Google's review rules and 'mention my name' cards

If you hand customers a card, a sign or a receipt that says "please mention my name in your review", it is worth checking that wording this week.

Search Engine Journal has published a recap of a webinar session it hosted with two speakers from Moz. In it, one of the speakers, Jonathan Berthold, states that Google changed its Maps content policy in April, and that merchants can no longer have staff request a set number of reviews or ask for reviews that mention specific details such as a staff member's name. In his words, the staff leaderboard and "mention me" cards are a thing of the past.

One point of caution: this is a trade publication reporting what a guest speaker said in a webinar. It is not an announcement from Google, and Search Engine Journal is summarising a conversation rather than publishing a policy notice. Treat it as a prompt to check Google's own review policies before you print another batch of cards, not as a confirmed change we can vouch for.

What this means if you ask for reviews

Plenty of small businesses do exactly what the speaker described. A hairdresser asks clients to name their stylist. A garage runs a monthly count of who collected the most reviews. If the policy is as described, both of those are now off the table.

The practical response is small:

• Read any printed card, window sticker, email template or invoice footer that asks for a review. Remove anything that asks for a name, a star rating, or a specific detail to be included.
• Drop internal targets that require staff to bring in a set number of reviews.
• Keep the ask simple and neutral: invite the customer to leave a review, and leave the content entirely to them.

None of that stops you asking. The recap makes the point that the biggest barrier is usually friction rather than willingness — the example given was a barber with a sign carrying a QR code that goes straight to his Google Business Profile, plus the same link on the invoice. Without an easy route to your profile, asking gets hard fast even when the service deserved a review.

If you are starting from a standing start, our guide on getting your first Google reviews covers how to ask without nagging.

The rest of the session

The recap covers a broader theme about AI assistants recommending local businesses, and the speakers' view is that models now pull from listings, review sites, forums and ordinary local web pages rather than only from map results. Their advice on that front is unremarkable and, frankly, the same advice as always: keep your name, address, phone number and opening hours consistent everywhere they appear, and make sure your own website is clear and easy to read. That is a claim about how these tools behave, made by two people who sell software in this space — but the underlying housekeeping is worth doing regardless of whether they are right.

On negative reviews, the recap's most useful line is that your reply is written for the next person who reads the exchange, not for the reviewer. Acknowledge the frustration, say what you are doing, give a phone number or email, and do not argue in public. Speed of reply is treated as mattering more than volume of reviews. If you want the longer version, see how to respond to Google reviews.

What to do now

Check your review-request wording for anything asking customers to name a person or leave a set rating, and take it out. Everything else here is a reminder rather than a change.