BrightLocal 2026: 57% Want Businesses Banned From Review Platforms for Fake Reviews
What happened
BrightLocal's 2026 Local Consumer Review Survey has revealed a sharp shift in how consumers view fake reviews — they're no longer seen as a minor nuisance but as something deserving real-world consequences.
The headline numbers: 57% of consumers believe a business caught using fake reviews should be banned from review platforms entirely. 46% want those businesses removed from Google search results. And a significant portion of respondents went further, suggesting that generating fake reviews should be a criminal offence.
93% of people believe someone should be responsible for detecting fake reviews, though opinion is split on whether that responsibility lies with platforms, regulators, or businesses themselves. Consumers are increasingly holding business owners — not just platforms — accountable for review integrity.
What this means for tradespeople
This data lands at the same time as the CMA's first formal investigations under the DMCC Act, and Google's own crackdown that blocked 292 million policy-violating reviews in 2025. The direction is clear: fake reviews are becoming toxic for any business that uses them.
For tradespeople, this is actually an advantage. If you're a plumber or electrician collecting genuine reviews from real customers, the crackdown on fake reviews makes your authentic profile more valuable, not less. The cowboys who bought their 5-star ratings are getting caught, and consumers are actively looking for signs of authenticity.
What to do about it
Keep collecting real reviews from real customers after every job. Authentic reviews — especially ones that mention specific work, name the trade, and describe the experience — are exactly what consumers trust and exactly what Google rewards.
If you suspect a competitor is using fake reviews, you can report them to Google and the CMA. With penalties of up to 10% of global turnover under the DMCC Act, the risks for fakers have never been higher.
Source: BrightLocal