Google review rules in Australia: a plain guide (April 2026)

What's allowed, and what's not?

A quick check. The details and sources are further down.

Can I offer a discount for Google reviews?

No. Google bans any reward for a review: discounts, free services, gifts or entries into a draw. It calls this fake engagement and says it is strictly prohibited. Australian law is a little looser, but your Google listing must follow Google's rules. So the simple answer is: no rewards, ever.

Google says it in two places. On Tips to get more reviews: "Offering incentives, like free of cost or discounted goods or services, in exchange for customers to post reviews, change reviews or remove negative reviews is considered fake engagement and is strictly prohibited." Its page on making a review link or QR code uses the same words: "fake engagement".

The ACCC, Australia's consumer watchdog, takes a different line. Its online reviews guidance says an incentive is only acceptable when it's clearly disclosed and offered whatever the rating. That's the legal floor in Australia. But Google can still remove reviews or restrict your listing for breaking its own rules. So when the two differ, follow the stricter one: Google.

Can I ask only happy customers for reviews?

No. Asking only the customers you think will be happy is called "review gating". Google bans it. Australian courts have punished it. In the best-known case, the Federal Court ordered Meriton to pay $3 million. The fix is simple: ask every customer, the same way, whatever you think they'll say.

Google's Maps user-generated content policy lists "selectively solicit positive reviews from customers" as banned.

In the Meriton case, TripAdvisor sent guests an email asking for a review. Meriton changed the email addresses of guests who had complained, or who it thought might complain, so the invite never reached them. The ACCC took the case to the Federal Court, which found it misleading and ordered Meriton to pay $3 million. See the ACCC media release.

Gating also hides inside tools. Watch for any setup that sends 5-star reviewers to Google but sends 1- to 3-star reviewers to a private form instead. That's gating, even if a computer does the sorting.

Can I put a review QR code on my counter? (Google's April 2026 rules)

Yes. A review QR code on your counter, or on a stand, is fine. Since mid-2026, some blog posts have said Google's April 2026 rules ban counter QR codes. Google's own pages don't say that.

Google's help page on making a review link or QR code lists ways to share it. One of them is:

"Print and display the QR code in your store"

The Maps user-generated content policy is about pressure, not the code itself:

"When soliciting reviews, merchants should not require or pressure users to leave ratings or write reviews while on the premises, nor should they request that specific content be included."

So the code is fine. Pushing people is not.

What's fine:

• A QR code or stand on the counter, where every customer can see it.
• One friendly line, said to everyone the same way: "If you have a minute, we'd love your honest review."
• A card they can take home and scan later.

What counts as pressure:

• Standing over someone while they type.
• Handing them the shop phone or tablet.
• "Scan before you go," or anything that sounds like a condition.
• Asking for 5 stars, or asking them to mention a staff member.

Need the words? Our guide has eight easy lines for asking in English, with Vietnamese translations.

The discount question trips a lot of owners up. business.gov.au says an incentive "is ok if you offer the incentive for both positive and negative reviews". You must also disclose it. But Google doesn't allow incentives "in exchange for posting any review", and it removes those reviews from Maps. Even business.gov.au tells you to "check the rules of the review website" first. So follow Google.

A note from us: BookDone sells a review stand, so we have a stake in this answer. That's why every quote above is word for word, with a link. Please check them yourself.

Checked against Google's help pages and business.gov.au on 12 October 2026.

Can staff ask customers to name them in a review?

No. Google's policy bans businesses from asking staff to collect reviews that name a staff member. It also bans review targets or quotas for staff. Industry coverage dates this change to 17 April 2026. A customer who names someone on their own is fine. The ban is on the business engineering it.

The Maps user-generated content policy lists two practices:

• "Merchants requesting that staff solicit reviews that include specific content, including content that identifies a staff member"
• "Merchants requesting that staff solicit a certain number of reviews"

In a salon, that rules out lines like "Please mention Anna in your review", leaderboards of which tech got the most name mentions, and weekly review targets per staff member. Paying staff a bonus per review is also out. For what a salon can do instead, see how to politely ask for Google reviews at your nail salon.

Can I hide or edit bad reviews on my own website?

Be careful. The ACCC warns that suppressing or editing negative reviews, or removing genuine ones, can mislead customers and break Australian Consumer Law. That covers your own website too. If you choose which reviews appear, say so clearly next to them. Never change a reviewer's words.

The ACCC's online reviews guidance is the place to check.

Safer habits for your own site or review page:

• Label any approval step. For example: "Reviews shown here are chosen by the shop."
• Link to your Google reviews, so customers can always see the full picture.
• Don't use approval to bury fair criticism. Removing spam, abuse or private details is reasonable. Hiding an honest 2-star because it's a 2-star is the risk.
• Never edit a review's words or stars.
• Reply instead. A calm, short reply shows new customers how you handle a problem.

Curious what one low review does to your rating? The review calculator shows how many 5-star reviews it takes to balance it.

BookDone's free review page is built this way. Every reviewer is invited to Google too, whatever rating they gave, and reviews the shop picks are labelled as chosen by the shop.

Is this legal advice?

No. This is general information about Google's published policies, ACCC guidance and business.gov.au. We last checked the Google and business.gov.au pages on 12 October 2026. It isn't legal advice for your business. Google can change its policies at any time. For advice about your own situation, talk to a lawyer or contact the ACCC.