A happy customer leaves a glowing review on your Google Business Profile, and you get the notification, excited to see the feedback, but when you check, the review is nowhere to be found.
Frustrating, right? You’re not alone.
I experienced the same issue not too long ago; I received an email from Google informing me of a 5-star review, but when I clicked the link to read it, I was shown an error message: “Something went wrong.”
At first, I was a little bit puzzled. Google told me I had a review, but it was not visible. I contacted the customer, and they said their review was still visible. They even sent me a screenshot. That’s when I knew something wasn’t right.
To solve the problem, I had to determine the cause of the problem and report it to Google. Who would have thought? I was able to get the review posted again.
If your Google reviews are missing, hidden, or not showing up, don’t worry. This guide will walk you through:
- Step-by-step instructions to contact Google if needed.
- The main reasons why your reviews might be disappearing.
- Proven fixes to get them back.
How to Contact Google Support for Review Issues
If you’ve tried everything and your Google reviews still aren’t showing up, contacting Google Support may be your next best step. Here’s how to reach out to them for assistance with review-related issues:
- Log into Google Business Profile: You can access your profile through your Google Business dashboard.
- Use the Help Center: The Google My Business Help Center has articles and FAQs.
- Click ‘Contact Us’: To chat, email, or phone support, go to your dashboard’s “Support” and select “Contact Us.”
- Describe the Issue: Include specific details about the problem you are encountering with your review, your business name, and any error messages you may have received.
Quick Reasons and Their Solutions Why Google Reviews Are Not Showing
| # | Reason | Solution |
| 1 | Google’s Review Policies & Guidelines | Ensure reviews comply with Google’s policies. Avoid spam, misleading content, and incentivized reviews. |
| 2 | The Review is New and Not Indexed Yet | Wait 24-72 hours for Google to index the review. |
| 3 | The Business Profile is Not Verified | Complete the Google Business Profile verification process through postcard, phone, or email. |
| 4 | The Review is Flagged as Spam | Avoid reviews with links, promotional content, and encourage unique, authentic feedback from real customers. |
| 5 | The User’s Google Account is Inactive | Ensure the reviewer’s account is active. If restricted, they must address the issue with Google Support. |
| 6 | Google’s Algorithm or AI Filters Removed It | Avoid bulk reviews from the same IP or device. Focus on organic, diverse customer feedback. |
| 7 | The Review Contains Prohibited Words or Topics | Stick to professional, respectful, and factual reviews without offensive language, hate speech, or personal data. |
| 8 | Reviews from Employees or Business Owners | Encourage reviews only from genuine customers, not employees or business owners. |
| 9 | Google is Facing a Temporary Bug or Update | Wait for Google to resolve any technical glitches or system updates that may be causing delays. |
Solving Google Review Issues: Why They’re Missing and How to Fix Them
1. Google’s Review Policies & Guidelines
Google has very strict policies to help prevent reviews that are not from real customers. If a review is spam, has misleading information, is offensive or is promotional, it may not even make it past Google’s algorithm. Also, if a review goes against Google’s fake engagement policy, like from a non-customer or an incentivized review, it may not appear.
You can avoid this by ensuring the reviews meet Google’s T&Cs and asking customers to provide helpful and honest feedback.
2. The Review is New and Not Indexed Yet
When a review is posted, Google does not always display it immediately. Sometimes, the system may take 24 to 72 hours to crawl and index the content. The delay is caused by the AI employed by Google scanning the review to check if it is up to the mark regarding content guidelines and not spam. That’s why if a review seems authentic and doesn’t appear immediately, it’s worth waiting for a few days before assuming there is a problem.
3. The Business Profile is Not Verified
Unverified business profiles don’t show reviews on Google. If a business has not yet completed the Google Business Profile (GBP) verification process, its customer reviews may not be displayed. It helps avoid fake listings, ensuring a business is real and operational.
To solve this, business owners should verify their business through postcards, phone calls, or email, according to the location and kind of business. Once the business is verified, the reviews should start to appear.
4. The Review is Flagged as Spam
Google automatically filters out reviews that appear suspicious or spammy. Common reasons include:
- Reviews containing links or promotional content.
- Multiple reviews were posted from the same IP address.
- Extremely short or vague reviews without real customer experience.
- Reviews that have been copy-pasted across different platforms.
- Reviews are posted too frequently from new or inactive accounts.
Businesses should encourage customers to leave genuine, unique reviews without external links to prevent this.
5. The User’s Google Account is Inactive or Suspended
If the reviewer’s Google account is inactive, closed, or suspended, their reviews may not appear. Google hides content from accounts reported for policy violations, spam, or unusually high activity. Furthermore, the reviews from new accounts or less active users may not be instantaneously visible.
If a review is missing, the customer should verify the status of their Google account and attempt to log in again. If a review is suppressed, the account cannot unblock it.
6. Google’s Algorithm or AI Filters Removed It
Google has an AI-powered filtering system that detects and turns off fraudulent or low-quality reviews. If the algorithm identifies several reviews from the same place, fake engagement patterns, or unusual behavior, it might hide the reviews automatically. This can happen even if the reviews are real.
To reduce this risk as much as possible, businesses should not ask their customers to leave reviews in bulk or from the same device or IP address but rather to leave feedback organically.
7. The Review Contains Prohibited Words or Topics
Google automatically removes reviews containing certain words or topics that violate its content policies. Some restricted content includes:
- Profanity: Any use of offensive language or inappropriate words.
- Hate Speech: Discriminatory or violent statements.
- Legal Threats: Mentions of lawsuits or defamation claims.
- Personal Data: Reviews containing phone numbers or private details.
- Sexually Explicit Content: Any inappropriate discussions.
- Misleading Information: False claims about the business.
- Mentions of Illegal Activities: Discussions of fraud, drugs, or crime.
Reviewers should use professional, respectful, and factual feedback to avoid removal.
8. Reviews from Employees or Business Owners
Google does not allow business owners, their employees, or anyone with a direct relationship with the business to post reviews. This is to avoid biased or false feedback that can manipulate search engines and hurt or favor a particular company.
Any review from an associated person will be deleted or filtered by Google if it detects that the review is from such a person. To increase credibility, businesses should accept only real customer reviews instead of fake ones from the team.
9. Google is Facing a Temporary Bug or Update
Sometimes, missing reviews occur due to temporary glitches or updates in Google’s system. In its continual effort to enhance search quality, Google often changes its algorithms, which can result in some reviews disappearing or being delayed. When several businesses report missing reviews, it’s probably better not to panic and assume that the review is gone until Google fixes the problem.
How to Fix Missing Google Reviews
If your Google reviews are not showing, here is how to handle that:
- First, ensure your Google Business Profile is verified. If it isn’t, finish the verification on Google My Business.
- Then, check the review for any violations of Google’s content guidelines, like spam or prohibited words.
- It may take 48-72 hours for Google to crawl it if it’s a new review.
- If all else fails, you can try contacting Google Business Support. Ask your customers to leave real and detailed reviews to stay away from the filters.
- Keep an eye on the problem and always be open with your customers.
How to Prevent Future Issues With Google Reviews
To avoid further issues with Google reviews, it is recommended that you verify and update your business profile. To ensure your customers know how to leave a meaningful comment, avoid using any prohibited promotional links or words.
You should check the health of your reviews and look for spam or flagged content. Don’t incentivize or self-promote; you want the reviews to come from actual customers. You also don’t want to get penalized by Google, so it is better to check its policies and guidelines.
Best Way to Contact Google Support and Google’s Review Policy
Contacting Google Support is often the best action if you’re facing issues with missing Google reviews. You can reach them through your Google My Business dashboard by navigating to the “Support” section.
From there, you can chat with a representative or request a callback. For more complex issues, submitting a support ticket may be necessary. To speed up the process, it’s important to document the problem clearly and provide all relevant details. Familiarizing yourself with Google’s Review Policy is essential to ensure you understand the guidelines and prevent issues in the future.
