Review gating
Definition
Review gating means asking only customers who seem satisfied for a review while steering unhappy ones to a private channel before they can write one; Google's policy prohibits it.
What does it mean for a clinic?
Asking “rate your experience” after treatment and sending the Google review link only to those who give a high score is review gating. Google's Maps content policy bars businesses from soliciting only positive reviews and from discouraging negative ones; breaches can lead to reviews being removed.
The right way is to send everyone the same review link, or no one, and to collect private feedback separately without making the link depend on it. Offering a discount or gift in return breaks both Google's policy and the health-advertising regulation.
Sources
- Maps User Contributed Content Policy: Prohibited and restricted content — Google Maps Help, Current page
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