My Google Business Reviews Are Gone! Now What?

Customer Reviews on Google Are A Small Business’s Lifeblood

While all of us as customers live in a physical world, the reality is consciously, our minds are fixated on Life 2.0 — The digital world.

From restaurants to bowling alleys, it is safe to say that every minute a potential customer is Googling a business and checking out their star rating or reviews from customers. With how intense and dominating digital marketing is these days on social media and other outlets, customers are starting to trust authentic customer experiences as much if not more than a video ad or well-written eNewsletters.

A business with no reviews on Google is, in some cases, worse than a business with more than a few poor reviews. Whether a business has all five-star reviews or mixed customer opinions, the point is that they are visible and there for customers to read and know what to expect. If there is no measuring stick for them to base a decision on, they sooner go elsewhere for fear of being the ‘guinea pig’ of sorts.

My Google Reviews Are Gone — Reasons Why This Happened

So your online rapport found on Google My Business is suddenly nonexistent. Finding the ‘why’ in this equation is crucial in rectifying the issue now and in the future.

We hate to sound like an auto mechanic when saying, “Well, there’s a bunch of reasons why this might’ve happened…” but unfortunately, it is true. There are a myriad of reasons this occurred.

Hang in there — We are going to explore the top 5 reasons your Google Reviews have disappeared, with an exploration into how to resolve each.

1. Google Review Policy Violation

This is the most common reason, and comes with two different categories. First, if there is restricted and prohibited content involved in a customer’s review, the review will be hidden or taken down completely. This includes:

• Foul or violent language
• Fake reviews
• Spam
• Conflict of interest
• Misspellings

Secondly, Google has predetermined format-specific criteria that deems what is a credible review. For instance, if a customer is sharing photos or videos as part of their review that is completely irrelevant to the business, that review will be removed.

You can take measures to discourage either of these actions openly on your Google Business Profile or your website.

2. Spam and Fake Google Reviews

This should be a given, though as the expansiveness of the worldwide online community grows every day, what is considered spam or fake Google reviews can sometimes be confusing to business owners trying to navigate this space.

A frequent characteristic that Google often flags as spam is embedded URLs to linked websites. If a customer shares a URL, kindly ask them to remove it before the post gets taken down. Be sure to explain to them about Google’s efforts to thwart spam to reassure them that their review is appreciated and needed.

Fake reviews are often flagged when a user giving the review is missing a profile picture or an appropriate username. This is Google’s way of trying to authenticate real experiences at real businesses so customers do not feel deceived by padded Google Reviews. 

3. Temporary Disabled Google Reviews

An excessive uptick in traffic to your Google Business Profile or to your website may temporarily disable your Google Reviews. This is not necessarily your fault, as Google may have moments where they are unable to keep up with said uptick in traffic.

Having a lot of visitors to your website or Google Business Profile is a great thing! This potential issue being out of your control means that there is no real way to immediately combat the problem. However, you can consider letting customers that visit your business’s website know that if they cannot leave a review, they should email the review to you so it can be posted at a later date.

This also brings some interactivity with your customer, demonstrating to them how valuable they are to your business. Express to them that every review counts, so if they have trouble sharing their opinion on your site, you will circle back and re-send them their original review to be reposted. 

4. A New or Inactive Google Business Profile

A brand new Google Business Profile or conversely, one that has fallen into inactivity, will create a rift in your Google Reviews no doubt. If you are new to Google Reviews and a new business in general, the reviews will roll in as you start building your client base.

But if you have been around for a while and find that your Google Reviews have gone missing, a good thing to consider is the possibility that your Google Business Profile is inactive. By being inactive or having very little activity by customers, your business will lose its verification status on Google.

Once you lose that eligibility status, Google can and likely will completely disable the page. Don’t let this happen! Log in frequently and just as new businesses ask customers to review them, make sure you continue to encourage customers to share their experiences with the world by way of Google Reviews.

5. Business Location Change

Finally, a change in integral business information can create quite a disruption in your Google Reviews. One of the more common changes to a Google Business Profile that causes Google Reviews to be disabled is if you change the address to your business’s location.

When you change a location on your Google Business Profile or if Google Maps recognizes a new location for your business, an instant transfer may take place, keeping your Google Reviews in place. However, there are just as many occurrences where this transfer doesn’t happen and suddenly your Google Reviews are gone.

This specific issue brings us to a final lesson that guarantees you a resolution in regards to missing Google Reviews: Connecting with Google.

Document The Issue and Discuss With Google

Each of these 5 reasons why your Google Reviews have disappeared all have their own unique solutions; however, Google’s support team is always at your disposal if those efforts did not rectify the problem or if the more autonomous solutions did not take.

It is important to document the problem in detail and do not let it stagnate. Part of being a leader in the auto detailing industry includes staying on top of your online presence. This includes the word of mouth marketing that is at play with Google Reviews and customer engagement resulting from their ability to post and see their reviews of your business.

Are you interested in taking your auto detailing business to the next level with Google Reviews, a streamlined website, and engaging content? Contact the team at Detailers Roadmap to learn more!