Google’s "Vanishing Reviews" Bug: A Nightmare That Wasn’t (But Still Kind Of Was)

Imagine waking up, grabbing your morning coffee, and casually checking your Google Business profile—only to find half your hard-earned reviews gone. 😱 Businesses across industries recently experienced this exact horror, with some losing years' worth of customer feedback overnight.

Panic set in. Were they removed? Flagged? Shadowbanned? Had Google suddenly decided that their 4.8-star rating was too good to be true?

Before we all went into full meltdown mode, Google finally gave us some clarity. Turns out, it was all just a glitch—kind of.

What Actually Happened?

Over the past week, business owners flooded Google’s forums (this thread alone is packed with confused and frustrated posts) trying to figure out why their reviews were disappearing.

• Some saw reviews cut in half overnight.
• Others lost every single review they had ever received.
• Even new reviews weren’t showing up.

Google finally acknowledged the issue in an official update (see here). Their explanation?

A "display issue" with the review count. The reviews were never actually deleted—they just weren’t showing up correctly. Great.

So, your 350 glowing reviews were still there. But your potential customers? They only saw 97. 🤦‍♀️

Google’s Not-So-Great History with Reviews

While Google insists this was a bug, it’s not the first time businesses have struggled with missing reviews.

• Reviews are often flagged and removed without warning.
• Google’s AI sometimes automatically filters out what it thinks are fake or spam reviews (and let’s be real, it's not always accurate).
• Businesses frequently report legit customer feedback disappearing for no clear reason.

This latest bug just poured fuel on the fire, reinforcing how little control business owners have over something that’s so crucial to their online reputation.

What Should Businesses Do Now?

✅ Check If Your Reviews Are Back

Google says they’ve fixed the issue (Google’s help page now mentions this). But if your reviews are still missing, keep checking your profile - the glitch affected review counts, not the actual reviews themselves.

🛑 Don’t Spam Google Support

Unless your reviews are still gone after several days, it’s likely just a delay. But if they really don’t come back, you might need to raise a support ticket.

📸 Screenshot Everything Going Forward

This isn’t the first (and won’t be the last) time Google messes with reviews. Get into the habit of regularly screenshotting your reviews - especially if they’re glowing ones. If they disappear, at least you have proof.

Final Thoughts: Should We Be Worried?

Look, mistakes happen. Bugs happen. But when reviews are such a massive part of a business’s credibility, even a temporary issue can have serious consequences.

While this was just a glitch, it does highlight the fragility of relying on Google for reputation management. Businesses work years to build up trust, and watching it seemingly vanish overnight is nothing short of terrifying.

So, is your business safe? For now, yes. But if this whole mess has shown us anything, it’s that your online presence shouldn’t depend on a platform you don’t control.

Want to make sure your business stays visible, regardless of Google’s mood swings? Let’s talk SEO.