Many businesses have recently noticed a sudden drop in their Google Business Profile reviews, with no clear explanation. Since February 7, reports of disappearing reviews have increased, raising concerns among business owners.
Google has acknowledged that this is a known display glitch—reviews haven’t been deleted but are temporarily not showing up correctly. The company is actively working on a fix.
While they work on a fix, let’s explore the reasons behind this problem and what you can do to minimize the impact on your business.
Google’s automated review moderation system plays a critical role in keeping reviews legitimate and free from spam.
While we know from a Google employee that a display glitch is currently affecting some Google Business Profiles, leading to reviews showing lower-than-expected counts, it’s important to remember that reviews may also be removed for other reasons. Google has confirmed that they are working to resolve the issue and restore accurate review counts.
With this in mind, let’s look closer at the potential causes of your missing reviews:
In some rare instances, reviews may disappear due to a technical issue, but they often reappear later. In the current situation, this is exactly what’s happening. Google has confirmed that a bug affects certain profiles, causing reviews to be displayed incorrectly.
Fortunately, the reviews themselves haven’t been removed. Google is actively working to restore them and fix the display issue.
The scope of the issue is significant, and reports from both the SEO communities and businesses confirm that this is a widespread problem.
Related read: 7 Surprising Benefits of Your Local Listing
One of the possible reasons Google deleted your reviews could be Google’s strict guidelines, which prevent certain types of content from being posted. Your reviews may be flagged and removed if they contain inappropriate content, promotional material, or spam.
If there’s a sudden surge in reviews (especially from new accounts), Google’s anti-spam filters might flag it as suspicious. If this happens, some of your Google business reviews may be deleted or temporarily removed.
If the reviewer’s account is flagged or deleted for suspicious activity (such as posting too many reviews in a short span of time), all their past reviews—including yours—may be removed. This could be one of the reasons why your Google reviews are disappearing.
Some reviews may appear on Google Maps before they show up on Google Search—or vice versa. This delay can cause confusion and give the impression that your reviews have disappeared. Please ensure you check back after some time to see if the reviews reappear.
Google uses machine learning to detect fake or low-quality reviews. Sometimes, the system mistakenly flags legitimate reviews. Ensure the reviews have enough detail and do not have repetitive phrases that trigger Google’s AI filters.
So, how do you know if your business is affected by disappearing Google reviews? Here are a few signs to look out for:
While the missing reviews may raise concerns, here’s what you need to know:
Pro tip: As your business grows and you manage multiple listings, logging into different accounts to handle reviews can quickly become overwhelming. The most efficient solution is to use the Engagement Management tool by SingleInterface, which allows you to interact with customers and manage reviews across multiple listings, all from a single, unified dashboard.
If you’ve noticed your reviews disappearing, here are some steps you can take to resolve the issue:
Related read: Learn How to Optimize Your Local Business Listing
Taking a proactive approach is key to minimizing the impact of disappearing reviews. Implementing the right precautions can protect your business’s credibility and ensure review visibility remains unaffected.
As previously mentioned, encourage organic reviews from real customers by requesting honest feedback. Avoid prompting them with specific keywords, as this can trigger Google’s filters. Genuine reviews build trust and credibility.
Also, consider utilizing tools with Reputation Management features like SingleInterface to track your review activity, detect patterns, and get real-time alerts about any discrepancies. This proactive monitoring allows you to address any issues quickly before they escalate.
Why do Google reviews disappear? The reasons vary—sometimes, it’s due to a violation of Google’s policies, and other times, it’s a technical issue or AI filtering error. As Google has confirmed, some reviews have not actually been removed—they’re simply not displaying correctly due to a bug.
To protect your business, it’s crucial to take a proactive approach. Regularly monitor your reviews, follow Google’s guidelines, and encourage organic feedback to ensure your reviews remain visible and authentic.
Check your Google Business Profile today to make sure your reviews are intact. Stay vigilant and consider using professional listing management tools like SingleInterface for better oversight.
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