Navigating Google's New Review Policies in 2026

Google recently announced new updates to their review policy and small businesses NEED to hear about this. Vivian and I are discussing what’s changed in the review policy, how Google is cracking down on rule breakers, AND what businesses can still do to collect reviews without getting any taken down by Google. (Which they have been doing!)   Want to support this podcast? You can do so at buymeacoffee.com/sobmarketing OR by liking, subscribing, following, and leaving us a review!   Looking for a community of other S.O.B.s handling their marketing on their own? Join our S.O.B. Community! A membership includes: An extensive library of tutorials  A community of like minded small owned businesses Free downloads and templates for you to jumpstart your marketing A weekly hour long Zoom call with marketing professionals to talk shop or answer any questions you may have when it comes to marketing your small business.  Join our 𝐒.𝐎.𝐁 (𝐒𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐎𝐰𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐁𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬) 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲: https://www.skool.com/sob  ____________________ Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to SOB Marketing 01:07 Introduction to Google Reviews Update 06:53 Understanding the New Policies 19:21 Review Gating Explained 29:16 Who Can Leave You a Review 30:43 Recap of Key Google Review Policy Changes 36:27 TLDL; What Small Businesses Need to Know about Google’s Review Policy Changes ____________________ 𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐓:   Podcast Sponsorship Inquiries: https://sobmarketing.com/contact  Support This Podcast: buymeacoffee.com/sobmarketing  𝐒.𝐎.𝐁 (𝐒𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐎𝐰𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐁𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬) 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲:  https://theseasonedmarketer.myflodesk.com/sob S.O.B. Marketing Merch: https://theseasonedmarketer.com/swag-shop/ Episode Transcripts: https://sobmarketing.com/blog  Sign Up For Our Email Newsletter:  https://theseasonedmarketer.myflodesk.com/nb0wpptjjt  ____________________   If you like the show, telling a friend about it would be helpful! You can text, email, Tweet, or send this link to a friend: https://sobmarketing.com   This podcast is brought to you by THE SEASONED MARKETER. For more free marketing resources, follow us here: **Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/@TheSeasonedMarketer **Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theseasonedmarketer **Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theseasonedmarketer   COLLABORATION REQUESTS TO: [email protected]