Google Is Publicly Shaming Businesses With Fake Reviews

Google just changed the rules on reviews - and the punishment is way worse than it used to be. If your business gets caught with fake or paid-for reviews, Google now puts a public warning banner right on your listing. Every customer sees it. In this episode I break down what changed, what practices are now banned (some will surprise you), and exactly how to get reviews the right way so this never happens to your business. Read the full breakdown at Read the full breakdown at https://go.speedmobi.com/google-review-warning-pod

Transcript

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Hey, it's Keith Carpenter. Welcome back to the Mean Business Podcast here with Speed Moby. Let's jump right into today's topic. We're going to talk about a new warning that Google is putting directly on your Google business profile on maps, right? And if you're not careful, yours seriously could be next. So I wanted to make this video and talk about this. So picture this you spend years building your business, you do great work, your customers love you. And then one morning a new customer just Googles your name or Googles what you do and they see a big warning banner right on your listing. It says, Google removed fake reviews from your profile. That customer is gone, right? They're never going to call, right? They're never even going to give you a chance at that point. And I think the worst part is you might not even know that you are breaking the rules. So, hey, it's Keith Carpenter, again, founder of Speed Moby. And today we really need to talk about something that could hurt your business if you're not paying attention to it. Google just changed the rules on reviews, and the punishment's way worse than it used to be. It's actually crazy to me. I get it, but it's wow, like it's very striking. Now, you might be thinking, Keith, I don't buy fake reviews, right? I'm not doing anything wrong. But here's the thing a lot of the stuff businesses have been doing for years is now against the rules. Google has made the rules. Things that felt normal, things you probably do right now are not allowed. Now, let me explain why this matters to you. If you're a plumber or a dentist or an HVAC company or Roofer, any kind of service business, your Google reviews are really like that front door to your business, right? When someone needs a plumber at 10 o'clock at night, they're going to Google it. The first thing that they look at is your reviews. They look at your rating, your star rating. How many reviews do you have versus everyone else? What people are saying about you, right? If Google puts a warning banner on the profile, it's like putting a health code violation sign on a restaurant. Nobody's going in. No one, nobody calls you. The trust is going to be gone at that point. Okay, so let me break down what actually changed. So starting in April of 26, Google rolled out this new major update to its review rules. And then in May and June, they cranked up the enforcement even more, putting things in place. So here's what happens now when Google catches you breaking the rules. Okay. Number one, Google removes the fake or paid reviews. So they're going to remove them, right? Their AI is way better than it used to be. It catches stuff that used to just slide right through. Number two, Google is going to pause all new reviews on your profile. That means even your real reviews, real customers, they can't leave reviews until Google lifts that hold off of you. Think about that. You do a great job for somebody, they love you, they want to leave a five-star review, and they're not going to be able to because your profile is frozen. Okay. Number three, you're going to get a notification from Google telling you what happened. They're going to let you know. And number four, this is the big one. Google puts a public warning banner on your listing, meaning every single person who searches for your business, referred by other people, whatever it is, they're going to see it. Not just for a day until Google decides to take it down. Okay. And here's what I think most people are missing about this. It's not just about buying fake reviews, right? Most businesses I work with, they would never do that. Right. The problem is that Google has banned a bunch of practices that have been totally normal for years. Let me run through a quick list of things that are at the forefront of my mind. And I want you to be honest with yourself, right? See if any of these sound familiar. Okay. Number one, a kiosk. You know, like the iPad at the front desk that says, like, hey, leave us a Google review before you go. That's now against the rules. Okay. Um, offering a discount for a review, like 10% off your next visit if you leave us a review, that's banned. They're gonna ask customers about it, too. I heard it's coming. Asking customers to mention a staff member by name, like, hey, if you leave a review, could you mention Sarah? Like she did a great job, whatever. That's now banned. Okay. Pressuring someone to leave a review while they're still in your building or in your office or in that's banned. Okay, obviously. Um, review gating, this is a big one. That's when you ask a customer, like, how was your experience, right? One to five, and you only send the people that are happy to Google, right? That's not new, but Google is now actively catching that. And here's one that catches a lot of businesses off guard sudden spikes in review volume, right? If you normally get two reviews a month and then suddenly you get 20 in a week, um, the algorithm at Google is gonna flag that automatically. Even if every single one of those reviews is from a real customer, it's still gonna get flagged potentially. Um, I've been doing this since 2013. Um, I've worked with over 5,000 businesses in the US and in Canada. And I can tell you, you know, at least half of them were doing at least one of these things when we first started working together. Um, it was just normal, but the normal has changed now. And it gets worse actually, because Google is not just looking at like new reviews. They're gonna go back through all the older reviews, they're saying, and they're gonna sweep profiles that have been up for years. So if your old reviews, they don't pass these new rules, they can still disappear, right? So the question really is like, what do you do? What can I do about this? Here is the good news though getting real reviews is the right way, and it's not hard. All you have to do is just change a few habits. Number one, send a follow-up text after the job, right? Not while the customer's in your office, not while your tech is still there at the house feeling pressury, right? Just after. Simple. As soon as they leave, simple text with Google with a review link. There's no pressure, no offer, just thank you. Here's the link. We appreciate it. Okay. Number two, send it to every customer, right? Not just the happy ones, not just the easy ones. Everyone. That way you're not gating. Okay, and you're treating every customer the same, right? And you're learning valuable lessons from the people that are unhappy. Number three, keep it steady, right? Two or three reviews a week is way better than doing like 20 in a week. So a slow, steady flow looks nice and natural to Google. The big spikes, they just look suspicious, even if every review is real. Number four, four is respond to every single review, right? Good reviews, bad reviews, all of them. It doesn't matter. This is gonna show Google that you're active and you're real. And it shows customers that you actually care, right? Take 30 seconds, do it every morning. It's a good practice. And here's a bonus tip automate the review request. Set up your CRM so that every time a job is marked complete or something is paid, a text goes out automatically with the review link. That way, nobody on the team has to remember to do it. Uh, it just happens. And every time it happens, you get more reviews, right? So uh make it happen for every customer. And here's the bigger picture, right? Google's moving in on really one direction, it's not going back. They want real reviews from real customers, period. The AI that they're using, it's catching fakes, it's only getting better, uh, the rules are only getting tighter, and the punishment's getting worse. They're starting to put banners up. That's a crazy thing. But the businesses that win in the next 12 months are the ones that are going to build real honest review systems right now, not tricks, not some shortcut, just great work and a simple follow-up. So um that's it for today. If you got something out of this, please share it with another business owner who needs to hear what I just talked about, right? Especially if you know someone who still has a review kiosk at the front desk. And if you want help setting up an automated system for your reviews that keeps you safe and grows your reviews the right way consistently, um, come see us at speedmoby.com. We help service businesses like yours get found, get more calls, and get booked. Um, and that's it. I'm happy to have you here today. I'm Keith Carpenter, and I'll talk to you on Monday. Bye bye.