Why Is My Google Review Not Showing?

You are here basically to find answers and common reasons why you’re missing Google reviews either the old or new reviews on your Google business account page. You’ve clicked the right article, and check out why this is happening, as it may include reasons that your online reviews were not shown due to online reputation, conflict of interest, fake Google reviews, a spam review, or tagged as a violation of Google’s policy or something has to do with reputation management.

So, check out the article and find out what happened and why you have encountered such situations, but let’s talk about what Google business reviews on Google My Business Profile (GMB).

Google reviews are essential to many businesses. What is written in them not only helps those organizations (big or small businesses) receive greater credibility and increased brand trust, but reviews or customer feedback also play a role in SEO algorithms, digital marketing, and improved online presence due to business information. Even a number of reviews, like negative reviews, are helpful as they assist business owners in determining which areas should be focused on more than has been the case.

However, there may be instances when a customer asks why their Google review is not showing. It is important to consider why this could be the case.

Fake Reviews

One thing to check upon putting in reviews if you did not actually write the review that has been posted by your account (reviewer’s account), it is against Google’s review policy (policy violations) and subject to removal. Fake reviews also include those written by someone who has never interacted with a business or, conversely, is directly affiliated with it. Receiving compensation to write a review also goes against the policy.

Also, to enhance customer experience, customers should not be pressured to leave positive reviews, ask to post reviews to give a star rating and star reviews and have negative reviews discouraged.

If you oversee a Google My Business listing that has fake reviews associated with it, you should flag it.

Remember that cultivating fake reviews could result in a business listing being removed entirely by the review management support team.

Inappropriate Content

A review that has inappropriate content may be pulled. Examples include ones that have confidential information, details about illegal activities, or hate speech, include profanities or are sexually explicit or suggestive.

Flagged as Spam

If a review has been flagged as spam or as otherwise violating related posting rules, it may be removed. This can be done automatically as well as a result of it being manually flagged as such by others.

Possible reasons for this occurring include the reviewer or their IP address having had a history of producing spammy content, the review consisting of text in a third language that is not the business’ or reviewer’s primarily used language, it is one of multiple similar reviews or repetitive within itself, or the review containing any links whatsoever.

In some cases, legitimate reviews that should not have been removed are.

Older Operating System Being Used

If someone is using an older operating system or mobile device to view a Google business profile and leave a review there, issues could result. If this is the case in this situation, updating the system or device will most likely be necessary to fix the problem.

Business’ Opening Date Is in the Future

Regardless of when an organization has actually opened for business if a specific opening date has been set in its business listing, Google will view any customer reviews that were posted prior to then as not valid, and they will be removed.

24 Hours Have Not Passed

Although Google reviews are usually posted within a few minutes or, at the most, a few hours, they can sometimes take 24 hours to appear. So, if that latter amount of time has not passed yet, wait to see if yours will be posted later.

Duplicate Listings Being Merged

If duplicate listings for a business are in the process of being merged, that could delay the posting of relevant reviews beyond 24 hours to a few days instead.

Did you unintentionally create a duplicate business listing? If so, you should rectify that as soon as possible so that current and potential customers can easily find your business through a Google search, on Google Maps, and otherwise. Conversely, if someone else created that second listing, then you will likely need to reach out to Google support for assistance in handling this.

Business Has Moved

If you left a Google review at a business that has recently moved, it is possible that what you said is, in fact, visible but not at the address that you had expected. In other words, a business may have duplicate listings at different addresses, and you might have left your review at one and are trying to view it at another.

Your Account Is Inactive

Have you allowed your Google account to lapse and become inactive? In that case, all of your reviews may have been removed. However, this is not a viable possibility until it has been inactive for at least two years.

You Removed the Review

A review will no longer show if you intentionally removed it.

Listing Verification Issues

A company experiencing issues with the verification of its Google business listing may cause issues. If business reviews related to your organization could be affected by this, head to Google My Business, where you should be able to fix it. If you are unable to, contact Google support to help you ensure that your business gets verified.

Do keep in mind that a local business or other type of entity will sometimes have its previously valid Google listing become inactive and then require verification. This can occur if relevant details have not been kept updated.

Google Has Disabled Reviews

In some cases, Google will disable reviews for a business, an act that includes hiding previously posted reviews. This may be done if an organization has violated its policies or if a large proportion of its reviews do. Or it could be unrelated to anything that the business has done, such as is the case if Google is doing regular maintenance or updating its platform as a whole.

Regardless, this move to disable reviews entirely for a business is usually a temporary one although you may need to update something in order to rectify it.

Bugs

Bugs or other technical issues could be why a Google review is not showing.

Conclusion

There are numerous reasons why a Google review will either never appear or disappear after having previously been visible. These can be related to the poster going against the posting policy, whether intentional or not, or it could be the result of something completely out of their control. Regardless, it is likely that it was done for one of the reasons discussed above.

As a result, make sure that you are well-versed in what Google’s policies are so that you can avoid this situation happening to you or, if it already has, learn what you could do to reverse it. If necessary and possible, reach out to Google support for assistance.

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