Businesses hit with multiple fake review violations now face a two-month freeze on Google Business Profile ratings and feedback. The extended penalty aims to curb incentivized or fraudulent reviews and signals stricter enforcement.
Google has started imposing longer penalties on businesses that repeatedly violate its review policies. According to product expert Ben Fisher, the company is now extending the standard one-month restriction on Google Business Profile reviews and ratings to two months for those caught with recurring infractions.
In a recent update shared by Fisher, Google notified affected businesses that their profiles would be restricted after the discovery of additional incentivized reviews. The message stated: "Reviews and ratings on your business profile will be limited. We recently found more reviews received for compensation, linked to your profile. These reviews add to those we previously reported to you and represent a new violation. This goes against our policy on fake engagement and is not allowed."
During the two-month restriction, customers cannot leave new reviews or ratings, nor can they view existing feedback. Instead, visitors will see a warning indicating that suspicious reviews have been removed. Google also provides an option for businesses to appeal the decision if they believe it was made in error.
This move reflects a broader trend of platforms tightening controls on user-generated content to maintain trust and authenticity. For those interested in how different AI platforms handle transparency and source attribution, see this analysis of how leading AI assistants cite their sources.
