Why Is Your Google Review Not Showing Up? Causes and Solutions

In today's digital age, online reviews play a crucial role in shaping the reputation of businesses. Google reviews influence potential customers' decisions on various platforms, as 88% of consumers get into Google before purchasing.

However, what happens when your Google review is not showing up? This comprehensive guide will explore the reasons behind this and provide actionable steps to ensure your reviews gain the visibility they deserve.

Where is my Google review?

Your Google Reviews are linked to your Google Business profile, which can be accessed through a simple Google web search or Google Maps search. If you're yet to create one, you can read our complete guide on Google Business profiles.

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The Google Business profile is a central hub for essential business information, including customer reviews. Once a potential customer keys in your business name or a relevant keyword to the search box, Google will show your business profile and your competitors. Each business profile shows an Overview, Directions, Offers, and, of course, Reviews.

How long does it take for a Google review to show up?

Google ensures that all its content remains relevant and authentic to consumers, especially for user-generated content like Google Reviews. For this reason, Google Reviews monitors and checks all reviews before publishing.

While Google Reviews are posted mostly immediately, the reviewing process may take some time for some reviews. During the reviewing period, the content undergoes scrutiny to ascertain its compliance with community guidelines. Delays may also be attributed to factors such as high moderation volumes, necessitating patience from businesses eagerly awaiting the display of customer feedback.

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How long does Google business take to update?

Google constantly updates its algorithm to enhance search results, improve user experience, and adapt to evolving technology, user behavior, and web content. Such updates include Google Business profiles; in fact, in their most recent update, the traffic of some business listings decreased.

Google Business updates, encompassing changes to your business information, can take some time to reflect across the platform. The frequency of these updates may vary, and while most modifications are typically processed efficiently, there might be instances where updates experience delays. However, if persistent issues or critical updates do not reflect as expected, further investigation into the specific concerns may be necessary. Timely and accurate information is essential for maintaining a current and trustworthy online presence.

How long do Google reviews last?

Google Reviews remain on the business listing as long as the Google Business profile and the reviewer's account remain active. Once a review is published, it becomes a part of the business's online reputation.

However, it's crucial to note that reviews are subject to removal if they violate Google's policies. While legitimate reviews contribute to a business's credibility over the long term, any reviews that violate policies are subject to removal, ensuring the integrity of the review ecosystem.

Why is a Google review not showing?

As mentioned, Google runs a strict monitoring algorithm on user reviews. Here are some of the reasons why Google opted to remove or hide your reviews:

1. There are embedded links to your Google Reviews.

Reviews containing URLs or embedded links violate Google's policies and are promptly removed. It's advisable to ask reviewers to remove links before Google takes action. This violation is primarily to maintain the integrity of the review platform and prevent spam or misuse of hyperlinks within reviews.

2. The Google Review is flagged as fake.

Because of the power of online reviews, numerous businesses are now investing in fake reviews. In a recent survey, $152 billion of online purchases last year was attributed to fake reviews.

Because of this phenomenon, Google has become more stringent in ensuring the authenticity of reviews to prevent businesses from manipulating their online reputation through fraud. Reviews from profiles lacking essential information or appearing fake may be flagged. Unethical practices, such as paid positive reviews, can lead to Google marking reviews as fake.

How do I know if my Google review has been removed?

The listing owner won't be notified once a Google review is removed. For this reason, it's essential to monitor your Google Business Profile regularly. If reviews vanish, it's highly recommended to check Google Review guidelines to determine the reason for your content's removal. If you think the review didn't violate any guidelines, you can report the error to Google.

3. Your profile's Google Review is disabled.

In certain situations, Google disables the review section on Business Profiles, impacting visibility. This is often temporary but can affect customer experience.

To ensure this doesn't happen to your listings, see to it that your content is compliant with Google's ethical practices and avoid purchasing reviews or engaging in activities that violate Google's policies. Ensuring a commitment to genuine customer feedback contributes to a trustworthy profile, which may attract potential customers.

How do I enable Google reviews?

Google Reviews are automatically enabled once your business profile is verified.

To prevent Google from flagging your reviews, ensure that your content adheres to Google's review guidelines. Furthermore, make sure that you implement legitimate review collection strategies that can drive authentic Google Reviews to your listing. Remember that building a positive online reputation based on authentic customer experiences is the key to maintaining visibility and credibility on the platform.

4. You have an inactive Google Business profile.

Inactivity on your Google Business Profile, whether due to a lack of updates or loss of verification, can lead to reviews being hidden from the public. Regularly updating business information and ensuring verification status is current is essential to maintain an active and visible presence.

Maintaining an active Google listing also allows you to rank into Google's local 3-pack, thus attracting more customers. According to research from Moz, 44% of people doing a Google search have clicked on the Local Pack.

5. Inactive reviewer account.

When a reviewer's account becomes inactive, their reviews may disappear. This underscores the significance of consistently asking your customers for reviews to compensate for potential losses due to inactive accounts or removed reviews.

Furthermore, if you happen to gain an interesting online review, make sure to make the most out of it by saving it and sharing it to your social media accounts.

6. Duplicate Google Business listings.

Creating duplicate profiles when relocating a business is unnecessary. Google allows location updates without establishing a new account. Businesses should refrain from using this practice, as it can lead to confusion and hinder the visibility of reviews. Keeping a single, updated Google Business Profile ensures a seamless experience for both businesses and customers.

On the other hand, note that you can make multiple listings if your business has a franchise. The same goes for brands that operate in multiple locations. Just ensure that Google can easily identify the key differences among your listings, especially their locations.

How to get my Google Reviews to show up?

Now that you know why your Google Reviews aren't showing up, here are the actionable steps to make your Google Reviews visible:

1. Collect evidence before reporting the lost review.

Gathering concrete evidence is crucial when faced with missing Google reviews. Capture screenshots of the reviews in question and retain any emails from customers who have submitted reviews. This evidence serves as valuable documentation when reporting the issue to Google.

Providing technical or physical data facilitates a more efficient resolution process, helping Google understand and address the concerns related to the missing reviews.

2. Ensure your Google Business is made public and contains complete information.

Once your Google Business profile is verified, it's automatically set to public. While there's no direct way to set your listing private, Google reduces its visibility if you hide your business location. Hiding the location of your listing is often done by businesses that offer home services.

To ensure all your Google Reviews can be seen by potential clients, make sure you've set all your business information to the public. Regularly check and confirm your profile settings and make adjustments if necessary to guarantee that your online presence is fully transparent and available to those seeking information.

Why is my business not showing on Google?

For businesses experiencing invisibility in Google searches or maps, potential causes may include a lack of verification or eligibility. Regular updates to business information and strict adherence to Google's guidelines can effectively resolve this issue. Ensuring your business is verified and maintaining eligibility ensures that it appears in relevant searches, contributing to a robust online presence.

3. Get your Business profile to be activated.

To ensure the activation status of your business on Google, check the verification status of your Google Business Profile. If unverified, it is imperative to initiate and complete Google's verification process promptly. Verification activates your profile and enhances trust among potential customers, as it signifies the authenticity of your business on the platform.

Furthermore, a verified Google Business listing also allows you to optimize other Google features such as Google Messages, Reserve with Google, and more.

How do I know if my business is verified on Google?

To confirm the verification status of your business, inspect your Google Business Profile. If the profile is unverified, the necessary steps for verification will be outlined. Following Google's verification process ensures that your business profile is active and accessible to users searching for your products or services.

4. Seek help from Google Support or Community.

If challenges persist despite efforts to resolve issues independently, seeking assistance from Google Support or engaging with the Community can be beneficial. Google often acknowledges genuine efforts to build an online reputation, and its support channels can provide insights and solutions to persistent problems. Collaborating with the Google Community fosters a sense of community support and expertise.

5. Consistently respond to Google Reviews.

Actively engaging with reviews is a great strategy for showing Google that your Google Business listing and your Google Reviews account are active. This will push Google's algorithm to display your listing on relevant searches. Furthermore, responding professionally to customer feedback not only demonstrates attentiveness to customer concerns but also builds trust among potential customers.

Ensure the recency and relevance of your Google Reviews.

Responding to Google Reviews is one of the most effective ways to alert Google that your reviews are authentic and not spam. However, doing this can be a daunting task, but it doesn't have to be with our AI Review Assistant, MARA. This intuitive tool is designed to ease your Online Reputation Management process, making it more efficient, personalized, and time-saving. It offers the best and most personalized AI for responding to and analyzing your guest reviews.

Easy review monitoring through Review Inbox

Staying on top of your Google Reviews and monitoring each one of them is the first step in ensuring they won’t be flagged by Google. One of the key features of MARA is the Review Inbox, which allows you to monitor your reviews in one comprehensive dashboard.

Your review inbox makes responding to reviews as simple as hitting "Generate reply" and clicking "Send". The Review Inbox connects to multiple review sources, including Google, Booking.com, and Tripadvisor, giving you a panoramic view of all your reviews. And you can even configure review response automation: Why not allow MARA to automatically respond to simple reviews, like 5-star Google reviews with no text, ensuring you never miss a review? Daily notifications about new reviews keep you updated and in control.

Efficient Review Analytics

Regardless if a Google Review is taken down, if you’re able to extract customer insights from it, then you can say that it was put to good use. This is why it’s imperative to run efficient Review Analytics.

To help you understand and analyze the multitude of reviews, the Review Assistant also incorporates Review Analytics. This provides actionable, easy-to-understand insights tailored exclusively to your business. With MARA, you can quickly get the gist of all your reviews without needing to read each one. The analysis is so detailed that you can find out about specific issues like "water in the pool is too cold" or "lack of vegan breakfast option”. These insights help optimize guest experience without requiring you to be a data expert.

Personalized responses to Google Reviews

Aside from the content of the reviews themselves, your responses can also push Google in flagging your listing. This is why upholding the relevance of your Google Reviews through equally relevant responses is essential. MARA's AI isn't just about efficiency; it's about personalization too.

The Brand Voice feature allows the AI to adapt to your tone, making sure your responses sound authentically you. Plus, with Smart Snippets, you can "teach" the AI how to respond to recurring praises or complaints. Your AI then incorporates this information into its responses, but always with different words, providing more personalized, relevant replies.

This review response assistant has quickly become a game-changer for over 2000 customers. Its promising capacity to elevate your overall rating, amplify response rates, glean insights from customer feedback, and economize both time and money is the reason behind its growing popularity.

Final Thought

In the digital landscape, where online reviews wield immense power, ensuring the visibility of your Google reviews is paramount. By understanding the reasons behind reviews not showing up and taking proactive steps, businesses can optimize their online reputation. Monitoring and managing online reviews need not be an overwhelming task. With the appropriate software, not only can you streamline the process, but you can also personalize your responses and derive valuable insights from the reviews. So, why hesitate to give our AI Review Assistant, MARA, a try? It's completely free for testing, doesn't require a credit card, and can be fully operational in less than five minutes.

This article is part of our hero content series on “Mastering Google Reviews - A Complete Guide".