by Brian Lawrence

Online reviews play a significant role in shaping the reputation and credibility of your business. Potential customers can look to reviews to gauge whether your services have met the needs of current and past customers, increasing the likelihood of acquiring new leads. Among several platforms for leaving reviews, Google Reviews stands out as one of the most influential due to Google’s popularity and importance in local search rankings.

Unfortunately, getting reviews approved on Google isn’t always a straightforward process. There may be occasions when customers let you know that they’ve submitted a Google Review of your business, yet Google hasn’t approved and posted the review. Unpublished reviews are often the result of a perceived violation of Google’s review policies.

As a business owner, I know reviews are vital to an SEO strategy. In this article, I will explore why Google might flag a customer review and how you and your customers can finally get those comments approved to bolster your business’s credibility.

Google Review Policies

Before delving into strategies for getting reviews approved, you need to understand Google’s review policies. Google has strict guidelines to ensure that reviews are authentic, relevant, and respectful. Violating these policies with tactics such as review spamming can lead to reviews being rejected or removed. Here are a few things to keep in mind about Google reviews:

• Authenticity: Reviews should reflect authentic experiences and opinions. Avoid fake or biased reviews.
• Relevance: Reviews should directly relate to the business in question.
• Language: Avoid hateful or discriminatory language.
• Conflicts of Interest: Reviewers shouldn’t have a personal or financial stake in the business.
• Spamming: Avoid posting multiple reviews for the same business regardless of whether your experience was positive or negative.

Tips for Customers to Get Reviews Approved

Now that you’re more familiar with some of Google’s core review policies, here are a few ways to increase the likelihood of getting reviews approved:

1. Provide Detailed Feedback: Reviews should speak to your specific experience with a business. Mention products or services you used, interactions with staff, and any additional aspects of your visit.

2. Be Honest: Whether your experience was positive or negative, avoid exaggerating or making misleading statements about a business. Provide a balanced opinion that reflects your overall experience.

3. Use Proper Grammar and Spelling: Craft a well-structured review using correct grammar and punctuation. It will improve the credibility of your review.

4. Avoid Promotions: Reviews should focus on personal experiences with a business and not include promotional content or advertising.

Note: Wait several days before reporting unpublished reviews to Google. Reporting too soon may lead to Google support staff asking for more patience with posting rather than providing assistance.

What Business Owners Can Do

As a business owner, you can improve the review experience by encouraging honest feedback, monitoring reviews, and educating customers on any changes Google might make to its policies.

Occasionally, Google might flag a legitimate review of your business for violating spam rules, preventing it from posting. In that case, you can ask the customer to send you a screenshot of their review. Then, send the screenshot of the review in question and provide the reviewer’s name to Google Support for review.

Google’s review system is often flawed, with many legitimate reviews facing rejection. Understanding Google’s policies and implementing best practices can increase the likelihood of getting your reviews approved. To improve the overall review experience, customers should focus on authenticity and relevance in their reviews, while business owners should keep customers informed on any changes to Google’s guidelines.

For more information on how we can help you get more high-quality Google reviews and optimize your GBP, contact us today!