What's Going On with Google Reviews?!?

The removal of Google Reviews from business profiles has been a point of significant concern for many businesses recently. While Google has not always provided detailed public explanations for these actions, several factors and patterns can help explain why reviews are being removed:

1. Spam Detection and Policy Violations

Google uses automated systems and human reviewers to identify reviews that violate its policies. If reviews are flagged as spam, fake, or incentivized, they may be removed. This includes:

• Reviews from non-genuine accounts.
• Reviews that appear coordinated (e.g., several reviews from similar IP addresses).
• Reviews containing prohibited content, such as offensive language or links.

2. Suspicious Review Activity

A sudden influx of reviews, whether positive or negative, might trigger Google's algorithms to remove them. This could happen if:

• Reviews come from accounts with limited activity or no review history.
• Reviews are suspected to originate from competitors or bots.

3. Account Suspensions and Deletions

If a user’s Google account is flagged for policy violations or suspended, all their reviews are removed from the platform. This might explain the sudden disappearance of large numbers of reviews.

4. Changes in Review Moderation Algorithms

Google frequently updates its algorithms to better detect and prevent abuse. These updates may inadvertently remove legitimate reviews if they match patterns associated with spam or manipulation.

5. Google Policy Enforcement

Google has been stricter about enforcing its content policies in recent years, especially to improve trust and reliability on its platform. Policies prohibit:

• Reviews left by employees or owners of the business.
• Reviews resulting from direct incentives, like discounts or freebies.
• Reviews unrelated to a direct experience with the business.

6. Geographic or Contextual Irregularities

Reviews left by users who are geographically far from the business's location or who have no apparent connection to the business may be flagged as suspicious.

7. Temporary Glitches

At times, businesses experience temporary loss of reviews due to system bugs. These reviews may reappear once the issue is resolved.



Our Advice

Our #1 piece of advice for SMBs regarding all Online Reviews is to establish & follow an orderly, systematic process regarding reviews on ALL platforms:

• How & when to encourage and actually get client reviews.
• Respond to all reviews regardless of rating.
• How to handle reviews that you suspect are fake.
• Collect, collate and display reviews from all platforms in a single place that you control.

If your business is affected by disappearing reviews, here are steps you can take:

1. Check Google's Review Policies

Ensure your business and its customers are not unintentionally violating policies. You can review the Google Review policies for guidance.

2. Audit Your Reviews

Look for patterns that may have triggered the removal. For example, assess whether:

• Multiple reviews came from newly created accounts.
• Reviews contain inappropriate language or links.

3. Contact Google Support

If you believe reviews were removed in error, reach out to Google Business Profile support. Be prepared to provide evidence of the legitimacy of the missing reviews.

4. Educate Customers

Encourage legitimate reviews by reminding customers to:

• Leave detailed, honest feedback about their experience.
• Avoid submitting reviews on unfamiliar devices or networks.

5. Monitor Your Profile

Keep track of changes to your reviews and business profile to catch issues early.

• While review removal can be frustrating, it’s part of Google's effort to ensure that reviews remain authentic and reliable. Building a consistent flow of legitimate reviews and adhering to Google's guidelines can help mitigate future disruptions.