The Shark Tank

It is not uncommon for a review or two to drop off randomly. Lately, however, sites have been seeing a significant number of glowing reviews vanish weekly.

And it is not just one or two businesses getting hit—this is across the board with no apparent pattern.

Google’s Clean-up Crusade

Google has been really cracking down on fake reviews lately. They have created specific algorithms that are all about catching dodgy feedback. Plus, they have actual people checking out the reviews to ensure they are legit and useful.

It is all part of their big push to ensure that you are getting the real deal when you are hunting for the best pizza joint or a trustworthy mechanic on their platforms. They want everything from business listings to user comments to be truthful, reliable, and clear.

Google’s Review Removal Mystery Widens

When Tim Colling first raised the alarm about a surge in review deletions on business profiles linked to elderly care services, it seemed like an isolated issue. But diving deeper into the discussions over on Local Search Forums, the plot thickens.

It turns out that this phenomenon is not confined to just elderly care in the U.S.  Contributors there shared insights that suggest the language of policy violations might be triggering these removals.

Terms like “my wife” or phrases indicating poor service could be red flags for Google’s algorithm following their updated Fake Engagement policies. This is stirring quite a bit of intrigue and concern amongst business owners who depend heavily on honest feedback to attract new customers.

Why Google Scrubs Reviews Regularly

Google is vigilant about scrubbing reviews. They are always on the hunt for anything that stands out as fake. Some businesses get sneaky and try to boost their ratings by throwing in fake praise or nudging folks to leave stellar reviews.

That is exactly why Google keeps things tidy with regular clean-ups. It is all about keeping things legit online when picking a place to eat or shop.

Google Review Deletion Spikes Analyzed

Peering into specific dates when Google swept through and tidied up reviews, some significant spikes stand out. On the 17th of September, a significant amount of reviews were removed—far outpacing any other day observed recently.

July also had its share of clean-up days. The 27th has quite a number of deletions. Several smaller yet notable occurrences occurred on the 18th, 19th, and 31st of that same month.

Then came a relative lull until mid-September, when another batch was wiped on the 14th. These massive deletes have sparked discussions about fairness and transparency in managing business ratings online.

Navigating the Waves of Review Removal

When reviews start disappearing from your business page, it is reasonable to feel some worry. But sometimes, even legit feedback gets snagged by Google’s big clean-up net. Do not panic, though; there have been times when Google realized its mistake and restored many reviews that got axed erroneously.

Working With Experts

With all the changes and maybe some glitches in Google’s policy enforcement, many business owners are feeling anxious, like they are tiptoeing around trying not to set off any alarms that will remove their hard-earned reviews.

Teaming up with pros can make a huge difference. Blushark Digital can help escalate review issues and have a team ready to tackle these types of problems. Reach out today to learn more about how we can help.