How do Google reviews work?

Who can leave a Google review?

Anyone signed in to a Google Account can leave a Google review. Google's review-request guidance says the account does not have to use a Gmail address, and the review should describe a genuine experience with the business. The Google review glossary entry explains the account and genuine-experience rule.

Where does a Google review appear?

Google reviews appear beside a Business Profile in Google Maps and Google Search. Google's review-score guidance says the review score is the average of all ratings published on Google for that place or business. A review Google removes therefore no longer contributes to the displayed score. If Business Profiles were recently merged, Google says reviews from both profiles may take a few days to display on Search and Maps.

Which profile changes preserve Google reviews?

Google's guidance on moving reviews says reviews remain when a business keeps the same name after a change of owner or manager, and after a minor name change. If a business relocates, Google says to update the existing profile rather than create a new one, and it will transfer reviews automatically when the business keeps the same name, although some categories are exceptions. A duplicate created after a move or ownership change can be sent to Google for review transfer. When two profiles for the same business are merged, their reviews are combined, but replies may be lost. Google says reviews can also be removed after a profile is reinstated; contact support if that happens.

How does Google check a review?

Google's missing-review guidance says reviews are checked for policy compliance before they appear on a Business Profile. That check can take a few days. Google can also remove a published review when it violates policy, and Google says a review removed for a policy violation will not be restored.

What can a business do about a Google review?

After a Business Profile is verified, a business can reply publicly to a published review. If the review violates a Google policy, the business can report it for removal. Google says only reviews that violate its content policies are eligible for removal, so a business cannot delete another person's review just because it is negative, disputed, or unwelcome. Use the guide to reporting a fake or abusive Google review for the policy-based reporting path.

Do Google reviews help local ranking?

Google's current local-ranking guidance says local results are mainly based on relevance, distance, and popularity, and that more reviews and positive ratings can help a business's local ranking. That guidance does not publish a review-count threshold, rating cutoff, or formula that converts reviews into a position. For the wider three-factor explanation, see what Google's local ranking factors are, and use the Google Maps optimization guide for the broader profile context.

Why might a Google review be missing?

If a review disappears or never shows up, use the guide to Google reviews that disappear or never show up. It separates a normal checking delay from the other causes Google documents, including profile changes, reviewer-device problems, removals, and category restrictions.

Can Google stop reviews for a business category?

Google may temporarily disable user-created content, including reviews, for certain Business Profiles or business categories to protect business owners. Separately, Google says reviews and ratings are removed and new reviews are disabled for Business Profiles primarily categorised as educational institutions for students aged 6 to 18. Universities, day-care centres, swim schools, and other institutions that do not provide general education to that age group are excluded from that category rule. The temporary restriction and the category-specific rule are different cases.

What review practices violate Google's policy?

Google's Prohibited & restricted content policy says Maps contributions must reflect a genuine experience. Fake engagement is not allowed and will be removed. This includes:

• content not based on a real experience or not accurately representing the location or product;
• reviews or ratings paid for directly or in kind;
• content posted from multiple accounts by or at the request of one person; and
• content posted using an emulator, device-tampering service, modified operating system, or another method to mimic genuine engagement, manipulate sensor data or results, or thwart or confuse normal operations.

Merchants and users must not solicit non-genuine content, offer payment, discounts, free goods, or free services for a review or for revising or removing a negative review, or post on a competitor's place to undermine its reputation.

Google's rating-manipulation rule also covers incentivized or biased reviews, unusual volumes or patterns that indicate an effort to manipulate a place's rating, and conflicts of interest such as current or former employment, contractual or consultory relationships, competitors, or family relationships. Merchants must not:

• discourage or prohibit negative reviews, or selectively solicit positive reviews;
• require or pressure people to rate or write reviews while on the premises;
• request specific review content, including wording that identifies a staff member; or
• ask staff to solicit a certain number of reviews or particular review content.

A business may ask for content that represents a genuine experience when it offers no incentive and does not influence the rating or the words. The review-gating definition explains why routing only likely-positive customers toward Google crosses that policy boundary. The guide to getting more Google reviews covers a neutral request process.