Most UK businesses with a physical location should put Google reviews first, because Google reviews appear right next to your business in Google Search and Maps, where most local customers start. Hotels, B&Bs, restaurants and attractions in visitor areas should also collect Tripadvisor reviews. Online shops usually do best with Trustpilot, which shoppers recognise when buying from a site they don't know. The right answer depends on where your customers look before they choose you.
Google reviews
Best for: almost any business customers visit or call locally, such as shops, cafés, salons, trades, clinics, garages and gyms.
Google reviews show on your Business Profile in Google Search and Google Maps. Your rating and review count appear next to your name in local results, and Google says reviews are one of the factors in local ranking. For most local businesses, this is where reviews do the most good.
Tripadvisor
Best for: hotels, B&Bs, holiday lets, restaurants and attractions, particularly in tourist areas.
Travellers often use Tripadvisor to decide where to stay, eat and visit, especially when they're somewhere new. If a large share of your customers are visitors rather than locals, Tripadvisor reviews carry a lot of weight.
Trustpilot
Best for: online shops, subscription services, and businesses that sell nationally rather than locally.
Shoppers buying from a website they haven't used before often check Trustpilot first. Trustpilot reviews don't appear on your Google Business Profile, so for a local business they usually matter less than Google reviews.
By type of business
| Business | Main review site | Also worth having |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurant or café | Tripadvisor, in tourist areas | |
| Hotel or B&B | Google and Tripadvisor | Booking sites collect their own |
| Salon or barber | Your booking app's reviews | |
| Tradesperson | Trade directories such as Checkatrade | |
| Online shop | Trustpilot | Google, if you have a showroom |
| Clinic or dentist | Specialist directories |
Don't ask for all of them at once
Asking a customer to leave reviews on two or three sites is too much, and most will do none. Pick one main site and ask for that. If your customers genuinely split between sites, a multiple-platform card, stand or sticker opens a page where the customer chooses which site to use, so staff only need to ask once. Our multiple review platform cards and stands work this way.
The rules are similar everywhere
Google, Tripadvisor and Trustpilot all let you ask customers for reviews, and all ban incentives, selective asking and fake reviews. UK consumer law has banned fake reviews since April 2025. Our article on Google's review rules covers the detail for Google, and our guides on Tripadvisor and Trustpilot cover theirs.
Common questions
Do Tripadvisor reviews help my Google ranking?
Not directly. Google reviews on your Business Profile are the ones tied to your map listing.
Is Trustpilot worth it for a local business?
Usually less than Google. It's most useful for businesses that sell online to customers who don't know them.
Can one card send customers to different review sites?
Yes. A multiple-platform card opens a page where the customer chooses Google, Tripadvisor, Trustpilot or another site you've set up.