Your Google Reviews Are Disappearing—Here’s What You Need to Know

Summary

A sudden bug hit Google on February 7th, causing reviews to disappear or be miscounted, leaving small businesses and SEOs anxious. While it’s not clear whether the reviews are deleted or just hidden, the issue appears to be a bug, not part of Google’s quality algorithms. Google has yet to acknowledge the problem publicly, but reports suggest they are aware and working on a fix. For now, businesses are advised to wait it out and avoid panicking. If the issue persists, they should reach out through the Google forums for further support.

Takeaways

• 😀 Google reviews have been disappearing since February 7th, causing anxiety among small businesses and local SEOs.
• 😀 The issue started with reviews being miscounted, with some businesses reporting missing reviews, ranging from one to dozens.
• 😀 Initially, people thought it was a display issue, but it seems the reviews are being filtered and not completely removed from Google's systems.
• 😀 Legitimate reviews are affected, not just fake or fraudulent ones, according to observations from Google My Business API and tools like outs scraper.
• 😀 The missing reviews seem to be an issue with how they're displayed or counted, not a mass purge or algorithmic removal.
• 😀 Google is aware of the issue and is supposedly working on a fix, but there has been no official public acknowledgment or fix yet.
• 😀 No communication from Google on the problem so far, despite multiple posts and reports in forums like Search Engine Roundtable and Search Engine Land.
• 😀 Business owners and local SEOs should wait for Google to fix the issue on its end and refrain from panicking or posting in the Google forums for now.
• 😀 If reviews remain missing or miscounted after a few days, businesses can consider posting in the forums to report the issue.
• 😀 Businesses should communicate with customers that this issue is widespread and affects others too, and that a fix may come soon from Google.
• 😀 Patience is key for affected businesses, as this issue is likely a bug that will be resolved in the coming days.

Q & A

When did the issue with disappearing Google reviews start?

The issue began on Friday, February 7th, 2025. Business owners and SEOs started noticing their reviews disappearing or being miscounted around that time.

What caused the panic among small business owners and local SEOs?

Small business owners and local SEOs were panicked because they discovered that their reviews were either disappearing entirely or being miscounted, which could potentially affect their local search rankings and customer trust.

Were reviews being completely deleted by Google?

No, it doesn't appear that reviews were being completely deleted. Instead, they were being filtered or not displayed correctly, with the reviews still present on the backend but not counted or shown properly in the Google Business Profile.

What did JC Wilkins discover regarding the reviews?

JC Wilkins found that while the reviews weren't showing up correctly in the snippets on Google, they were still available through other tools like the Google Maps scraper and the Google My Business API.

Is there any indication that Google is actively working on a fix?

Yes, according to reports from top contributors in Google forums, Google is aware of the issue and is working on a fix, although there has been no official statement or confirmed timeline for the resolution.

What should businesses do if their reviews are disappearing?

The best course of action for businesses is to remain patient. Google is working on a fix, and there’s not much businesses can do except wait and monitor updates. It's also important to communicate to customers that the issue is widespread and not unique to their business.

How long has the issue been ongoing?

The issue started on February 7th, 2025, and as of the video’s release, it had been several days without a fix, showing that the bug persisted for multiple days.

Has Google made any official statements regarding the missing reviews?

No, Google has not made any public comments or official statements about the issue, despite local SEOs and forums reporting the problem. However, some contributors have indicated that Google is aware of the bug.

What should local SEOs do if their clients are concerned about missing reviews?

Local SEOs should reassure their clients that this issue is affecting many businesses, not just theirs. It’s important to communicate that Google is likely working on a fix and that they should monitor the situation until the reviews are restored.

Will the missing reviews return once the bug is fixed?

It is expected that the missing reviews will be restored once the bug is fixed. While the exact timeline for this is uncertain, the reviews are still present in Google’s systems, and the issue appears to be related to display and counting errors rather than complete deletion.