In February 2025, many businesses encountered a significant issue—Google Business Profile (GBP) reviews disappeared or showed a lower count than before. Since online reviews build trust and are critical for local SEO, this caused major concerns for business owners.
Google confirmed that the issue was largely resolved as of February 14, 2025, and most businesses should now see their reviews restored. However, some profiles may still have missing reviews.
If your business is still affected, this guide will help you:
- Understand what caused the issue
- Check if your reviews have been restored
- Take action if your reviews are still missing
What Caused the GBP Reviews Outage?
The issue was caused by a technical glitch that impacted many Google Business Profiles. Here’s what happened:
- Reviews disappeared or showed incorrect counts.
- Businesses lost social proof, making it harder to gain customer trust.
- Local SEO rankings may have been affected due to missing reviews.
- Google confirmed that no reviews were permanently deleted, and the issue is gradually being resolved.
Google Confirms GBP Reviews Outage is Resolved
As of February 14, 2025, Google officially announced that the GBP reviews outage has been resolved for most affected businesses. The issue initially began in early February 2025 before Google acknowledged and began working on a fix.
Google’s Statement:
“Most affected profiles now display accurate ratings and reviews. However, while we have made significant progress, some profiles may still experience a temporary lower count. These profiles should recover to pre-issue levels over the next few days. No reviews were unpublished due to this issue. If your review count does not return to the level it was before this issue in the next few days, please contact support.”
While most businesses have seen their reviews return, some profiles may still require action to restore missing reviews.
What If Your GBP Reviews Are Still Missing?
If your reviews haven’t returned yet, take the following steps:
1. Check if Your Reviews Have Been Restored
- Log into Google Business Profile Manager
- Navigate to the Reviews section
- Compare your current review count with past records
2. Monitor Google’s Official Updates
- Google has stated the issue should be fully resolved within a few days.
- If your reviews are still missing by the end of the week, further action may be required.
3. Contact Google Support
If your reviews haven’t returned, submit a support request via:
- Google Business Profile Help Center
- Google Business Profile Community Forum (for additional guidance)
When contacting support, include:
- Business details
- Review count before the issue
- Screenshots or evidence of missing reviews
4. Check with Recent Customers
- Ask recent customers if they left a review that has disappeared.
- Encourage them to repost their reviews if necessary.
5. Optimize Your Profile for Future Protection
- Ensure your business information is accurate and verified.
- Regularly back up customer reviews (take screenshots for reference).
- Keep collecting new reviews to maintain a strong online reputation.
The Google Business Profile Reviews Outage was an unexpected disruption, but Google has confirmed that most businesses should now see their reviews restored.
If your reviews are still missing, follow the steps above to escalate the issue with Google. Taking proactive steps to manage your reviews can help protect your business from future disruptions.
Has your business been affected? Share your experience in the comments below!
PS: Image created using AI tool…
