Review Platform Guidelines: What You Need to Know to Keep It Legit

In the world of local business, reviews are gold. They impact everything from how high you show up in local search results to whether a potential customer decides to choose you over your competition. But here’s the catch: while reviews can be your best friend, they can also be your worst enemy if you don’t play by the rules. And every platform—whether it’s Google, Yelp, or Facebook—has its own set of rules.

So, if you’re thinking about gaming the system with fake reviews or handing out freebies in exchange for five stars, think again. Let’s break down the review guidelines of the major platforms and what you need to know to stay in the clear.

Google Review Guidelines: What You Can (and Can’t) Do

Google reviews are probably the most important when it comes to local SEO. If you're doing shady stuff here, it can mess with your rankings and get your profile flagged.

1. No Review GatingYou can’t cherry-pick happy customers to leave reviews while filtering out the negative ones. Google made it clear: businesses need to accept reviews from everyone, whether it’s positive or not.

2. Don’t Review Your Own BusinessDon’t even think about writing reviews for your own company. It’s obvious, but it happens, and if Google catches on, you’re in trouble. This includes asking your employees to leave reviews posing as customers.

3. No Fake Competitor ReviewsGoogle frowns on writing bad reviews for your competition to tank their ratings. It's considered deceptive and can lead to penalties.

4. No Paying for ReviewsStraight up: you can’t pay people to leave reviews. That’s the quickest way to get your reviews removed, or worse, get your profile flagged or banned.

5. No Bulk Requests for ReviewsFlooding Google with a batch of reviews all at once? That’s a no-no. Instead, aim for a steady stream of genuine reviews from real customers over time.

Yelp Review Guidelines: The No Solicitation Zone

Yelp takes its review game seriously—maybe a little too seriously for some businesses. The biggest rule? You can’t ask for reviews.

1. No Soliciting ReviewsYelp’s stance is hardline: you can’t ask anyone to review you, period. Not via email, not in person, not on a postcard. If their software detects anything sketchy, your reviews might get hidden under the "Not Recommended" section.

2. No Review Gating or Paid ReviewsJust like Google, you can’t filter out negative reviews or offer incentives in exchange for positive ones. And yes, they’ve got ways to track it.

3. No Conflicts of InterestFriends, family, or anyone connected to your business can’t leave a review. Yelp's algorithms are built to catch reviews that seem biased, and they'll push those down the ranks.

Facebook Recommendations: The New Review Format

Facebook swapped out traditional reviews for Recommendations, which ask a simple yes/no question: “Do you recommend this business?”

1. No Spam or Fake ProfilesLike most platforms, Facebook doesn’t allow spammy behavior, so don’t try to game the system with fake profiles or spamming competitors with bad reviews.

2. No Incentivized RecommendationsPaying for recommendations or offering discounts for positive ones? Hard pass. Facebook’s guidelines are clear: this is not allowed.

Tripadvisor Review Guidelines: Incentivized Reviews Are a No-Go

Unlike Yelp, Tripadvisor encourages businesses to ask for reviews, but there are strict guidelines about what’s allowed.

1. No Paid ReviewsTripadvisor is serious about cracking down on fake reviews. If you’re caught paying for reviews, you risk a ranking penalty or worse—a red badge on your profile warning users of suspicious activity.

2. No IncentivesDon’t even think about offering free meals, discounts, or perks in exchange for a positive review. Tripadvisor’s review fraud team is trained to detect this.

3. No Review GatingSame rule applies: you can’t screen out negative feedback or gate reviews.

Better Business Bureau (BBB): Keeping It Real

BBB reviews are pretty straightforward, but they don’t tolerate any funny business.

1. No Fake ReviewsAll reviews are vetted, and if they find out you’re gaming the system, your reviews won’t even make it online.

2. No Anonymous ReviewsUnlike other platforms, the BBB requires reviews to be attached to real names and businesses.

Angi (Formerly Angie’s List): Transparency Is Key

Angi focuses on transparency and fairness for its users, with similar guidelines to other review sites.

1. No Anonymous or Competitor ReviewsYou can't hide behind an alias or review competitors. If you try, they’ll catch it.

2. No Paid or Incentivized ReviewsJust like the others—no paying or incentivizing reviews in any way.

Final Word: Play It Straight

If there's one takeaway from all of this, it's that review platforms are getting savvier about cracking down on fake or incentivized reviews. Whether it’s Google, Yelp, or Facebook, trying to game the system is more likely to backfire than help.

In a digital world where visibility is everything, GMB Fox ensures your business isn’t just online—it’s the first choice customers make. Let us handle the complexities of digital marketing, so you can focus on what truly matters: growing your business.