One of our clients recently asked us a question that you might be wondering yourselves: is it a problem if I get too many Google reviews at once?
As usual, the short answer is “it depends.” But the good news is that we’re not going to leave you with the short answer.
Why Could Getting Too Many Google Reviews Be a Problem?
First off, why could this even be a problem?
Well, if you’ve been open for a few years and only earned, say, 5-10 reviews, but suddenly doubled that number in under a week, that looks suspicious to both Google and other customers.
Unlike Yelp, Google actually encourages you to ask customers to review your business. It’s one of many reasons to choose Google in the Yelp vs. Google Reviews war. But even when you start asking for reviews, Google probably doesn’t expect all of those people to follow through.
Does Google Remove Reviews?
Yes, Google does sometimes remove reviews, though it’s not very often. Unlike Yelp, Google quickly realized that removing too many reviews might alienate their users and discourage them from posting new reviews.
Usually, when the big G does remove reviews, it’s for one of a few reasons:
- Multiple reviewers share the same IP address. Even though Google does want you to ask for reviews, if they’re all coming from the same building or review kiosk that’s a bridge too far for them. Reviews left while connected to your business’s WiFi might also be filtered.
- The contents of the review. If the review contains a URL or profanity, you bet it’s going to get filtered out.
- Google caught you paying for reviews. That’s not just against their guidelines–it’s literally illegal, not to mention pretty crappy.
- The review is obviously fake. Google doesn’t normally filter these proactively, but if someone sees that a user has only reviewed your business in Denver and an auto repair shop in Malaysia, it’s very easy to flag the review. Google then may or may not remove it.
Learn more about why Google sometimes removes reviews.
What Happens If You Get Google Reviews Too Quicky?
Honestly? Don’t worry about it.
As long as you’re not paying for reviews, pushing customers to leave reviews on one of your devices, or pushing customers to leave reviews while still connected to your WiFi, you’ll be perfectly fine.
Just make sure that you’re getting reviews consistently. If you get fifty reviews this week and zero for the rest of the year, could you blame Google or anyone else for thinking that looks suspicious?
