Google reviews disappeared? Why it happens and what to do
Losing reviews you worked hard for is alarming, and the cause is not always obvious. Google publishes the main reasons reviews go missing or show up late. Here is how to work out which one applies to your practice and what you can do about it.
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If your Google reviews disappeared overnight, or a patient says they left a review that is not showing up, there is usually a reason Google has already published. Google's help page about missing or delayed reviews lists the main ones: reviews still being checked, reviews removed for breaking policy, profiles being merged, technical problems on the reviewer's device, and Google temporarily switching off reviews for some profiles or categories. This guide explains each cause, how to tell which one you are dealing with, and what a dental practice can do.
Quick diagnosis
| What you see | Most likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| A patient's new review is not showing yet | Still being checked against Google's policies | Wait a few days |
| One or two reviews have vanished | Removed for a policy reason, or deleted or edited by the reviewer | Check whether they broke a policy. Removed reviews are not restored |
| Many reviews vanished at once, with a warning on your profile | Google has detected suspicious review activity and applied restrictions | Check your email for a notice and consider an appeal |
| Reviews missing after you merged or fixed a duplicate profile | The merge is still processing | Wait a few days, then contact support |
| Reviews missing after your profile was reinstated | Reinstatement issue | Contact Google Business Profile support |
| Nobody can leave a review at all | Reviews temporarily disabled for your profile or category, or a posting restriction | Check for a notice, and contact support |
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Why are my Google reviews not showing up?
Start with timing. Google says reviews are checked to make sure they comply with its policies, and "in some cases, this process might take a few days, which can delay a review's appearance on your profile." A patient who says "I left you a review yesterday and it is not there" may be describing this.
Google also says reviewers using older devices or outdated software may have trouble posting, and suggests updating the Google Maps app. If a patient cannot see reviews on mobile, or their review never appears, an app update is a sensible first check.
When will my Google review show up?
Google does not give an exact time. Its help page says the checking process can take a few days in some cases. If a review has not appeared after that, it may have been held back for a policy reason.
Why were my Google reviews removed?
Google removes reviews that break its Maps user-generated content policy, and it says plainly that "reviews removed for policy violations won't be restored." For a dental practice, the policy points most likely to catch reviews include:
- Incentives. Reviews "that have been paid for, directly or in kind", which includes discounts or free treatment in return for a review.
- Selective asking. Businesses must not "discourage or prohibit negative reviews, or selectively solicit positive reviews from customers".
- Staff targets. The policy lists "merchants requesting that staff solicit a certain number of reviews" as a problem.
- Conflicts of interest. Content based on "current or former employment" or other close affiliations, so reviews from your own team or their families are at risk.
- Spam and off-topic content. Reviews that are not about a genuine experience of the practice.
Google does not always tell you which review was removed or why. If several disappear after a push for reviews, look first at how they were collected.
Reviews that patients edited or deleted
Reviewers can edit or delete their own reviews at any time. Google's Maps help says that after a review is published, the reviewer can edit it or change the rating and pictures, and that when a review is edited, the date of the last edit shows as the review's post date. Google does not spell out what happens to an edited review while it is checked, so if one seems to vanish after editing, wait a few days before assuming it has gone. A review the patient deleted is gone, and you cannot restore it.
Suspicious activity, warnings and restrictions
The most serious cause is a restriction for suspected fake reviews. Google's page on Business Profile restrictions for policy violations lists what it may do:
- stop the profile receiving new reviews or ratings for a set period
- unpublish existing reviews or ratings for a set period
- show a warning telling people fake reviews were removed
Google says it will email business owners if it plans to apply a restriction, and that businesses can appeal, after which it re-reviews the profile and any extra context provided.
In the UK this is backed by commitments Google made to the Competition and Markets Authority. The CMA announced on 24 January 2025 that Google had agreed to tackle fake reviews, including warning alerts on the profiles of UK businesses that boost their ratings with fake reviews, deactivating their ability to receive new reviews, and deleting all reviews for six months or more for repeat offenders.
UK consumer protection law covers fake reviews too. The CMA's fake reviews guidance, published in April 2025, explains how businesses must comply.
Merged or duplicate profiles
If you have recently merged two Google Business Profiles, for example to deal with a duplicate listing for the practice, Google says "it might take a few days for reviews from both profiles to display on Search and Maps." If reviews are still missing after that, contact support with the details of both profiles.
Google also says that if reviews disappear after a profile is reinstated following a suspension, you should contact support.
Reviews disabled for a profile or category
Google says that "in certain situations, Google might temporarily disable user-created content, including reviews, for certain Business Profiles or business categories to protect business owners." Its example is schools, and it suggests changing your category if a restriction meant for another type of place has caught a profile that is miscategorised. Check that your primary category is the right one for a dental practice.
Will Google reviews disappear in 2026?
Google has not announced any plan to remove reviews generally. What has changed is enforcement: Google's policies on fake engagement, its UK commitments to the CMA and UK law on fake reviews all point the same way. Reviews collected honestly, from real patients, by asking everyone, are the ones that last.
How to report missing Google reviews
- Wait a few days for any new or edited review, in case it is still being checked.
- Check your email for any notice from Google about restrictions on your profile.
- Look for a pattern. One review, or many? After a merge, a reinstatement or a review drive?
- Contact Google Business Profile support from your profile, with dates, the reviewer names you remember and screenshots if you have them.
- Appeal a restriction through the route given in Google's notice, with an honest account of how you collect reviews.
Google's review reporting tool is for the opposite problem, flagging reviews you believe break policy, but its status checker is a useful way to see what Google decided about reviews you have reported.
How to see deleted Google reviews
You cannot. Once a review is removed by Google or deleted by the reviewer, it is not visible to you or anyone else, and Google says policy removals are not restored. The practical answer is to keep your own record: a monthly screenshot or note of your review count and rating, and copies of reviews that matter to you. That way, if reviews do disappear, you know exactly what changed and when.
How to stop it happening again
- Ask every patient for a review, in the same way, at the same point in their visit.
- Never offer a discount, prize draw or gift in return for a review.
- Do not filter patients so that only happy ones are asked.
- Do not set staff review targets, and do not let staff or family review the practice.
- Send patients your direct Google review link, so they review the right profile.
- Reply to reviews regularly. Our guide on how to reply to Google reviews covers the wording.
Losing a handful of reviews is rarely the disaster it feels like. In our study of 1,489 UK places, the bottom tenth of practices holding a map pack place did it with 12 reviews or fewer. Reviews are one signal among several, and a steady flow of genuine ones matters more than any single number. If you want to know what to aim for, see how to work out your review target.
Spot a review drop the week it happens
Practice Radar's reviews race dashboard tracks your review count and rating against nearby practices, with positions re-checked every week, so a sudden drop does not go unnoticed.
Run on our own practice first: ninth of the 14 practices measured in its town in May, first of 18 in September, on UK-wide search value. Page-one keywords: 6 in May, 194 in September.
Thirty days free. No card, and nothing starts automatically when it ends.