Positive online reviews from customers can boost your local online performance as well as influence prospects to consider buying your company’s goods or services. Requesting reviews is now standard practice for businesses of all types and sizes who are looking to outperform competitors online. In some cases, business owners observe that some of their reviews are no longer visible on their Google Business Profile listing.
Let’s investigate the case of the missing Google reviews, Watson!
What Causes Google Reviews to Disappear?
The first and last stop in our detective work is Google, the all-knowing behemoth itself. According to Google’s support site, review publication may be delayed or reviews actually removed from a Google Business Profile (GBP) based on their algorithm. It’s an effort to cut down on spam or inappropriate content. The goal is for Google to “help make sure that reviews on Google properties are relevant, helpful, and trustworthy.”
However, Google’s algorithm to identify misrepresentations or fake engagement is not fool-proof. Real reviews from legitimate clients can and do get caught in the crosshairs.
Can Businesses Get Missing Google Reviews Reinstated?
Unfortunately, even after you notice there are reviews missing, there is no current path to reinstatement on Google unless reviews were removed when your GBP was suspended or disabled. In all other cases, Google indicates that reviews are automatically processed to identify if they’re spam or fake. Once that determination is made, the review is no longer visible. It’s possible this could change in the future, but don’t hold your breath.
Can Businesses Prevent Google from Removing Reviews?
In a word, no, unless reviews were removed when your GBP was suspended or disabled, in which case you can contact support at this link. So long as the reviews don’t contain irrelevant or prohibited information, the content should comply with Google policies. Therefore there’s nothing you can do as a business owner to prevent Google from flagging and removing suspected review spam.
The best course of action is to move forward with your reputation management campaigns. Your goal should be to develop a continuous, fresh stream of positive reviews from happy, delighted customers. This in turn impacts your local search engine rankings because Google wants to display well-trusted, highly rated companies as the top results on Google Maps.
Bleevit can help you engage customers on platforms most convenient to them, effortlessly generate reviews and manage your reputation in one place with our local business solution. Our Bleevit® Local offering also steadily improves your local presence and credibility by boosting visibility, increasing website interactions and enhancing the customer experience.
Review Request Best Practices
Businesses have the option to send review requests manually (one-by-one) or via mass text or email campaigns. A review management platform often has the capability to send out mass campaigns, which is an efficient way to reach a large number of customers and clients with review requests. However, it’s important to limit the number of requests you send out at one time.
If a company suddenly receives an unusually high increase in reviews, Google’s algorithm may flag some of them as spam or fake reviews. Cut down on the likelihood of having hard-earned reviews removed from your Google Business Profile by limiting the number of requests you send out at one time. We recommend sending out review requests daily or weekly, and industry experts suggest that you do not send out more than 100 review requests at one time. Even if you have a significant number of customers that you can request reviews from, it’s best to send out requests over time.
Improve Your Credibility with Reputation Management
Following best practices for sending out reviews and managing your online reputation is important to improving your credibility in the eyes of your customers as well as search engines. If you need assistance boosting your review count and search engine rankings, reach out to our team to learn more about Bleevit Local, our integrated digital marketing solution for business. Contact one of our reputation management professionals to get started!
WRITTEN BY
Robin Hogan, COO & Co-Founder – Bleevit Interactive
Robin leverages unsurpassed client dedication and a diverse skill set with over 20 years of senior-level experience to bring passion to her work and depth to her writing. She works tirelessly to deploy successful marketing strategies and cloud technologies for local businesses.
When she’s not working, Robin enjoys spending time with family and friends, supporting local community organizations and tending to her bountiful garden. Email her at hello@bleevit.com if you have questions or want more information.
