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Worked example
Real numbers from this tool, line by line.
6 customers, 2 never asked for a Google review: that is the example a US local service business gets in our free check when only 4 and 5 star customers receive the Google review link. A plumber, cleaner, salon or dentist who asks this way is doing the review gating Google bans.
| Field | Example answer |
|---|---|
| Customers last month | 6 |
| Got your Google link | 4 |
| Never saw it | 2 (33%) |
| Who gets the link | Only 4-5 stars: review gating |
| Reward for a review | Nothing: OK |
| Reviews on your site | Not shown: OK |
What Google's policy says
Google's rules for user-contributed content say merchants may not "discourage or prohibit negative reviews, or selectively solicit positive reviews from customers". The same list bans incentives "in exchange for posting any review". When Google decides a profile broke its Fake Engagement policy, its Business Profile Help page lists the possible restrictions: no new reviews for a set period, existing reviews unpublished for a set period, and a warning to consumers that fake reviews were removed.
Google's own local ranking tips say that more reviews and positive ratings can help a business's local ranking. So reviews matter for local SEO, and so does the way you ask for them.
Where the FTC rule comes in
The FTC rule on consumer reviews (16 CFR Part 465) covers two common shortcuts. 465.4 bans incentives conditioned on a review expressing a particular sentiment, such as a discount only for 5 stars. 465.7(b) bans showing reviews on your own site as if they were most or all of them while low-rated ones are held back. The civil penalty is up to $53,088 per violation, a figure the FTC kept unchanged for 2026.
What the plugin does instead
The free WordPress plugin puts one review request form on the page you send customers after each job. Above the form, every visitor sees your business name, your Google review link and the areas you serve, before choosing a rating. No rating decides who sees the link. The form has 8 inputs: name, email, town or city, the job, date of the job, rating, comments and permission to quote. The rating starts at "No rating given" and quote permission starts at "No - keep my answer private".
We ran the plugin on a stub WordPress with 6 customers of a plumber in Austin, Round Rock and Pflugerville, rated 5, 4, 2, 5, 1 and no rating. All 6 answers were saved in the admin list, the 1 and 2 star ones included, 50 per page.
Free and full version
The free plugin is complete for asking the same way every time. The full version is for when asking has to run on its own. It emails every customer their answers plus your Google review link, whatever rating they chose: in our test the 1-star customer got the same link as the 5-star ones. It also sends you an alert for each new answer so you can call an unhappy customer the same day, runs one form per location, exports every answer to CSV and adds search by email.
Yoast SEO Premium, which includes Yoast Local SEO, costs $118.80 per year per site and covers location pages, opening hours and maps. It does not ask customers for reviews.
Check your own numbers
Type last month's customers and how many got your link into the free check. It shows how many were never asked and which rule your current setup breaks.
15 seconds — what it actually does
Questions people ask
What does this WordPress local SEO plugin do?
It adds a customer review request form to any page with one shortcode. Your Google review link is printed above the form for every visitor, before they choose a rating, so no rating decides who is asked to review you on Google. Every answer, including low ratings, is saved in your WordPress admin list with town, job and rating.
Who is this review request plugin for?
Local service businesses in the US such as plumbers, electricians, cleaners, salons, dentists and contractors, and the agencies that run their WordPress sites. It suits anyone who asks customers for Google reviews after each job and wants proof that every customer got the same link, whatever they thought of the job.
Why not use a free Google reviews widget?
Review widgets display reviews you already have; they do not ask customers. Funnels that send only 4 and 5 star customers to Google break Google's policy, which bans selectively soliciting positive reviews. Google can then unpublish your profile's reviews or block new ones for a set period, and show a warning on the profile.
What does the free version do on its own?
The free plugin is complete for asking: a form with 8 inputs, your Google review link, business name and service area shown above it, a rating that starts at 'No rating given', honeypot and nonce checks, and an admin list of every response, 50 per page. Setup takes 3 steps. Nothing is time-limited and no answers are hidden.
What does the paid version add, and what does it cost compared with Yoast?
The paid version emails every customer their answers plus your Google review link, alerts you to each new response, runs one form per location, exports every response to CSV and adds search by email. It is one payment, not a subscription. Yoast SEO Premium, which includes Yoast Local SEO, is $118.80 per year per site.
Ask about this tool
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