Why Google reviews disappear.

The reasons Google gives

Google’s help page on missing or delayed reviews lists these.

• The review broke a policy. Google says reviews are usually removed for policy violations, such as spam or inappropriate content.
• The review is still being checked. Reviews are checked against Google’s policies before they show, and Google says this can take a few days.
• Two profiles were merged. After a merge, it can take a few days for the reviews from both profiles to display.
• The customer’s phone or software is old. Google notes that customers on older devices can have trouble leaving a review at all.
• Reviews are switched off for your category. Google sometimes disables reviews temporarily for certain profiles or categories. For schools teaching pupils aged 6 to 18, reviews are removed and disabled altogether.
• The profile was suspended and reinstated. Reviews can go missing after a reinstatement. Google’s advice in that case is to contact support.

Two more causes worth knowing

Automated spam detection got it wrong

Google uses automated systems to catch spam, and it says on its page about review removal that these systems sometimes remove legitimate reviews by mistake.

Your profile is restricted

When Google finds fake engagement on a profile, it can restrict it. Google lists a period in which the profile can’t receive new reviews, and existing reviews being unpublished for a time. Google says it emails the owner before applying a restriction, so check the inbox of the account that owns the profile.

And sometimes the answer is simple: the reviewer edited or deleted the review themselves.

Why genuine reviews get caught

A real customer can still write a review that breaks the rules. The usual ways:

• It contains a link, a phone number or an email address. Google’s policy treats those as advertising.
• It was rewarded. A discount, a gift or a prize draw in exchange for a review makes it fake engagement, even when the customer and the experience were real.
• It came from someone close to the business. Owners, employees and former employees have a conflict of interest.
• It repeats another review. The same text posted more than once counts as repetitive content.

Our guide to Google’s review policy covers each category.

Which reviews can come back

• Removed for a policy violation: no. Google says these are not restored.
• Delayed by checks or a merge: yes, on their own, usually within a few days.
• Lost after a reinstatement, or removed by mistake: possibly. This is what Google’s support is for.
• Unpublished under a restriction: Google describes the restriction as lasting a set period, and you can appeal it.

What to do

1. Wait a few days. A new review may still be going through Google’s checks.
2. Check you are looking at the right profile. Duplicate profiles for the same business split reviews between them.
3. Ask the customer. They can see their own reviews under their contributions in Google Maps. If the review shows there but not on your profile, it has not been published or was removed. If it is gone there too, it was deleted.
4. Check your email for a notice from Google about a restriction.
5. Contact Business Profile support if reviews disappeared after a reinstatement, or you believe genuine reviews were removed by mistake. Have the profile, the dates and the number of missing reviews ready.

Don’t ask customers to post the same review again and again. Identical text posted several times is itself against the policy.

How to keep genuine reviews up

You can’t control Google’s filters, but you can avoid giving them a reason.

• Ask every customer the same way, with nothing offered in return.
• Don’t review your own business, and don’t ask staff to.
• Ask customers to describe their experience in their own words, and to leave links and phone numbers out.

There is more in how to ask for Google reviews the right way. If you would rather have it set up for you, that is our review request service.