Review gating
Review gating, Google policy and FTC rules, made practical.
Avoid review gating and follow Google and FTC review guidelines. This checklist of review request best practices explains what is allowed, what is not, and how ProofNivo is being designed to stay on the right side of the Google review policy.
Early access · Invitations in small groups · No payment details asked
What it covers
A review request checklist you can follow today
Policies change; these principles rarely do. Always check the current rules.
No review gating
Do not screen customers and only invite happy ones to review.
Review request best practices
Neutral wording, every eligible customer, no pressure.
Google review policy
No incentives, no conflicts of interest, no fake reviews.
FTC review guidelines
No fake or bought reviews, no suppressing negative ones, disclose connections.
Honest displays
Do not present selected reviews as if they were all of them.
A person in control
Replies and displays approved by a responsible person.
How it works
How to stay policy-safe
- 01
Invite everyone eligible
Same request to every customer who completed a service.
- 02
Never pay or pressure
No discounts, gifts or pressure for reviews.
- 03
Display and reply honestly
Show reviews with context; reply calmly and factually.
What is review gating, and why does it matter?
Review gating means asking customers how they feel first, then sending only the happy ones to a public review site and routing the unhappy ones to a private form. It makes a business look better than it is, and Google’s policies prohibit it.
In the US, the FTC’s rule on consumer reviews and testimonials also targets fake reviews and the suppression of negative ones. Rules differ by country, so check the current guidance where you operate. This page is general information, not legal advice.
These figures describe the planned product design, not customer results. Nothing here is a measured outcome.
Compare
Review practices compared
An honest comparison of approaches, not of named competitors.
| ProofNivo standards (planned) | Common review tools | Doing nothing | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No review gating | Yes | Varies | Yes |
| No incentives for reviews | Yes | Varies | Yes |
| Displays keep source and date | Yes | Varies | No |
| Active review requests | Yes | Yes | No |
Use cases
Who this is for
Business owners
Check your current process.
How to ask →Agencies
Audit client review programmes.
Reputation →Marketing teams
Fix website displays.
Showcase →Support teams
Handle negative reviews.
Reply examples →
A checklist for review requests and displays
Use a consistent reason for inviting people
A review process should have an understandable basis for deciding when to invite customers. Define the relevant completed experience and apply that reasoning consistently, rather than selecting people because they seem likely to praise the business. Documenting the approach makes it easier to identify exceptions and explain them. The aim is an invitation process that respects the customer’s opinion, including an opinion that the business would prefer not to receive.
Keep the source of every claim visible
A customer quotation, a business description and a product claim are different kinds of information. Readers should be able to tell which they are seeing. Avoid allowing a selected review to imply independently verified performance or a result everyone can expect. Compare how a proposed tool would preserve sources, dates and relevant context. Clear attribution is useful, but it does not by itself establish permission to reuse material.
Treat standards as questions to verify
Principles become meaningful through the actual workflow, permissions and evidence supporting them. Before operating a review process, check the intended platform’s requirements and the communication arrangements involved. These pages are not a legal-compliance certification or a statement of platform approval. ProofNivo remains a planned product, with no connected outreach, customer-feedback collection or review-display service. Its standards explain the intended direction and provide questions for a future evaluation.
Build a review programme you never have to hide
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FAQ
Review policy questions
What is review gating?
Asking customers about their experience first and inviting only satisfied ones to leave a public review. Google’s review policies prohibit it.
What do the FTC review guidelines say?
In the US, the FTC rule on consumer reviews targets fake reviews, buying reviews and suppressing negative ones, among other practices. Check the FTC’s current guidance for details.
Is this legal advice?
No. This page is general information. Check current platform policies and local law, or ask a qualified adviser.
Can I use ProofNivo today?
ProofNivo is in early access. Accounts are opened by invitation in small groups. Join the early access list, or use the free guides and templates in the meantime.
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