What to do if a Google review goes missing

If a previously published review disappears from your Google Business Profile, you may be able to ask Google to investigate and reinstate it.

betterbunch helps you identify and track missing reviews, and gather supporting information. You’ll need to submit the reinstatement request directly to Google.

Why do Google reviews go missing?

A missing review doesn’t always mean Google made a mistake. Possible reasons include:

Google removed it because it breached its review policies.
The reviewer deleted their review or their Google account.
Changes to your Business Profile, such as a profile merge, affected how reviews appear.
A genuine review was removed incorrectly.

Google explains that reviews can go missing for several reasons, and reviews that breach its policies won’t be restored. Read Google’s guidance on missing or delayed reviews.

1. Check whether reinstatement is appropriate

Before contacting Google, read its review content policies.

A review should reflect a genuine experience with your business. Reviews involving incentives, fake experiences, personally identifiable information, or conflicts of interest may breach Google’s policies, even if they describe a real customer interaction.

If you believe the review was removed incorrectly, gather the information that supports your request for reinstatement.

If you don’t intend to pursue reinstatement, you can mark it Dismissed in betterbunch to move it to your archived list.

2. Prepare your supporting information

In betterbunch, go to Reviews → Missing and open the review.

Add a factual note explaining why you believe it should be reinstated. Helpful details caninclude:

When the customer visited or used your business.
The service or product they received.
Why you believe the review reflects a genuine experience.
Confirmation that there was no incentive or conflict of interest, where relevant.

For example:

This customer visited on 15 August 2026 for a vehicle inspection. We have a booking record confirming the visit. They are not an employee or family member, and no incentive was offered for the review.

Click Save, then export your active missing reviews as a CSV or Excel file.

For the full walkthrough, see how to track and manage missing Google reviews.

Important: To avoid breaching privacy, it's important you do not and any personal infomration such as customer contact details to your notes.

3. Contact Google Business Profile support

Open the Google Business Profile Help Centre and make sure you're signed into the Google account that manages your Business Profile.
Select your business from the dropdown, then follow the prompts to describe the issue and see your contact options.
Choose an available contact method and submit your request.

Explain which reviews are missing, when they disappeared and what you’ve already tried. Use your betterbunch export to share the review details and supporting notes. Attach the file if the option is available, or include the relevant details in your message.

Keep your support case reference. If you receive an automated reply that doesn’t resolve the issue, reply to the same support thread with any additional information.

4. Track your request in betterbunch

After submitting your request:

Return to Reviews → Missing in betterbunch.
Change the relevant reviews to Reported.
Add your Google case reference and any updates to the notes, then click Save.

Note: Changing a review to Reported only updates its status in betterbunch. It does not submit a request to Google or show Google’s decision.

Reported reviews remain in your Active list so you can keep track of them.

Will Google reinstate the review?

Reinstatement isn’t guaranteed. Google will decide whether the review is eligible to return.

If the review is reinstated, betterbunch will automatically move it from the Missing tab back into your published reviews.

If you decide to stop following it up, mark it Dismissed to move it to Archived.