"no good advice" received mostly positive reviews from music critics. a bbc review described the song as "better than anything else [...] in the charts." unlike many other songs, it was said to be "not obsessed with trying to be a cutting-edge club hit, [...] with at least three different killer hooks welded together" that borrowed heavily from the 1980s. it was said to be "just as good, if not better" than "sound of the underground". it provides "more brassy and in-your-face lyrics of defiance and determination [...] higgins injects an element of instant-catchy-cool to the songs without going overboard in trying to shape uber-chic dance floor hits." on a less positive side, tourdates.co.uk said that "no good advice" was a failure at adding attitude to girls aloud's music and imitates "as many songs as possible." the song has been compared to the knack's "my sharona".