A Google review that has not shown up is usually waiting on a policy check, which can take a few days. If it has been longer than that, the most likely causes are that the review was filtered or removed, the customer's post did not finish, or your listing changed. Wait a few days, check the items below, then contact Google.
How long to wait
Google reviews are checked before and after they go live. Google's help page on missing or delayed reviews says the check "might take a few days." Reviews on newly merged profiles can also take a few days to show on Search and Maps.
So start with patience. Tell the customer you can see it has not shown yet, and look again in two or three days.
Seven reasons a review is missing
1. It is still being checked
Google checks each review against its policies before and after it goes live, and some checks take longer than others.
2. It was removed for breaking a policy
Google removes reviews that do not reflect a real experience, include spam or offensive content, come from someone with a conflict of interest, or were posted in return for an incentive. Google says reviews removed for violations are not restored.
If you offered something for reviews, some may have been removed. The full list of what Google allows is in the rules section of our pillar guide. Spacing requests out as jobs finish is also a sensible habit.
3. The customer did not finish posting
On a phone it is easy to type a review and close the app before tapping Post. Ask the customer to open their Google Maps profile, look at their contributions, and see whether the review is listed.
4. The customer has an older app or phone software
Google suggests customers update to the latest version of Google Maps if they have trouble posting.
5. They reviewed the wrong listing
If you have a similar name to another business, or two listings for one business, the review may be on the wrong one. Check that your review link opens your own listing. See how to find your Google review link.
6. The profile was merged, reinstated or changed
After a merge, reviews from both listings can take a few days to appear. If a profile was suspended and reinstated, Google says some reviews may be removed afterward. If that has happened to you, contact Business Profile support.
7. Google turned off reviews for the profile or category
Google can temporarily disable user content such as reviews for some profiles or categories. Review availability can also depend on your country and business category and can change. If your reviews vanished across the board, this is worth checking with support.
What to check, in order
Ask the customer to look at their own review
In Google Maps, they can open their profile and see their contributions. If it is there, it is live or pending. If it is not, it was not saved or it was removed.
Search your listing while signed out
Open your business in a private browser window. Sort reviews by newest. This avoids caching and signed-in quirks.
Wait three or four days
Check again. A policy check is the most common reason for a delay, and it can clear on its own.
Check the customer's account
Reviews from accounts that look new or inactive get extra scrutiny. If you can, ask whether the account is one they use regularly.
Contact Business Profile support
If a review is still missing after a few days, open your dashboard's help option and ask. Have the reviewer's name, date and the text of the review ready.
What not to do
- Do not ask the customer to post it again and again. Repeat posts can look like spam.
- Do not offer anything to get a review reposted. Incentives for reviews break Google's review policy.
- Do not post one yourself to make up the count. Reviews from the owner or staff are conflicts of interest and get removed.
- Do not panic about the count. One missing review rarely changes anything. A steady pace of new ones does.
Reviews that vanish after they showed up
If a review was live and now it is gone, the usual explanations are that the reviewer deleted it, Google removed it for policy reasons, or the listing was reinstated or merged. You will not get a notification for every case. If a particular review mattered, such as a long detailed one, and you cannot see why it went, ask Business Profile support.
On the flip side, if you want a negative review gone, see can you delete a Google review.
Keeping the flow steady
Because individual reviews can get delayed or filtered, the safest thing is not to depend on any single one. Ask every customer, space the asks out as jobs finish, and keep a steady trickle coming. A text sent a day or two after each job does this naturally, and it is what Mitch's review requests do on the Local and Complete plans.
Plan: Review requests spread out by themselves on the Local plan
Local ($189 a month) sends each request 24 to 72 hours after the job you submit, so asks land as jobs finish instead of all at once. Month to month, with a free trial. See [how it works](/us/platform/reviews) or the [pricing page](/us/pricing).
For the whole system, read the pillar guide: how to get more Google reviews. For the asking scripts, see how to ask for a Google review. More in the Google reviews hub.
Keep new reviews coming steadily
Mitch texts your review link after each job you submit and drafts the reply when the review lands. Try it free for 14 days.