Google reviews widget for real estate agents

Rules for using client reviews in real estate marketing

Client reviews are testimonials, and the FTC's Endorsement Guides apply to them: they must reflect the reviewer's honest experience, and any material connection to you must be disclosed. The FTC's 2024 rule on reviews also bans fake reviews and bars threatening reviewers to remove negative ones.

The REALTOR® Code of Ethics, Article 12, says REALTORS® must present a true picture in their advertising and marketing. Standard of Practice 12-8 adds that they must make reasonable efforts to keep website information current. For reviews, that means checking that a featured review still describes how you work. If you're a REALTOR®, read it with your managing broker. State real estate commissions, MLS rules, and brokerage policies can add their own limits. Check with your broker before you publish reviews on a personal site. Don't present one sale result ("sold over asking") as typical.

Whose Google listing is it?

Google's profile guidelines name real estate agents as individual practitioners. An agent who can be reached at the verified office during stated hours may have a profile of their own. The brokerage office can have its own listing too. Reviews live on the listing the client used. Decide which one the widget connects to, and ask your broker whether the brokerage controls the profile, because the owner decides who can reply.

Where the widget helps

A list layout fits an "About me" or "Testimonials" page, where buyers read long accounts of an offer or negotiation. A short carousel under a listing page or neighborhood page can hold reviews that mention the neighborhood. Choose reviews that mention "negotiated repairs" only where the client wrote it.

For sellers, show reviews that talk about pricing advice and communication. For buyers, show reviews about showings and offers. Use named collections for each.

Example: asking around closing

1. Contract to close: no review request. The client is still making big decisions.
2. Closing day: hand over keys with a thank-you note and a card listing how to reach you after the sale.
3. Three to seven days after move-in: send the Google review link by text or email, to every closed client, buyers and sellers alike.
4. Add the new review to the right collection, and reply publicly with thanks, no address, no price.

Request templates

1. Buyer after move-in: "Congratulations on the new place. If you'd like to leave an honest Google review of the home search, here's the link: [link]."
2. Seller after closing: "Thank you for trusting me to sell your home. If you want to share how the process went, here's the link: [link]."
3. Client whose deal fell through: "I'm sorry we didn't get to closing. If you'd like to share how working together felt, here's the link: [link]."

Ask every client, including those whose deal didn't close. A closing gift is fine as a thank-you, but don't make it depend on a review. Google's review policy bans payments, discounts and free goods in exchange for reviews. The FTC's 2024 rule (linked above) bars rewards that depend on a positive review.

Reply examples

• Positive: "Thank you. It was a pleasure helping you find the right place."
• Negative: "I'm sorry the communication didn't meet your expectations. Please call me at [number] so I can hear more."
• Neutral: "Thanks for the feedback. I'm adding weekly update calls for clients in a multiple-offer market."

Don't mention the property address, sale price, or terms in a reply, even if the client did.

Set up the widget

Connect the Google Maps listing, choose a layout, and add the script tag. The Free plan covers one widget with up to 20 reviews, refreshed monthly. The Reviews plan allows up to 20 businesses, which suits a team or brokerage with several agent listings. Stars won't show in search for reviews on your own site (why).

Frequently asked questions

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