15d • ✅ Support
April Google Polices 2026
The most critical changes for April 2026 include:
- Employee Name Solicitation Prohibited: Reviews should no longer contain or solicit specific staff or employee names.
- "Review Gating" Ban: You cannot specifically ask only happy customers for reviews while directing unhappy ones to a private feedback form. This is considered manipulation.
- Incentive Restrictions: Offering incentives, including employee-level bonuses specifically for receiving 5-star reviews, can trigger review removal.
- No "Review Templates": Pushing a specific script or template for customers to follow is prohibited.
- School Review Disabling: As of late April 2025 (continuing into 2026), Google has disabled reviews for general education institutions (K-12 schools), removing existing ratings to protect against misleading content.
Key Takeaways for Businesses:
- Avoid on-site review prompts: Do not ask for reviews while the customer is on the premises, as this can be flagged as forced or incentivized.
- Automated Deletions: AI is actively filtering reviews that break these rules, resulting in sudden drops in review counts.
- Focus on Organic Content: Encourage, "Share your genuine experience," rather than asking for specific keywords or names.
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April Google Polices 2026
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