How To Get Missing Google Reviews Back

Google reviews have started to go missing for the second time in 2022. The first spike of complaints circulated in March in the Google Search Community and various SEO forums. Business owners around the globe logged complaints about missing, legitimate Google reviews.

Since 10th June 2022, a second spike occurred with more businesses complaining in the Google Business Profile forums about customer reviews not appearing in their Google Business listing.

What are Google reviews, and why are they important?

Google reviews are a collection of customer testimonials on your Google Business listing. They can be positive or negative, but they give potential customers a sense of what it’s like to do business with you.

Google reviews are critical because they account for 17% of the Local Search ranking algorithm (Advicelocal.com). They are the second most important Google Local ranking factor.

Why have my Google reviews been missing since 10th June 2022?

Back in March, Google mentioned a ‘known technical issue’ that was apparently resolved (seroundtable.com). However, on 10th June 2022, SEO expert Joy Hawkins confirmed:

“Not only has the [spam] filter got stricter, but they also have been doing waves of takedowns lately, so I’m hearing tons of reports of businesses losing reviews in the last week that were published before but then got removed recently.” (seroundtable.com)

Google are yet to release a statement on this issue.

How to check if your Google Business listing is missing reviews

  1. The first step is to check your Google Business Profile if you recently asked customers to leave reviews, received messages or even screenshots from customers confirming that they have submitted any, yet you can’t see them.
  2. The next step is to check if there have been any recent Google algorithm updates that could explain why the reviews are missing. You can do this by checking Google’s algorithm change history.
  3. If you’ve checked your Google Business Profile and there haven’t been any recent algorithm updates that could explain the missing reviews, the next step is to contact Google directly.

What should I do if my Google Business listing is missing reviews?

If your Google Business listing is missing reviews, you should:

  • Check the Google Business Profile forums to see if others are experiencing the same issue.
  • Contact Google directly to report the issue and ask for help.

How to contact Google about missing reviews

The best way to contact Google about a missing review is to leave a question in the Google Business Profile Help Community.

  • On the next screen, you can let the Google Community team know about your problem. Make sure to include a link to your Google Business Profile. You should also tell Google’s team which reviews aren’t showing and when they started missing.
  • For category, select the option policies and guidelines.
  • You can add screenshots.
  • Then click next, select Other under the best description, and confirm your selection.
  • You’ll get the option to specify the operating system/platform on which you notice the problem on the following screens.
  • Lastly, confirm your post & click post.

Not sure where to start? Our Digital Marketing team is coming to your rescue. 

We are a full-service PR and digital marketing agency specialising in SEO. We can help you get your missing Google reviews back and optimise your GMB listing for maximum visibility. Call us today!

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