E28: Disappearing Reviews, New Business Name Policy, AI Visibility How-To

with special guest Claudia Tomina!

April 21, 2026

Attention all businesses that use QR codes to request Google reviews:

Don’t link the QR code to your GBP reviews section. There’s a better way:

Claudia Tomina recently published an article talking about Google’s updated policies on filtering fake reviews. In it, she includes a special warning about QR codes in particular, citing a few potential problems:

  • QR codes are often included in on-site signage, but reviews posted from the business location are against Google’s policies.

  • Business cards with QR codes might get into the hands of a person who has never interacted with the brand on Google. If they directly leave a review without this prior interaction, their review might get removed.

So, how do you sidestep this problem? Two things to consider:

  1. Encourage the customer to leave the review after they have left your business. Give them a business card with a QR code to make it easy for them.

  2. Instead of linking the business card QR code to the review section of your GBP, link it to a branded Google search.

This way, you get them to interact with the brand online first, which will increase Google’s trust in the legitimacy of the review. Additionally, you’ll get the ranking benefits of someone searching for your brand name and engaging with your Profile.

Today’s special podcast guest Claudia and I talk about this topic in length on the new episode of the Whitespark Local Update. We also discuss:

  • Google Business Profile Updates Identity Change Policy Language

  • How a Topic Entity Update Increased AI Visibility 10.8% (Aimee Jurenka)

  • The new “What people are saying" Feature

  • Top Takeaways from the New Google Business Profile Playbooks (Miriam Ellis)

Watch the episode here 👇️

🎧 Or if you prefer listening, find it on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Watch by topic:

00:00 Intro
01:59 Identity Change Policy Update
05:00 Why are Google Reviews Disappearing?
13:01 Google is Moderating Owner Review Responses
14:42 How a Topic Entity Update Increased AI Visibility
16:13 New “What people are saying " Feature
17:07 Top Takeaways from the New Google Business Profile Playbooks
22:06 Final Thoughts

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