Google Business Profile reviews are vanishing.

We’ve fielded calls from clients whose review counts seemed to plummet without any clear cause – and others whose 5-star reviews are just… gone. Without a trace.

So, what’s with the disappearing act?

Google recently acknowledged a review outage and promised they are working on a fix. GBP users are urged to review Google policies before filing a report. Reviews, they say, are not actually missing—but counts may be inaccurate.

But Google also seems to constantly fine-tune its algorithms to weed out spam, fake reviews, and potential manipulation or fraud. In theory, they do it to help keep the review ecosystem fair and trustworthy. In reality, their AI can get a little too aggressive, flagging and removing legitimate reviews in the process.

Unfortunately, as a business owner, you don’t have the option to disable this function. But there are a few steps you can take to try and get your lost review reinstated.

How to Recover a Missing Google Review

• First, Check Google’s Review Policy: As mentioned, ensure the review didn’t unintentionally violate Google’s policies (e.g., URLs in reviews, promotional language, inappropriate content, or conflicts of interest).
• Ask the Reviewer to Repost: If you know who left the review, reach out and ask if they still see it on their end. If not, see if they would mind posting it again (or even a simple replacement with the same star rating).
• Check for Google Account Issues: Sometimes, the issue isn’t with the review itself but with the reviewer’s Google account. If their account was flagged or deactivated, the review might disappear.
• Contact Google Support: When in doubt, go directly to the source:
  • Navigate to Google Business Profile Help.
  • Select Reviews and Photos → Missing or Removed Reviews.
  • Explain the situation and submit a request for Google to investigate.
  • Monitor for Review Restoration. Some removed reviews mysteriously reappear after system updates. Keep a keen eye on your profile.

Keep That 5-Star Energy Up

While the situation at hand is incredibly frustrating, it’s important to keep doing what you do best: providing exceptional service that motivates happy customers to leave reviews in the first place. If they go missing, act, but don’t let it derail your momentum. Questions? Need help navigating Google’s quirks? Give us a shout. Keep an eye on this space for additional updates.