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Q: Why are my Google reviews disappearing?

A: In 2025 and 2026, Google has dramatically increased its moderation of business reviews. It appears this has ramped up in late January 2026.

This means that many reviews – both positive and negative – are being removed from business profiles across all industries. This is a widespread issue affecting businesses globally, including restaurants, automotive, home services, retails and insurance agencies.

The main reasons for these removals include:

  • Automated moderation by Google’s systems, which uses artificial intelligence to flag suspicious or inauthentic reviews.
  • Increased enforcement in industries considered higher risk, such as healthcare, insurance and home services.

Q: Are only positive reviews being deleted?

A: No, in a 2025 industry study, over 70% of deleted reviews were 5-star ratings but some negative reviews were removed too. Google’s stricter enforcement is aimed at maintaining authenticity and trust, so both positive and negative reviews can be affected.

Q: Why is this happening now? 

A: Google has increased its use of AI-driven moderation and is responding to industry trends, regulator requirements and efforts to reduce fake or incentivised reviews. The surge in review deletions began accelerating in early 2025 and has continued into early 2026. This is not limited to any one company or industry – businesses across many sectors are experiencing the same issue.

Q: Will my reviews be reinstated? 

A: In past instances of widespread removals, some reviews have been restored after further review by Google. We are seeing this happen again. If a review is reinstated, it will reappear in your Google profile as ‘restored’. However, there is no official process or timeline for when or if this will happen.

Q: What can I do to protect my reviews?

Engage with reviewers: Respond to all reviews, both positive and negative. data shows that reviews with business replies are less likely to be deleted.

Encourage detailed, authentic feedback: Ask customers to share specific experiences rather than generic comments. Reviews that are short or vague are more likely to be flagged by Google’s automated systems. 

Avoid incentivised reviews: Do not offer rewards or incentives for reviews. Google is specifically targeting incentivised reviews for removal.

We are seeing many reviews with team members names mentioned, deleted. Please do not ask the teams to solicit reviews if the service has been good. Instead ask the teams to introduce themselves at the beginning and reintroduce name badges.

Ask customers to write a reviews after their visit by email or SMS follow-up.

Monitor your reviews: Use our Review Reputation Platform or similar tools to keep track of changes and removals.

Report fake reviews: If you spot suspicious or spam reviews, report them to Google for investigation.

For support about how to encourage genuine feedback that pulls new customers in and keeps them there, get in touch.

Janet.

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