Google and Deleted Reviews

We noticed a question from Tim Colling on the Local Search Forum here – asking if anyone had noticed lots of reviews went missing last week. So we spent a bit of time on our customers’ data and uncovered a serious spike.

Google has deleted lots of reviews in the US on September 17th. We have noticed a huge spike in review deletion for our customers in the US. We are still investigating the reasons and will report on those. We checked for five US accounts with a total of 604 locations and slightly more than 75k reviews. Since the 10th of July 1500 reviews have been deleted from these five customers, the median is five reviews per day (on 75k), so only a tiny percentage. Most of these were probably deleted by users or by Google for any of the seven reasons mentioned below. Most of the deletions followed normal patterns, but they are specific date like September 17th that are showing an unusual spike:

Why does Google Delete a Review?

3. Conflicts of Interest

Reviews that reflect a conflict of interest, such as those written by business owners, employees, or competitors, may be deleted. Google aims to maintain the authenticity of reviews, and those that seem biased or self-promotional are not allowed.

4. Off-Topic or Irrelevant Content

6. Multiple Account Violations

Users who repeatedly post inappropriate reviews or use multiple accounts to post reviews may have their reviews deleted, or even their entire accounts suspended.

7. Automated Filters

Google uses automated systems to detect suspicious activity. Sometimes, genuine reviews may be inadvertently removed due to these filters, especially if they resemble patterns associated with fake or spammy behaviour.

Recover Deleted Reviews from Google

If you feel a review was wrongfully deleted, users can appeal the decision or attempt to repost it while ensuring compliance with Google’s review policies. You can monitor your deleted reviews using our software.

Delete Reviews that Amount to Defamation or Spam

If you suspect a competitor left a review intended to hard your business, do not answer it but reach out to us. We can, with the help of specialised processes, sometimes uncover who left the review, or potentially get the review removed by Google.