and settling it there.¹

A reply along these lines might read:

Thank you for telling us, Ms Berger. We're sorry you waited almost 40 minutes for your drinks on Saturday; there were only two of us behind the bar that night, which was too few. We have since planned weekends with a third person. If you like, give us a call, we'd be glad to hear what else we could do better. Lukas, owner

Example

Don't offer anything in the reply in return for a changed or removed review; that is exactly what Google prohibits.² Google also advises against using replies for deals or promotions.¹ If the reviewer later changes the review of their own accord, Google shows the date of the latest change.⁶

Example

How to report a Google review, and what happens next

You report a review that violates Google's policies in your profile, right next to the review, and choose a reason such as spam or profanity.⁷ Only reviews that actually violate the policies are removed. Don't report a review just because you dislike it: Google says it doesn't get involved in conflicts between businesses and customers.⁷

According to Google, the evaluation usually takes several days. You can follow the status in the Reviews Management Tool; if Google declines to remove a review, you can file a one-time appeal, for up to ten reviews at once.⁷ For content you believe breaks the law, for example through untrue statements of fact, Google has a separate form for legal reports.⁸

Showing Google reviews on your own website

A point many overlook: whoever makes consumer reviews available must state whether and how they ensure the reviews come from people who actually used or bought the product (section 2(6b) UWG).³ The Economic Chamber explains that this duty also applies when you embed Google reviews directly on your website. A plain link to your profile does not trigger it, in that reading.⁹

So if you put a review widget on your site, add a short note on whether and how authenticity is checked. How your website and your profile get found together is covered in How to be found on Google and in AI search; the same details also feed AI search.

What follows

Genuine reviews come from many small requests, not from one campaign. Ask everyone, make it easy with a link or QR code, and answer criticism factually and personally. That is allowed, costs little and tells later guests more than any star count. How to set up and maintain the profile itself is in Setting up and maintaining your Google Business Profile.

If you'd rather not do this yourself: bown keeps your profile current and replies to reviews in your name. We settle the scope in a 30-minute first conversation.

Notes

1. Google Business Profile Help, "Tips to get more reviews", accessed 20 October 2026. ^{2 3 4 5 6 7 8}

2. Google Maps Help, "Maps user contributed content policy", sections "Fake Engagement", "Rating Manipulation" and "Misrepresentation", accessed 20 October 2026. ^{2 3 4 5}

3. RIS, Bundesgesetz gegen den unlauteren Wettbewerb 1984 (UWG), sections 2(6b), 14, 16, 44(13) and annex items 23b and 23c, version of 20 October 2026, accessed 20 October 2026. ^{2 3 4 5}

4. RIS, BGBl. I Nr. 110/2022, Zweites Modernisierungsrichtlinie-Umsetzungsgesetz (MoRUG II), published 19 July 2022, CELEX 32019L2161, accessed 20 October 2026.

5. Google Business Profile Help, "Business Profile restrictions for policy violations", accessed 20 October 2026. ²

6. Google Business Profile Help, "Manage customer reviews", accessed 20 October 2026. ^{2 3 4}

7. Google Business Profile Help, "Report inappropriate reviews on your Business Profile", accessed 20 October 2026. ^{2 3}

8. Google Legal Help, "Report Content for Legal Reasons", accessed 20 October 2026.

9. Wirtschaftskammer Niederösterreich, "E-Commerce Rechtsfrage #8: Darstellung von Kundenbewertungen im Onlineshop", 25 April 2025, accessed 20 October 2026.