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Google reviews are essential in establishing trust between your business and potential customers, as well as your existing ones, providing honest, unbiased feedback about products and services.
Google processes reviews automatically according to their review policy, and only allows verified customer reviews. Reviews must include details about the customer’s experience, and Google prohibits anonymous reviews, solicitation for compensation in exchange for a review, hate speech, and other forms of abuse or manipulation. Missing reviews are often due to policy violations.
What is Google's review policy?
Google's review policy aims to provide honest and unbiased feedback about products and services. All reviews are automatically scanned and processed to ensure they adhere to predetermined guidelines.
Only verified customers who have directly purchased a product or service from the company are allowed to leave a review. Additionally, the review must include details about the customer's experience, and anonymous reviews, solicitation for compensation, hate speech, and other forms of abuse or manipulation are prohibited.
12 reasons why your Google reviews aren't showing up
It can be frustrating when some of your customer reviews are missing from Google. Each review can impact potential customers' trust in your company and influence their decision to choose your products or services. Here are the top 12 reasons why your Google reviews may not be showing up and how to fix them:
Issues with your Google Business listing
1. Inaccurate listing information
Incorrect information can negatively affect your SEO and reduce the number of customer reviews. To fix it, log into your Google account, go to the location or listing you want to edit, select Business Information, and edit as needed.
2. Duplicate business listings
Multiple Google Business Listings can confuse customers and cause them to leave reviews on the wrong listing. To fix it, go to the Business Profile Manager, manage locations, and remove any duplicate listings.
3. Inactive business listings
If you haven't been active on your Google My Business page for more than six months, Google may un-verify your business listing. To fix it, contact Google support to re-verify your business.
Issues with your customers' reviews
4. Reviews from current or former employees
According to Google's review policy, reviews from employees are considered biased and will be removed. To avoid this, make sure you only request reviews from customers.
5. Reviews contain website links and URLs
Google doesn't allow reviews with outbound links to other websites. In your review request, advise customers not to include links.
6. Paid reviews
Paying for or incentivising reviews is against Google's policy and will result in the removal of reviews and a penalty to your search rankings. Never buy Google reviews!
7. Reviews contain swearing/coarse language/profanity
Reviews with profanity will be removed. Encourage customers to avoid using profanity. Yep, even if you are *expletive* awesome!
8. The user deleted their review
It's possible that a customer may have deleted their own review. Contact them to ask why and see if it can be reposted.
Other reasons your reviews may not be showing up on Google
9. Google bug
A bug on Google's end may prevent your reviews from showing up.
10. Filtered reviews
Google's algorithm may filter out reviews that it deems unhelpful or irrelevant.
How to fixing inaccurate Google listing information
- Log into your Google account.
- Find the location or listing you want to edit and click “View profile.”
- Select Business information and find the selection you want to edit.
- Select the pencil icon to add or edit information.
- Make the edits you need and click “Apply.”
How to remove duplicate Google listings
- Log into your Business Profile Manager.
- Go to Manage locations.
- Check the boxes for any duplicate listings you want to be removed.
- Click “Actions” and Remove location.
How to reactivate an inactive Google listing
If you’ve been logged out of your Google My Business Listing for a while, there’s a chance that Google might have unverified your business listing. To regain your verification, contact Google support.
5 golden rules to keep you on the right side of Google's review policy
- Don't request reviews from your employees.
- Advise your customers not to include links in their reviews.
- NEVER buy Google reviews.
- Encourage customers to refrain from using profanity in their reviews.
- Contact the customer directly and ask why they deleted the review.
