If you have been notified by some of your customers that they have given you a Google Reviews, but it is not showing up, then you are not alone!
We have looked into reasons why new reviews may not be appearing. The most likely reason is that the staff at Google have not been able to approve these due to the changes in current working practices as a result of Covid-19.
Google’s help pages say:
“some functions of Google My Business are restricted. This is due to the global incident we are all experiencing. For now, Google is prioritizing manual reviews of edits for health-related businesses, business hours, open/closed states, temporary closures and business descriptions. If your business does not fit those categories, you do have to wait. There is no way to speed the process.”
However, as things start to get back to normal this service will resume.
“Review replies are now available. New user reviews, new user photos, new short names, and Q&A will gradually return by country and business category. We’re also gradually publish delayed user reviews and photos submitted to Google Maps.”
Other reasons why your review may not show on Google:
- There is a link (URL) in the review
- The same review appears elsewhere online e.g. It was copied to a website testimonial or Facebook review etc
- The author of the review works for you or is on the same IP address as other reviews / users
- There has been a sudden and unusual number of reviews in a short amount of time
- The person leaving the review has a completely blank G+ profile an no history of any activity on that Google profile
- An SEO company posted the reviews for you
- You offer incentives for people who write your reviews
So, in essence they think you are trying to cheat the system and get lots of reviews (because this has an effect on your rank and on the level of trust), so have blocked it.
Once Google are back fully operational, the most likely reason for genuine reviews not showing is that the client has been really nice and posted the same review on other platforms such as your Facebook page or Trust Pilot etc. A few words tweaked here and there should do the job!
Where is the Google Review Button?
Where is the Google Review Button?Instructions to help your clients find the Google review button and write a review:
- On your computer, open Google and make sure you’re signed in. You may need to create and account if you do not already have one.
- Search for the business by its name and it will appear on the left side like the example shown.
- Scroll down and click Write a review.
- In the window that appears, click the stars to score the place. You can also write a review and add photos.
- NB less than 5 stars isn’t too great!
Two Factor Authentication
If you have worked hard to get reviews and good content on your Facebook and other Social Media pages, make sure you have two factor authentication set up to stop someone getting in to your account and deleting the content that you have collected. Here are some links with instructions:
Set up Two factor authentication on Facebook
Set up two factor authentication on Twitter
