A review the customer says they left is missing, or an old one has vanished. The usual reasons, what you can check, and what is outside your control.
Two questions come up constantly from business owners. A customer says they left a review, but it is not on the profile. Or a review that was there last week is gone, sometimes taking the rating down with it. Google does not publish a complete explanation of how its review systems work, so some of this cannot be answered with certainty. What follows sticks to what is well established, and is clear about where the answer is "it depends".
How long reviews take to appear
Most reviews appear shortly after they are posted. Some take longer. Google runs automated systems that check reviews for spam and policy violations, and a review that gets flagged for a closer look can be delayed. Google does not publish a standard time frame for this, so be wary of anyone who gives you a precise number of hours or days.
It is also common for the reviewer to see their own review before anyone else can. If a customer tells you their review is up but you cannot see it, they may be seeing a version visible only to them while it is still being checked.
Common reasons a review never shows up
If a review is held or filtered before it appears, these are the usual suspects. None of them are certain, because Google does not explain individual decisions.
- It was caught by spam filters. Reviews with links, repeated text, or unusual patterns are more likely to be flagged.
- The reviewer's account looks new or unusual to Google's systems.
- Many reviews arrived in a short burst, which can look like a coordinated campaign even when it is not.
- The review appears to break a policy, for example by containing personal information or off-topic content.
- The customer reviewed a different listing, such as a duplicate profile or another business with a similar name.
Why reviews that were already up disappear
This is the more painful case, because the review was there and visible to everyone. Again, there are a few well-known explanations.
Google removed it for a policy reason
Google can remove reviews it later decides break its policies, including reviews that look like fake engagement. This can happen long after the review was posted. If your business ever offered incentives for reviews, collected them from staff or family, or used a service that posted reviews for you, removals can follow.
The reviewer deleted it or deleted their account
A reviewer can remove or edit their own review at any time. If they delete their Google account, their reviews go with it. You will not usually be told.
Something changed on your profile
Owners and support forums have long reported reviews temporarily disappearing after significant profile changes, such as edits to the business name or address, or during a suspension or verification problem. Google does not document exactly when this happens, but if reviews vanished right after a major edit or a suspension, that is a likely link. In many reported cases the reviews come back once the profile is resolved, though that is not guaranteed.
A display issue
Occasionally the review count or the reviews themselves show differently across Search, Maps and different devices for a period. If the drop is sudden and large and nothing else has changed, it is worth waiting a short while before assuming the worst.
What you can check
- 1Ask the customer for the link to their review, or to check whether it still shows on their own account.
- 2Confirm they reviewed the right listing, and check whether you have duplicate profiles.
- 3Review any recent changes to your Business Profile, and whether there is any notice of suspension or verification issues.
- 4Think honestly about how the review was collected. Incentives, staff reviews or a sudden coordinated push are the most common causes of removals.
- 5If many reviews disappeared at once and none of the above explains it, contact Google Business Profile support through the Help Center.
What you cannot do
You cannot force a filtered review to appear, and you cannot reinstate one Google has removed. You can ask a customer whose review was filtered to try again later, but do not coach them on wording to get past filters, and do not ask them to repost the same review repeatedly.
Hi Ana, thanks so much for leaving us a review. It does not seem to be showing on our profile yet, which sometimes happens while Google checks new reviews. No need to do anything, but if it still is not there in a while and you want to try again, here is the link: [link]. Thanks, [Business name]
How to make your reviews more durable
The reviews that tend to stay put are ordinary ones from real customers, collected steadily over time. That suggests some simple habits.
- Ask every customer, the same way, rather than running occasional big pushes.
- Never offer incentives or ask staff, family or friends to review you.
- Send customers straight to your own review link so they land on the right listing.
- Avoid unnecessary changes to your business name and address, and keep your profile details accurate.
Repperly sends every customer straight to your own Google review link on a steady schedule, which is the kind of collection that holds up over time.