AI Overviews are changing local search behavior. Discover how they affect clicks, why review recency matters more than ever, and what businesses should do now to stay visible.

Google updated its Business Profile review policy twice in April 2026. Review gating is now actively enforced, with a penalty ladder that can pause new reviews, pull down your real ones, and stamp a public warning on your profile. The FTC's 2024 fake reviews rule sits above all of that, with civil penalties up to $51,744 per violation. Here's what changed, what it can actually cost your business, and the three honest moves that work better than gating ever did.