You can't delete Google reviews — only leave them

18.12.2024 | Helpful Tip

Dmytro Romanovskyi, Director and Founder
of the digital marketing agency "Destra"

Where should the comma go in this sentence?
Our colleagues from the EU help us figure out this tricky question.

A unique study of 50,000 deleted Google reviews was published on the website of a European SEO company. We found the article so interesting and useful that we decided to translate and adapt it for our blog.

Spoiler alert: after reading it, you'll know exactly how to leave safe reviews that fully comply with Google’s policies. Which means — they’re unlikely to be removed for a violation you probably didn’t even know existed.

Topic of Discussion

Reviews on company Google profiles periodically disappear. The search engine removes them at its own discretion and based on its own policies. Business owners actively discuss this issue both online and offline.

The study examines the reasons behind these removals, focusing on factors such as the number of reviews, their timing, tone, and length. Based on this, it's not hard to draw the right conclusions for your business.

In addition to the 50,000 reviews analyzed, it’s worth noting that 5,500 companies participated in the study between November 2023 and September 2024.

What Does This Have to Do with Local SEO?

In fact, a company's visibility in search results heavily depends on its Google reviews. They help build trust in the brand, directly influence customer purchase decisions, and can significantly boost the company’s ranking.

Based on these reviews, Google evaluates not only the quality of services but also the level of customer care — which is clearly reflected in how a business responds to customer feedback.

Why Are Reviews Being Removed?

According to Google's policies, only reviews that meet its guidelines are allowed to remain on a business profile. For example, reviews may be removed if they are misleading or considered spam.

There are certain periods when deletions become especially aggressive. This happened in November 2023 and September 2024, when Google removed 8,000 and 7,500 reviews respectively from the profiles of businesses that took part in the study.
There may be two reasons for this: the rollout of a new fake-review detection algorithm or stricter moderation rules.

On average, 15.5 new reviews are published on Mondays. Activity remains relatively consistent throughout the rest of the week. The calmest day is Sunday, with only 3% of all deletions occurring then.
Staff members responsible for responding to reviews should be ready to communicate promptly and politely with customers throughout the week.

Older reviews are typically removed in the morning, between 9:00 AM and 12:00 PM, while new reviews tend to appear in the afternoon, between 12:00 PM and 6:00 PM.

Google is more likely to remove older reviews — 77% of deleted reviews had been visible on company profiles for more than 10 days. Only 4.27% are removed within the first 24 hours after being posted. This indicates that the algorithms need time to properly assess each case.

It’s important to regularly monitor your reviews, as theoretically, any of them could be deleted one or two weeks after publication. The only real way to avoid this is by strictly following Google’s review guidelines.

Unfortunately, a quick response from a company representative doesn’t prevent deletion. In fact, around 52% of all deleted reviews had received a reply within 24 hours.
Another 18% were responded to within 2–5 days, 5% within 6–10 days, and the remaining 25% after more than 10 days.

In short, even if your team replies to a new review within minutes, it won’t protect it from being removed — if Google’s algorithms detect signs of inauthenticity or guideline violations, the review will still be taken down.

For some reason, Google seems to “prefer” deleting five-star reviews — they account for 89.6% of all removals. This segment also records the highest number of violations and attempts to pass off fake reviews as genuine.
So when asking your customers to leave a review on your Google profile, it’s best to explain how to do it objectively. Avoid excessive praise and don’t overload the text with keywords.

The peak time for removals typically falls on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. On weekends, the number of deletions is three times lower. According to the study, 40% of all removals happen on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, compared to just 6% and 7% on Saturdays and Sundays.

Research Findings

Google removes not only spammy reviews but also so-called content reviews. In fact, 18.3% of deleted reviews consisted solely of stars without any additional comments, while the remaining 81.7% contained some form of content.

Therefore, even if you’ve written a detailed and content-rich review, Google will still carefully check everything for compliance with its guidelines.

It’s ideal when customers leave reviews based on their personal experiences with the company. A poor practice is to ask them to fill out a review template that already includes keywords.
Even if the company owner replies to the review, it won’t protect it in case of a guideline violation. Over 60% of deleted reviews had a reply from the business owner. Quick responses are great for the company’s reputation and for customer relations, but they don’t affect Google’s moderation policy.

If 60% of deleted reviews had a reply from the business owner, then only 40% of deleted negative reviews received the same response from the company. A reply from the owner doesn’t affect whether a review is removed, but negative reviews without responses are deleted more often.

Search algorithms tend to pay closer attention to positive reviews with company replies. Moreover, company responses increase the likelihood of such reviews being examined and eventually removed — especially if the content of the review is overly promotional or pushy.

If your company receives a negative review that violates Google’s policies, the best first step is to report it directly to Google Support. However, the most effective long-term approach is to stay calm and respond with a professional, genuine message that shows you are ready to help the client resolve their issue.

Negative reviews tend to be the most detailed. The fewer stars, the more text you’ll usually see. For example, one- or two-star reviews often contain 80 words or more. Dissatisfied customers are more likely to describe their negative experience in depth.

When things go well, the picture changes completely. Four-star reviews typically average around 30 words, while five-star reviews are usually no longer than 20 words.

The details in negative reviews matter. They provide valuable insights into customer expectations, allowing you to react quickly and improve the quality of your services.

Google most often removes long positive reviews.

According to research data, 56.82% of deleted reviews contained between 11 and 50 words, another 25.02% had more than 51 words, and the remaining 18% were short reviews of 1–10 words.

In fact, 81.84% of deleted reviews contained 11 words or more. Google’s algorithms seem to treat such comments with greater suspicion — possibly because they are easier to verify. Yet, it is precisely these reviews that often violate Google’s guidelines.

When working with clients, it’s important to explain that reviews should be authentic and concise. Overly general or vague comments are far more likely to be removed.

For negative reviews, the trend is similar: 53.07% of deleted negative reviews contained more than 51 words, while 34.99% were between 11 and 50 words. Shorter negative reviews (1–10 words) accounted for only about 12% of deletions. In other words, the longer the negative review, the higher the chance it will be flagged — especially if reported to Google Support.

Another interesting insight: the lower the rating, the harsher the company’s response tends to be. Most negative replies from business representatives appear under 1–2 star reviews, while responses under 4–5 stars are generally more friendly. Three-star reviews are most likely to receive neutral replies.

However, it’s best to avoid a negative tone altogether. A courteous, empathetic response — even to harsh criticism — increases customer trust and strengthens your overall reputation.

When replying to negative feedback, focus on two things:

Show you understand the problem.
Offer a constructive solution.

A positive, solution-oriented approach can significantly reduce the impact of a bad review — and sometimes even turn an unhappy client into a loyal one.

It’s also worth noting that even within 1–2 star reviews, you may still find neutral or even positive remarks. Every customer’s comment should be treated as an opportunity to improve the relationship.

Professionalism and a genuine willingness to resolve issues must remain the guiding principles when drafting any reply.

Instead of writing reviews like this, we suggest reading our article: “Why Are You Spending Money on Online Advertising?”

Why does Google remove reviews from our company profile?
This usually happens with fake reviews or those that violate Google’s guidelines. Other common reasons include overly promotional content, spam, or suspicious activity from new accounts. Five-star reviews are checked especially carefully.

How can I restore a deleted review?
If you believe a review was removed unfairly, you can try to resolve the issue through Google. In most cases, reviews are removed automatically by the algorithm, and restoring them is very difficult. It is better to follow the guidelines in advance to avoid such problems in the future.

Why does Google often remove five-star reviews?
Around 89.6% of deleted reviews are five-star. These have a higher potential of being fake or overly promotional. Algorithms pay closer attention to such reviews to prevent any manipulation of company ratings.

Does replying to a review protect it from being deleted?
No. More than 60% of deleted reviews had already received a response from the company. It is important that your replies also follow Google’s guidelines.

On which days are reviews most often removed?
Most reviews are deleted on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. This is the period of highest algorithm activity. Be especially attentive to your reviews at this time.

Are “empty” reviews without text deleted less often?
Yes. Only 18.3% of deleted reviews contained no text. Reviews with comments are checked more thoroughly because their content often violates Google’s guidelines.

Why are reviews sometimes deleted after several days or weeks?
Google’s algorithms need time to analyze data. Research shows that 77% of deleted reviews had been visible in company profiles for more than 10 days. Algorithms track the history of each review before deciding whether to remove it.

How does review length affect the chance of removal?
Google more often removes long positive and negative reviews. The more information in the comment, the higher the likelihood that it contains violations. According to research, 81.84% of deleted reviews were longer than 11 words.

How can I prevent reviews from being deleted?
Make sure that reviews come from real customers, that the information is truthful, and that everything complies with Google’s guidelines. Repeated phrases are often perceived as spam by algorithms. If such reviews appear in your profile, report them to Google Support immediately.

Does Google only delete negative reviews?
No. Algorithms remove any reviews that violate the guidelines. However, positive comments longer than 11 words are most frequently deleted. Google’s systems pay special attention to these.

How can I check if my review was deleted?
You can do this in the “My Reviews” section of your Google account if the review has disappeared from the company profile.

How can I reduce the risk of a review being deleted?
Encourage clients to leave honest feedback describing their unique experience with your company. Do not suggest that they post template reviews with keywords. In your responses, use facts and an empathetic tone — this is exactly what Google recommends.

FAQ

Final thoughts

An analysis of 50,000 deleted Google reviews provides a clear picture of how moderation works. Reviews with high ratings and lengthy text are the first to be flagged. The algorithms also treat long negative comments with suspicion. Most removals take place on specific days and times — reflecting the way Google’s systems operate.