How to get your Missing or Lost Google Reviews To Show Up

As a business owner, you understand the value of customer reviews. Positive reviews can attract potential clients and help build trust in your brand. However, sometimes reviews can mysteriously disappear, confusing you and potentially missing out on valuable customer experiences.

In this guide, I will walk you through the steps to find those missing Google reviews.

Reporting Missing Reviews:

1. Open Google Chrome and go to this link: https://support.google.com/business/gethelp. Ensure you’re logged into the Google account connected to your business listing.
   
   

2. In the “What can we help with?” box, select your business listing if you have more than one. Type “Google Reviews Missing” and click “Next Step.” Then, choose “Review Missing.”

3. In the “Resources” box, click “Next Step.”

4. In the “Contact options” box, choose your preferred language and click “Email.”

5. Fill in your name, email address, phone number, Business Profile ID (Click HERE to learn where to get your profile ID – it will take you to the bottom of this document,) and business details, including the number of missing reviews, time frame, and any specific reviewer names you remember. Describe the issue in detail.

6. Answer the following questions:
   • Has the profile recently been suspended or disabled?
   • Does the profile belong to elementary, secondary, or high school?
   • How many reviews are missing from the profile? (give your best guess; you may not even know)
   • Are new reviews being published on the profile? (If you don’t know, then say so)
   • What’s the time frame in which the reviews have gone missing? (again, give your best estimate)
   • Reviewer’s name (Specific Reviewer that the review is not published – If you do not know, that’s fine, but if you have the name of even one reviewer who left a review, but it didn’t show up, try to remember it and note it here)
   • Describe your issue –  My reviews aren’t showing up. Etc., being as detailed as possible, and providing relevant info that could help your case.
   • Related case ID(s) – Not relevant if this is your first time doing this process; otherwise, use Case ID from previous attempts.
     
     
7. Click “Submit” and take note of your case ID for future reference.

8. Follow up with Google every couple of days for progress updates.

9. After about two weeks, if the issue persists, reply to Google’s email stating that the provided resources didn’t resolve the problem and ask for further assistance.

10. Google will escalate the issue to a specialist. Reply to their email, thank them, and ask where to expect a reply from the specialist.

11. Continue to follow up with Google for updates.

12. Usually, about two weeks after starting the process, the missing reviews should reappear. You may even receive a call from a Google representative confirming this.

13. After resolving the issue, send a follow-up email thanking Google for their assistance. Remember, being courteous goes a long way in getting help from Google’s support team.

By following these steps, you can increase your chances of recovering your missing Google reviews.

Why Do Google Reviews Go Missing?

There are several reasons why your Google reviews might have gone missing, including:

1. Google Algorithm Changes: Algorithm changes happen frequently in Google, sometimes affecting reviews by hiding them temporarily or removing them by mistake.

2. Violations of Google’s Review Policies: Fake or spammy reviews may be removed by Google. This can be done by the algorithm or manually by the Google team. Submit a report if you believe there was a mistake in removing one of the reviews.

3. Reviewer Deletion: Sometimes, reviewers may delete their reviews. There is no way to know when a user has deleted their review as no notification is sent to the business.

4. Google My Business Issues: Glitches and technical issues aren’t uncommon and can lead to reviews not appearing as expected.

5. Filtering System: Google uses a filtering system to identify and remove potentially fake or low-quality reviews. This system is not fail-proof as legitimate reviews may be caught in this filter and be wrongfully deleted.

6. Policy Violations: If Google detects that there has been a policy violation, such as soliciting fake reviews or incentivizing customers to leave positive feedback, Google may take action by removing the reviews or suspending the business listing.

7. Account Suspension: If your account was suspended, all associated reviews to the account might be temporarily removed until the issue is resolved. If many reviews are missing once your account is reinstated, contact support for assistance.

Understanding why your Google reviews are missing can help you take the appropriate steps to address the issue. Remember to monitor your reviews regularly and ensure you’re sticking to Google’s policies to help minimize the risk of reviews disappearing unexpectedly.