Why is my Google review not showing up?

A customer swears they left you a review and you cannot see it. This is common and it is usually one of a handful of causes.

The review was caught by a spam filter

Google runs every review through automated filtering. Reviews get held back or removed when the system sees a pattern it does not like:

• Several reviews from the same device or IP address in a short window. This happens when a business hands a phone or tablet around to collect reviews on the spot.
• A review left from a location far from the business with no history of local activity.
• A brand-new Google account whose only activity is that one review.
• Text that looks templated, or contains a link or a phone number.

There is no way to appeal an automated filter directly. The reviews often reappear on their own after a while.

The reviewer's account has little history

Google weights reviews from established accounts more heavily. A review from an account with no profile photo, no name, and no other reviews may be published but shown lower, or filtered entirely.

It is showing for them but not for others

Signed in as the account that wrote it, a filtered review can still appear. Ask the customer to check in an incognito window or from another device. If it is gone there, it has been filtered.

The review violated a policy

If the review named a staff member and attacked them, included profanity, or advertised something, it may have been removed for a policy breach even though it was genuine.

There is a lag

New reviews can take a few hours, occasionally a day or two, to appear publicly. If it is very recent, wait before worrying.

What a business can do

• Do not collect multiple reviews on one shared device. Send each customer a link to their own phone.
• Spread requests out rather than blasting them all at once.
• Keep asking. A steady, natural flow of reviews trips the filter far less than a sudden spike.

What a customer can do

• Make sure the review actually posted. Check "Your contributions" in Google Maps.
• Add a profile photo and a name to the account.
• Wait a few days and check again from a different device.