Review gating means asking customers how they feel first, then only inviting the happy ones to review. It is common, it is against the rules, and it is unnecessary.
Any process that routes satisfied customers to a public review and unhappy ones to a private form instead. Google prohibits it, and platforms have become better at detecting it.
Beyond the policy risk, it produces an unnaturally perfect rating that buyers do not trust. A 4.7 with a few critical reviews converts better than a suspicious 5.0.
You do not need to filter customers. You need to ask all of them, consistently.
Ask everyone. Route the feedback so you hear about problems early, but never block anyone from reviewing publicly.
Reach out privately as well as inviting the review. Many problems get resolved, and some of those customers update their review on their own.
No. Incentivised reviews breach the policies of every major platform and can get your profile penalised.
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