How do I get more of the reviews AI engines read?
Ask real customers for reviews on the sites buyers and engines read, make it easy and ask everyone, not just happy customers. Google's policy bans paid or incentivised reviews, review gating and fake reviews, though it allows asking customers for genuine reviews. Respond to reviews honestly.
Free to read, no signup. Nova drafts review requests and a plan within the rules.
What Google's policy allows
Straight from Google's own policies. Other review sites have their own rules, so check each.
Asking is allowed, incentives are not
Google says merchants may ask customers for reviews, as long as they reflect genuine experiences and no incentive is offered. Paid or incentivised reviews are prohibited.
Google's fake engagement and reviews policyNo review gating
Google says merchants may not discourage negative reviews or selectively ask only happy customers, and that fake reviews and unusual volumes are banned.
Google's fake engagement and reviews policyReviews support prominence
Google says reviews, and responding to them, contribute to local prominence, and that there is no way to pay for a better local ranking.
Tips to improve your local ranking on GoogleFive steps to grow genuine reviews
Do it by hand with these steps, or hand the whole thing to Nova.
Choose the sites that matter
List the review sites buyers and engines cite for your category.
Nova: lists the sites your prompts cite.
Read each site's rules
Check what each allows for asking, incentives and responses.
Nova: summarises the rules to follow.
Ask everyone, simply
Send a short request after a good moment, to all customers, with a direct link. Never offer a reward.
Nova: drafts the request for approval.
Respond honestly
Thank reviewers and respond to criticism factually, using your real name.
Nova: drafts responses for approval.
Keep it steady and recheck
Aim for steady, natural growth, then recheck what engines say.
Nova: tracks review growth and re-checks.
Short on time? Nova, your AI brand visibility expert, runs this Maneuver on your brand and tracks the result.
Take it to NovaReview plan by site
| Site | Reviews now | Allowed to ask? | Plan | Rule to watch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Review site A] | [N] | Yes | Post-onboarding email | No incentives |
| [Review site B] | [N] | Yes | In-app prompt | Ask all customers |
| Google profile | [N] | Yes | Link in receipts | No gating |
Nova then keeps the plan and tracks growth, so you see whether it is steady and natural.
Take this Maneuver into your own AI agent
Get review-growth.md, a ready-to-use skill file with a site list, a request template and a rules checklist. Drop it into Claude, Cursor or any agent that reads SKILL.md files.
Skill file for Claude, Cursor and other agents
- A review site list
- A request message template
- A rules checklist per site
Questions, answered.
Relevant reads
All articlesLet Nova plan your reviews the right way
Nova opens with this Maneuver loaded. Nothing ships without your approval.