What is prohibited — without ambiguity
The following practices are prohibited:
- Fake reviews: invented content, fictitious profiles, review farms.
- Paid reviews: payment, voucher, or benefit conditioned on publishing a review.
- Quid-pro-quo: gift, discount, or prize draw linked to submitting or rating a Google review.
- Selective solicitation: inviting only customers deemed satisfied to Google, while excluding others.
Google Business Profile framework
Google prohibits misleading reviews and attempts to manipulate ranking or average rating. Content that violates policies may be removed; listings and accounts may be restricted.
Consult the official Google Business Profile pages and the review policy (links in sources).
French framework (DGCCRF)
In France, online reviews are regulated: authenticity, consumer information, prohibition of misleading commercial practices. The DGCCRF publishes practical guides on online reviews — official link in sources.
Paying for a review or simulating a customer experience exposes the advertiser to legal risks, beyond platform sanctions.
The PulseMyWeb alternative
PulseMyWeb helps you request a review after a genuine interaction, with a single journey for all ratings, a traceable log, and quotas according to plan.
Connectors (API, e-commerce, inbound email, etc.) create an event then, only if automation is explicitly enabled, pass through the same eligibility engine as manual sends: consent / attestation, unsubscribes, recency, monthly quota.
Do
- Invest in service quality and clarity of the review request.
- Automate the trigger, not the content of the review.
- Read Google policies and DGCCRF guides.
Don't
- Buy "guaranteed 5-star" reviews.
- Outsource to an agency that "fills" the listing.
- Link a prize draw or reward programme to submitting a Google review.
Pulse Rewards: independence
Pulse Rewards is a separate membership programme. It is legally and functionally independent of submitting a Google review: no chance, prize, or participation depends on publishing or rating a review.
Do not confuse an invitation to leave an authentic review with a reward conditioned on that review.
Buying vs requesting
Summary.
Comparison
| Approach | Consequence |
|---|---|
| Buy / order reviews | Prohibited — Google + compliance risk |
| Reward a Google review | Prohibited — conditioned consideration |
| Neutral PulseMyWeb request | Compliant if legal basis and policies respected |