Google Review Count Dropped? Count First, Then Request Reinstatement
By Clay Lawrence, Review Harvest · · 5 min video
The short version
When your Google review count drops overnight, count the reviews on your profile before assuming they are gone. In the drop that hit hundreds of thousands of profiles in February 2025, every profile we counted still had its reviews and only the counter was wrong. If reviews really are missing, go to support.google.com/business, choose Contact us, select reviews missing, and fill out the form with your profile ID, the number of reviews, the time frame and the reviewers' names.
Do this, in order
- 1
Count the reviews on your profile
Compare the number of reviews you can actually scroll through with the total shown on the counter. If you had 90 and the counter now says 78, you may find all 90 are still there.
- 2
If the reviews are all there, give it a week or two
When only the counter is wrong, you can probably sit on it for a week or two and let Google correct it, unless you are really worried.
- 3
Open Google Business Profile support and click Contact us
Go to support.google.com/business while logged in with the Gmail account that manages your profile, so your business appears in the dropdown. Scroll down and click Contact us, then choose your business.
- 4
Type "missing reviews" and select Reviews missing
Click Next step, then Next step again past the suggested help. It says you can email them, but what opens is a form.
- 5
Enter your contact details and relationship to the business
Fill in your name, email and phone number, and set your relationship to the business, such as owner.
- 6
Attach screenshots of the missing reviews
Use the attachment field for any screenshots you have, for example one a customer sent you of a review they left that is not showing.
- 7
Add your business name, address and profile ID
Write the business name exactly as it appears on your Google Business Profile. To find the profile ID, search your business name on Google, click the three dots, then Business Profile settings, then Advanced settings, and copy it.
- 8
Answer the questions about the missing reviews
Say whether the profile was suspended recently, how many reviews you think are missing, whether new reviews are still being published, and when you lost them. List as many reviewer names as you can.
- 9
Describe the issue in plain terms
For example: I had 78 reviews, two weeks later I have 71, what is going on?
- 10
Save the case ID after you submit
Screenshot or copy the case ID Google gives you. If you send another form later, enter it under related case ID.
- 11
Wait five to ten business days
Google is inconsistent. Some people have had reviews reinstated within 24 hours of filling out the form, and others have waited about three weeks.
What to check first when your review count drops
Count your reviews. The number next to your stars is a counter, and it can be wrong.
In early February 2025, hundreds of thousands of Google Business Profiles showed fewer reviews than the day before. One business with about 500 reviews showed 424. Another with almost 1,100 showed 990. We counted more than a thousand reviews by hand to check, and every time, all of the reviews were still on the profile. The counter was what had changed. That is not a guarantee for every profile, but it is what every count showed.
So if you had 90 reviews three days ago and the counter now reads 78, go through the list. You should still find 90.
Should you do anything if the reviews are still there?
You can probably wait a week or two. If the reviews are still on the profile, the likely outcome is that Google corrects the total.
Nobody outside Google confirmed the cause of the February 2025 drop. One theory was that, after attention on fake reviews in the UK and Italy, Google updated the algorithm that filters reviews, and legitimate reviews were caught up in it. The other was that it was a bug. Either way, the best guess at the time was a fix within a week or two.
If you are worried, or reviews are truly gone, ask Google to reinstate them.
How to request reinstatement of missing Google reviews
Use the Google Business Profile support form.
- Go to support.google.com/business. Be logged in with the Gmail account that manages your profile so the business shows in the dropdown.
- Scroll down, click Contact us, and choose your business.
- Type “missing reviews” and select Reviews missing.
- Click Next step, and Next step again past the help suggestions. It says you can email them, but it opens a form.
What to put in the form
Fill it out as yourself, with as much detail as you have.
- Your details: name, email, phone number, and your relationship to the business, such as owner.
- Attachments: screenshots. Customers sometimes screenshot a review they left that never showed up. Add those here.
- Business name and address: the name exactly as it appears on your Google Business Profile.
- Profile ID: search your business name on Google, click the three dots, then Business Profile settings, then Advanced settings, and copy the ID.
- The questions: whether the profile has been suspended recently, how many reviews you think are missing, whether new reviews are still being published or have stopped, and the time frame in which you lost them.
- Reviewer names: as many as you can give, from screenshots or from customers who say they left a review you cannot find.
- Description: say what happened in a sentence or two, such as going from 78 reviews to 71 in two weeks.
When you submit, Google gives you a case ID. Screenshot it or copy it somewhere. The related case ID field on the form is only for a follow-up submission, so you will want that number if you have to send another.
How long does it take?
Plan on five to ten business days, and do not be surprised by either extreme. Some people fill out the form and have their reviews back in 24 hours. For others it takes around three weeks.
It is worth doing. Businesses have had 15, 20 or 25 reviews reinstated in a week or two only because they filled out this form.
Common questions
Why did my Google review count suddenly drop?
It may be a counting problem and not a removal. In February 2025, hundreds of thousands of profiles showed a lower review total overnight, yet the reviews were still on the profile when counted by hand. The cause was not confirmed: it may have been an update to how Google filters fake reviews, or a bug.
How do I check whether my Google reviews are really missing?
Scroll through your reviews and count them, then compare that with the total shown on your profile. If the count matches what you had before, the reviews are still there and only the counter is wrong.
How do I get missing Google reviews reinstated?
Go to support.google.com/business logged in with the account that manages your profile, click Contact us, type missing reviews and select Reviews missing. Click through to the form and fill in your business name, address, profile ID, how many reviews are missing, when they went missing, and the reviewers' names. Attach screenshots if you have them.
Where do I find my Google Business Profile ID?
Search your business name on Google, click the three dots on your profile, then Business Profile settings, then Advanced settings. The profile ID is listed there to copy.
How long does Google take to reinstate reviews?
Give it five to ten business days, but expect it to vary. Some businesses have seen reviews come back within 24 hours of submitting the form, and others have waited about three weeks.
