We get it. You’re pumped about that Google 5-star review you left for your fave local spot. But a few days go by, and… it’s still not public on Google Maps. What gives? Before you start throwing accusations of censorship around, take a deep breath. There are actually a few innocuous reasons why your Google review might not be showing up immediately.
Why Is My Google Review Only Visible to Me?
First and foremost, Google is very strict about the reviews that are allowed to be published. This is because they want to make sure that all of the reviews are authentic and relevant. In order to do this, they have a number of measures in place to remove any reviews that seem to be fake or spam.
Google reviews are automatically processed to detect inappropriate content like fake reviews and spam. As such, Google may take down reviews that are flagged in order to comply with its policies or legal obligations. Google uses automated spam detection measures to remove reviews that are probably spam. Although legitimate reviews are sometimes inappropriately removed, these spam prevention measures are there to help improve people’s experiences on Google by ensuring the reviews they see are authentic, relevant, and useful.
Can I Get My Missing Google Maps Review to Show?
If you’ve had a google review disabled, you’re probably wondering why. Unfortunately, there is no appeals process and it’s impossible to find out exactly what caused your review to be disabled. Google reviews are evaluated algorithmically, and one of the factors that google takes into account is whether or not you can see your visit to this place in your Location History. So if your review is disabled, it’s still visible on your profile and google doesn’t provide any information about why it was disabled. All you can do is try to create a new review that meets google’s guidelines.
It takes time for Google to verify reviews: When you leave a review, Google has to check that it’s coming from a real person with a real account. That process usually takes a few days. So if your review doesn’t show up right away, don’t freak out—it’s probably just in Google’s verification queue.
Reviews from new accounts are sometimes held back: If you just created your Google account, there’s a chance your review will be held back until Google is sure you’re not a robot. Once you’ve established yourself as a real human being with a track record of leaving quality reviews, your future reviews should have no problem going public immediately.

So there you have it! A few reasons why your highly anticipated Google Maps review might not be public yet. Just remember—be patient, play nice, and always tip your server. (Just kidding about that last one.) Happy reviewing!