No, you can’t move Google reviews to Yelp; each platform keeps its own reviews and discourages copying or soliciting new ones.
Owners want a single scoreboard for reputation, but the two sites run on separate systems. Ratings and comments live inside each platform. Moving them across isn’t offered, and workarounds tend to create risk. This guide explains what’s off-limits, what’s safe, and how to grow fresh feedback the right way.
Moving Google Reviews To Yelp: What’s Allowed
You can claim your pages, reply to customers, and share links to your profiles. What you can’t do is import text or stars from one site to the other, or nudge customers to copy-paste reviews in bulk. Both companies protect review integrity and act when they spot patterns that skew the feed.
Common Tactics People Try (And Why They Fail)
Here’s a quick scan of methods folks test and what happens in practice.
| Method | Status | Why It Fails Or Backfires |
|---|---|---|
| Bulk import via API or plugin | Not offered | No tool exists to ingest third-party reviews into a business page. |
| Copy-paste customer text to a new profile | Risky | Looks coordinated; platforms can filter or remove those posts. |
| Ask customers to repost on command | Penalty risk | Yelp flags solicited feedback and can down-rank pages that ask for it. |
| Scrape and republish on your own site | Limited | Licensing, attribution limits, and stale data turn into a maintenance mess. |
| Embed a feed widget | One-way | Shows snippets from a single site; doesn’t shift ratings anywhere. |
Why Each Platform Keeps Its Own Reviews
Review ecosystems depend on context: account history, device signals, timestamps, and flags. Moving text strips that context, which weakens moderation and invites spam. That’s why both sites publish strict rules on authenticity and incentives. Google bans “fake engagement,” and Yelp warns businesses not to ask for reviews at all. See the official Maps content policy and Yelp’s review solicitation penalty.
Rules That Shape What You Can Do
Both companies set clear guardrails. Google blocks posts that aren’t tied to real experiences or that are pushed with perks. Yelp’s stance is simple: don’t ask for reviews. Copy-pasting the same praise from one site to another, or running a repost “drive,” can trigger filters and penalties.
Google’s Stance On Review Integrity
Content that isn’t based on a real visit, or that flows from incentives, isn’t allowed. Mass reposting or templated praise can be held back or removed, and accounts may face extra checks. Read the policy text here: Maps content policy.
Yelp’s Policy Against Solicitation
Yelp tells businesses not to ask for reviews—no cards at checkout, no email blasts, no staff scripts that steer star ratings. Their systems look for patterns tied to solicitation, and pages can get a penalty banner or have content filtered. Details here: review solicitation penalty.
So, What’s Possible Without Risk?
You can’t move stars, but you can make it easy for happy customers to share feedback where they prefer. The safest plan builds a steady stream of organic, independent reviews on each platform. That means tidy profiles, swift replies, and neutral links that point people to your pages without pressure.
Legit Ways To Showcase Social Proof
Link to your public pages, embed a single platform’s own widget where terms allow it, and quote short excerpts with clear attribution on your site. Keep sources obvious, and don’t blend ratings from multiple sites into one number. That keeps you honest and avoids messy licensing issues.
Data You Can Export (And What It’s Good For)
Your Google account can export a copy of contributions for backup and internal review. That’s handy for audits and staff training. It doesn’t unlock any path to import those ratings into a different platform, and it shouldn’t be used to seed new posts.
Playbook: From “Can We Move Reviews?” To “Let’s Grow New Ones”
Use the steps below to earn fresh feedback the right way while staying inside the lines.
1) Clean Up Your Listings
Match name, address, phone, and categories across profiles. Upload crisp photos and set hours, services, and menu links. A tidy page wins more clicks and more natural feedback from real visitors.
2) Remove Friction For Happy Customers
Add “Find us on Google” and “Find us on Yelp” links in email footers and digital receipts. Keep language neutral: “Share your experience” is fine. Avoid star prompts or any wording that steers the rating.
3) Deliver A Reply Game Plan
Set a simple rule: respond within one business day, thank people by name, and offer a direct channel when something needs fixing. Short, human replies invite others to chime in and show that a real person is listening.
4) Train The Front Desk
Give staff a one-sheet that lists your profile links and a safe script. When a guest raves in person, the line can be: “We’re on Google and Yelp—share a review wherever you like.” That’s awareness, not pressure.
5) Watch For Red Flags
Bursts of similar five-star posts, brand-new accounts that review only your page, or the same text across two sites can trip filters. If you spot a spike, pause any outreach and let the pattern cool off.
Signals And Consequences You Should Know
Both platforms blend automated checks with human review. When patterns look off, they can hide reviews, freeze counts, or add warning labels. That can sting more than a single bad comment because it mutes the good ones too.
What Review Filters Look For
Signals include duplicate wording, sudden volume jumps, mismatched locations, device anomalies, and perk language. Even honest posts can get swept up when they resemble a flagged pattern, which is one more reason to skip any copy-paste plan.
If You’re Hit With A Penalty
Yelp offers a process to confirm that you’ve stopped asking for reviews. Completing it can help the page recover over time. On the Google side, reviews that break rules around authenticity or incentives can be removed, and accounts can face tighter checks. Clean practices are the fastest way back to growth.
Ethical Ways To Reuse Feedback Without Crossing Lines
You can spotlight kind words while keeping each site’s rules intact. The goal is clarity and honesty.
Website Use
Pull one or two short quotes and attribute them with the reviewer’s first name and the platform. Link the quote to the original post. Don’t alter wording, don’t edit star counts, and don’t stack quotes from multiple sites into one blended score.
In-Store And Print
Place a small sign with QR codes to your profiles. Keep the copy neutral and avoid any star language. Awareness beats pressure, and QR codes save taps on a phone.
Decision Guide: What To Do In Real Scenarios
Use the matrix below to choose a safe response when common requests pop up at your shop or in your inbox.
| Scenario | Best Next Step | Risk Level |
|---|---|---|
| Customer offers to paste the same text on multiple sites | Thank them and say any platform they prefer is fine—no need to copy it everywhere. | Low |
| Marketing vendor pitches “review syncing” | Decline; ask for profile polishing or messaging help instead. | High |
| Old reviews on Google, empty page on Yelp | Improve profile quality, share neutral links, and earn fresh posts organically. | Low |
| Staff asks whether to ask for five stars | Train neutral wording and focus on service wins that inspire unsolicited praise. | Medium |
| Spike in similar five-star posts | Stop any outreach, audit scripts, and let filters settle before doing anything else. | High |
Tip Sheet That Skips Q&A
Skip gimmicks. Build habits. Keep the tone human. When guests feel heard and service runs tight, they post on their own. Over time that beats any plan to shift stars from one place to another.
Templates You Can Reuse
Neutral sign copy: “We’re on Google and Yelp. Share your experience if you’d like.”
Positive reply: “Thanks, Maya! We’re glad the order was quick. If anything needs tweaking next time, message us and we’ll make it right.”
Fix reply: “Sorry about the delay, Chris. We’ve adjusted staffing and would like to make this right—please DM your order number.”
Measurement Without Chasing Stars
- Track response time to reviews and messages.
- Watch review volume by week, not day.
- Flag repeat themes and fix the root cause.
- Log saves, calls, and direction taps from profiles.
- Set one service goal per month and report outcomes.
Edge Cases Owners Ask About
What If A Customer Wants To Repost Their Own Words?
They can post anywhere they choose, in their own time, with their own account. Steering that action or asking for repeats at scale edges into solicitation. A light touch keeps you safe and keeps reviews authentic.
What If A Vendor Promises “Review Migration”?
That pitch leans on scraping, fake accounts, or both. It puts your pages at risk and can lead to hidden reviews or warning labels. Spend that budget on better photos, smoother check-in, and faster replies.
What About Rebrands Or Moves?
Platform rules on page merges and moves change over time. Work with each site’s support channels for location changes. None of that creates a path to move reviews between two different platforms.
Bottom Line: Earn Reviews Where They Live
Stars and comments don’t travel across platforms. What travels is your reputation for clear service and fast replies. Build that, and each profile grows on its own—clean, steady, and safe.