Google reviews not showing up? What to check

1. Look from the customer's side first

Open Google Maps in a private browser window, or on a device that is not signed in to your account, and search for your business. Look at the rating and the reviews as a customer would see them. Then ask the customer who says they posted a review what they did: which account they used, and whether they saw a confirmation.

Write down the date, the number of reviews you see now and the number you expected. You will need those facts later.

2. Allow for a delay

Google's help page on missing or delayed reviews says reviews are checked for policy compliance and that this can take a few days, which can delay a review's appearance on your profile. It gives no exact time.

The same page says customers on older phones or software can have trouble posting reviews, and recommends updating the Maps app. If a customer tried and nothing happened, ask them to update the app and try once more.

Replying is a separate step. Google's page on managing customer reviews says you must verify your business before you can reply, and that a reply is checked before it is posted. That usually takes minutes but can occasionally take up to 30 days.

3. Check whether the review broke Google's policies

Google removes reviews that break its Maps user-contributed content policy, and says reviews removed for policy violations won't be restored. The policy covers, among other things:

• Fake engagement. Reviews or ratings that have been paid for, directly or in kind, and content posted from multiple accounts by or at the request of one person.
• Incentivised reviews. Reviews posted because a business offered something, such as payment, a discount or free goods or services.
• Conflict of interest. Content based on a conflict of interest, which the policy says may include current or former employment, a contractual or consultory relationship, or similar affiliations.
• Spam and repeated content. Unusual volumes or patterns of reviews meant to manipulate a rating, the same content posted more than once, and promotional content, contact details or links inside a review.
• Off-topic content. Reviews must be based on the reviewer's own experience at a specific location, not general commentary or rants.

This matters if you asked friends, staff or people in your own network to post, or if you offered anything in return. Google also does not allow businesses to selectively ask only happy customers for reviews, or to discourage negative ones.

Google's page on reporting reviews adds that automated spam detection can occasionally remove legitimate reviews, and directs owners to contact support in that case.

4. Check the profile's status

Sign in to your Business Profile and look for a notice about suspension, verification or needed action.

• Suspended. Google's page on a suspended Business Profile says the public can't go to the profile. Start with our guide on what to check first when a profile is suspended.
• Reinstated. Google's page on missing reviews says reviews can be removed after a profile is reinstated, and that owners should contact support. See also our guide on a reinstated profile that is not showing on Google Maps.
• Not verified. Google says you need to verify your business to edit its info and interact with customers, and its policy overview says content can be rejected when a profile is suspended, disabled or not verified.

5. Look for a duplicate or merged profile

Google's help on duplicate profiles says you can have only one Business Profile for each business, and that a profile considered a duplicate won't show on Google Search or Maps. Reviews can end up on a profile you are not looking at.

Search Maps for your business name, your phone number and your street address. If more than one listing appears, note which one has the reviews.

If profiles were merged, Google says reviews from both can take a few days to appear on Search and Maps, and that when two profiles are merged their reviews are combined, but replies to reviews may be lost.

6. Remember that Google can limit reviews

Google's page on missing reviews says it may temporarily disable user-created content, including reviews, for certain profiles or business categories. The page does not say how long this lasts. It also says reviews are removed and disabled for profiles primarily categorised as educational institutions for students aged 6 to 18. If your category might be affected, check that it describes your business correctly.

7. Use the Reviews Management Tool for reviews you reported

Google's Reviews Management Tool is where you report a review you think breaks the policies and follow the result. The statuses are Decision pending, Report reviewed – no policy violation, and Escalated – check your email for updates. Google says evaluation typically takes several days.

If no violation is found, you can submit a one-time appeal for up to 10 reviews at once. Only reviews that violate Google's policies are removed, and Google asks owners not to report a review just because they disagree with it. For a fake review, see our guide on how to report fake Google reviews.

8. Contact Google support with the facts

If a review disappeared after a reinstatement, or you think a genuine review was removed in error, use the contact option in Business Profile Help while signed in to the account that manages the profile. Keep it short and factual: the business name, the dates, how many reviews you had and have now, and what you have already checked from this list. Send one request rather than several.

While you wait, keep asking every customer for an honest review after each job. Don't offer anything in return, and don't ask everyone to repost at once.

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Common questions

How long does it take for a new Google review to appear?

Google checks reviews against its policies before they show, and says this can take a few days in some cases. Google does not give an exact time, so we can't either. Check again after a few days before you assume something is wrong.

Will a review that Google removed come back?

Google says reviews removed for policy violations won't be restored. If you think a genuine review was removed by mistake by automated spam detection, Google's page on reviews says to contact support.

Can I ask the customer to post the review again?

You can ask any customer for an honest review, but a review that broke a policy will break it again if it is reposted, and Google does not allow posting the same content more than once. Never offer a discount, gift or payment for a review.

Did my reviews disappear because my profile was suspended?

It can be related. While a profile is suspended the public can't go to it, and Google says reviews can be removed after a profile is reinstated. If that happened to you, Google tells owners to contact support.

Does the Reviews Management Tool show reviews Google removed?

Google describes it as the place to report reviews you think break the rules and to follow the status of those reports and appeals. It does not describe it as a list of reviews Google removed on its own. For a review that vanished without you reporting it, use the contact option in Business Profile Help.