Reviewflowz Cartelis

Reviewflowz × Cartelis · October 2026

Gone in 7 days: why Google reviews disappear

We tracked 4.9 million reviews on 9,048 Google Maps profiles every day for two weeks and watched 4,590 disappear. Here are the 10 numbers that explain what Google deletes, when, and what it leaves alone.

Get the full report See the 10 findings
reviews tracked
4.9M
reviews tracked
Google profiles
9,048
Google profiles
countries
41
countries
industries
7
industries
daily crawls
14
daily crawls
of new reviews gone within a week
1.95%
of new reviews gone within a week

Two weeks inside Google’s deletion machine

4,590 deletions caught

Aug 12 to Aug 24

The 9,048 businesses we tracked Six brands hit by mass removals
  1. 1 Aug 12: First pest-chain purge
  2. 2 Aug 16: Weekend purge
  3. 3 Aug 17: The biggest day
  4. 4 Aug 19: Two profiles delisted
  5. 5 Aug 23: Second weekend spike

Research partner Cartelis

Cartelis is a data and CRM consultancy based in Paris. Its consultants combine technical and business skills and help marketing and sales teams put their customer data to work, from framing the method to running it day to day: CRM and relationship marketing, analytics and BI, data engineering, customer data platforms and AI.

10 numbers on what Google deletes

Each one compares like with like: reviews inside the same business, or businesses at equal sector, size and region. The six brands hit by mass removals are left out unless a line says otherwise.

01 10

Reviews that name your staff are deleted as often as any other

Since April 2026, Google’s policy says businesses must not have staff request reviews that identify a staff member. Google does not enforce it: we found no evidence that reviews mentioning a name were deleted more often than reviews that did not.

We also found that 38% of positive reviews in the US, across all industries and business sizes, mention someone by name.

This was measured over 2.7 million positive reviews with text, using a name-recognition model called GLiNER. Tested blind on 1,000 reviews: 0.66% false detections, and it found 93% of the names that were there.

Out of 100 positive reviews, how many name someone

Source: Reviewflowz × Cartelis, Gone in 7 Days (2026). Name shares measured on 2.7 million positive reviews with text. Figures exclude six brands hit by mass removals.

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02 10

Name-heavy businesses may appear to lose more reviews, but at equal industry and pace, the difference is no longer measurable

Businesses where half or more of the reviews name someone lose more reviews: 13 in every 10,000 over two weeks, against 3 for businesses where names are rare.

But they also collect reviews about twice as fast, and they are concentrated in the industries where Google deletes the most: home services, healthcare and automotive.

Compare businesses in the same industry, collecting reviews at the same pace, and the difference is no longer measurable: the names do not explain the gap.

How many more reviews name-heavy businesses lose than businesses where names are rare

Each dot is the estimate, each line its margin of error. 1x = no difference: only the last one reaches it.

Source: Reviewflowz × Cartelis, Gone in 7 Days (2026). Reviews live on August 11, followed for two weeks; 680 businesses where half or more of the positive reviews name a person, 4,897 where under 10% do; six brands hit by mass removals excluded.

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03 10

Businesses whose reviews name staff collect 2.7 times more reviews, and end the year twice as far ahead

Businesses where half or more of the reviews name someone collect 2.7 times more reviews a year than businesses of the same industry, region and size where names are rare.

They lose more reviews too, but nowhere near enough to matter. For every 100 reviews they gain, Google takes back 13, against 8 for the others.

By the end of the year, they are up 105 reviews. The others are up 58.

From reviews gained to reviews kept, per business per year

Gained 2.7x at equal sector, region and size. Lost 2.4x. Net 2.0x.

Source: Reviewflowz × Cartelis, Gone in 7 Days (2026). Reviews gained per year from the twelve months before the study; reviews lost per year from the two weeks observed, scaled to a year. Figures exclude six brands hit by mass removals.

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04 10

Reviews posted on a spike day are deleted 1.8 times more often, but a busy month is fine

A spike day is a day a business gets at least 3 positive reviews, and at least 4 times its usual daily number. Reviews posted on those days are deleted 1.8 times more often than reviews posted on a normal day.

The effect is strongest in Europe, where the risk almost triples. In the US the gap is smaller, too small to be certain of.

A busy month is a different story. Businesses whose month was three times busier than usual lost no more reviews than in a normal month: 1.1% against 1.9%. Google reacts to the day, not the month.

Share of new positive reviews deleted within 7 days, posted on a spike day against a normal day
Normal day Spike day

Source: Reviewflowz × Cartelis, Gone in 7 Days (2026). Reviews posted August 7 to 17, followed for seven days; figures exclude six brands hit by mass removals.

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05 10

Replying to a positive review within two days halves its chances of being deleted

Of the new 5-star reviews that got an owner reply within two days, 1.5% were deleted between day 3 and day 7. Without a reply, 2.4% were.

Whether the reply came the same day, the next day or the day after makes no difference. What matters is that this review got one: replying to everything else does not protect the reviews you leave unanswered.

On 1-star reviews, replying changes nothing we could measure. This is an association, not a proven cause: Google does not show which reviews were flagged.

Share of new reviews deleted between day 3 and day 7, replied to by day 2 against not
Replied Not replied

Deletion odds by reply timing, 1.0 = no reply: same day 0.46, next day 0.52, day 2 0.51. All well below 1.0: the reply counts, its timing does not.

Source: Reviewflowz × Cartelis, Gone in 7 Days (2026). Figures exclude six brands hit by mass removals.

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06 10

A new review is on probation for its first seven days

Google does not screen new reviews the moment they are posted. Negative reviews go first, on day 2 and 3. Positive reviews go on day 6 and 7, whatever day of the week they were posted.

After day 8, the risk drops to about a tenth of what it was on day 7. By day 7, 1.7% of new positive reviews are gone, and 4.7% of negative ones.

Share of positive reviews still online deleted on each day of their life

Day of the review’s life, 4 and 5 stars. From day 9, about 0.1% a day (0.07% to 0.15%): a tenth of day 7.

Source: Reviewflowz × Cartelis, Gone in 7 Days (2026). Reviews posted during the study, followed from their first day; figures exclude six brands hit by mass removals.

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07 10

Google deletes the extremes, and 1-star reviews most of all

5.7% of new 1-star reviews are gone within a week, against about 1% of 3- and 4-star reviews. Inside the same business, a 1-star review is 3.9 times more likely to be deleted than a 4-star one.

5-star reviews are deleted a little more often than 4-star ones, but the difference is too small to be sure of.

1- and 2-star reviews are 9% of all reviews and 20% of deletions. Still, deletions barely move ratings: for businesses that lost 5 or more reviews, the average changed by 0.01 star.

Share of new reviews deleted within 7 days, by star rating

Share of existing reviews deleted over the two weeks: 0.17%, 0.08%, 0.04%, 0.02% and 0.07%, from 1 to 5 stars.

Source: Reviewflowz × Cartelis, Gone in 7 Days (2026). Reviews posted August 7 to 17, followed for seven days; figures exclude six brands hit by mass removals.

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08 10

Who wrote the review matters more than what it says

A first review is deleted 5.6 times more often than a review from a top Local Guide: 0.10% of first reviews were deleted in two weeks, against 0.02% for Local Guides of level 6 or more.

First-review accounts write 14% of reviews and take 22% of deletions. Inside the same business, a first review is 1.4 times more likely to go, a Local Guide level 6 review 0.6 times.

Where the author could be traced, one deletion in five was Google removing a whole account.

Share of existing reviews deleted over the two weeks, by the reviewer’s history

Source: Reviewflowz × Cartelis, Gone in 7 Days (2026). Reviews live on 11 August 2026, followed for two weeks; figures exclude six brands hit by mass removals.

Reviewflowz Cartelis

09 10

Profiles with 85%+ five-stars lose twice as many reviews

Businesses where 85% or more of the reviews are 5-star lose 0.13% to 0.14% of their reviews in two weeks, against 0.03% for businesses at 50 to 70%: 2.2 times more at equal sector, size and volume.

In profiles rated 4.8 and above, even a 4-star review is deleted 9 times more often than in profiles under 4.5. The gap holds when the most-hit 1% of businesses are set aside (1.5x to 1.7x).

A 4.9 built on 97% five-stars looks like a risk to Google. Mixed ratings, replies and photos read as real.

Share of existing reviews deleted over the two weeks, by the business’ share of 5-star reviews

Against 50 to 70%, at equal sector, size and volume: 1.4x, 2.2x, 2.2x.

Source: Reviewflowz × Cartelis, Gone in 7 Days (2026). Reviews live on 11 August 2026, followed for two weeks; figures exclude six brands hit by mass removals.

Reviewflowz Cartelis

10 10

US profiles lose twice as many reviews as European ones, and US home services six times more

Over two weeks, Google deleted 0.09% of the existing reviews on US profiles, against 0.04% in Europe. US groups of 4 to 10 locations are the most exposed segment: 0.11% of their reviews.

In their first week, 4.1% of new positive reviews in US home services are deleted and 3.4% in US healthcare, against 0.4% in US hotels. Inside Europe, Spain stands out: 2.9% of its new reviews are deleted within a week, ahead of the US (2.4%).

Deletions also pile up in a few places. 13% of businesses lost at least one review in two weeks, and 1% of businesses account for half of all deletions. A business hit in the first week had a 33% chance of being hit again the next.

Share of new positive reviews deleted within 7 days, by sector and region
Europe US
Home services 3.3% 4.1%
Healthcare 0.6% 3.4%
Wellness and fitness 1.6% 3.0%
Travel 1.0% 2.5%
Automotive 1.9% 1.1%
Food and beverage 0.7% 1.0%
Hospitality 0.9% 0.4%

Source: Reviewflowz × Cartelis, Gone in 7 Days (2026). Reviews posted 7 to 17 August, followed for seven days; figures exclude six brands hit by mass removals.

Reviewflowz Cartelis

Four things we watched happen

The review bomb and the pest-control purge belong to the six brands kept out of the averages above, because one purge can move every number.

295 of 297

A review bomb, cleaned up

297 one-star reviews landed on two Spanish gyms on 1 and 2 August. By 16 August, 295 were gone.

46

A decade of negatives, wiped

A German bus tour operator with 156 reviews lost 46 one-star reviews, posted between 2018 and 2026, in four days.

1,199

The chains Google purged

Four US pest-control chains lost 1,199 positive reviews across 102 locations in two weeks: 26% of every deletion we saw.

38

A five-star run, undone

A US balloon operator lost 38 five-star reviews in three days, on a profile of 1,295.

Five moves that keep reviews on your profile

  1. 1

    Judge campaigns on day 8

    The day 6 to 7 pass is where positive reviews go; after it the daily risk falls tenfold.

  2. 2

    Reply to every positive review within two days

    Same day or day 2, a reply halves the deletion risk.

  3. 3

    Never let a campaign land on one day

    A spike day is 1.8 times the risk; a busy month is fine.

  4. 4

    Ask customers who already review on Google Maps

    A first review is deleted 5.6 times more often than a top Local Guide’s. Signing up is a hassle, and reviews from accounts with a long history are deleted less often: you do the work, the next business gets the review that sticks. Ask customers without a Google account whether they use a platform that matters to you, like Yelp or Tripadvisor.

  5. 5

    Ask customers to name who served them

    A review that names your staff is as safe as any other, and the businesses that get them end the year with twice the net reviews.

ReviewflowzCartelis

Gone in 7 Days

why Google reviews disappear

Reviewflowz × Cartelis · October 2026

28 pages · PDF · free

Get the full 28-page report

How we built the panel, every result with its margin of error, the tests that came back empty, and what this study cannot tell you.

  • Day-by-day deletion risk for a review’s first two weeks
  • The staff-names tests, with 95% intervals
  • Sector, region and group-size tables for 9,048 businesses
  • The tests that came back empty, and the limits of the study

We will email you the report and occasional research from Reviewflowz. Unsubscribe in one click. See our privacy policy.

How we did it

We drew 9,048 businesses from open map data, in seven industries and three group sizes, half in the US and half in Europe, and matched each one to its Google Maps profile. A brand entered with every location it operates, so no chain was cherry-picked. Every review of every profile was collected each morning from 11 to 24 August 2026. A deletion is a review present in one complete listing and absent from the next; a crawl that did not reach the end of a listing does not count.

profiles
9,048
profiles
reviews
4,876,933
reviews
daily crawls
14
daily crawls
deletions
4,590
deletions
industries
7
industries
countries
41
countries

Two weeks in August, so seasonality is not covered. We see what was deleted, not why: flags, reports, legal requests and authors deleting their own reviews all count as deletions. Results are associations, not proven causes. The UK is not in the panel.

Research partner

Cartelis

Cartelis is a data and CRM consultancy based in Paris. Its consultants combine technical and business skills and help marketing and sales teams put their customer data to work, from framing the method to running it day to day: CRM and relationship marketing, analytics and BI, data engineering, customer data platforms and AI.

cartelis.com

Use these numbers

Every chart and number on this page is free to use in articles, decks and posts. Credit Reviewflowz and Cartelis and link to this page.

Reviewflowz and Cartelis (2026). Gone in 7 Days: the Google review deletion study. https://www.reviewflowz.com/research/disappearing-google-reviews

Questions about disappearing Google reviews

Why are my Google reviews disappearing?

Google deletes about 2% of new reviews within a week. In our study the reviews most likely to go were 1-star reviews, first reviews, reviews posted on a day the business got an unusual burst of them, and reviews on near-perfect profiles. Where we could trace the author, one deletion in five was Google removing the whole account, which takes that person’s reviews off every business at once.

Does Google delete reviews on its own?

Reviews disappear without the business doing anything. Across 9,048 businesses, 1.95% of new reviews were gone within seven days, and existing reviews lose about 1.4% a year. From outside, we cannot tell why a given review went: flags, reports, legal requests and authors deleting their own reviews all look the same.

Why is my Google review not showing?

Two different things look alike. A review that never appears was held back before publishing, which this study cannot observe. A review that appears and then vanishes was deleted, which is what we measured: new reviews that get deleted mostly go in their first seven days, on days 2 and 3 for negative reviews and on days 6 and 7 for positive ones.

When is a new Google review safe from deletion?

After day 8 the daily deletion risk falls to about 0.1%, a tenth of the peak. Judge a review campaign on what is still online on day 8.

Does replying to a review stop Google deleting it?

For positive reviews, an owner reply within the first two days goes with half the deletion risk. It is an association, not a proven cause, and it made no measurable difference on 1-star reviews.

Can I ask customers to mention staff names in their Google review?

Yes, as far as deletions go. Since April 2026, Google’s review policy says businesses must not direct staff to request reviews that include specific content, “including content that identifies a staff member”. Google does not enforce it on the reviews: inside the same business, a review naming a person is deleted at 1.01x the rate of one that does not, across 2.7 million positive reviews. And businesses whose reviews name staff gain 2.7 times more reviews a year and end it with twice the net reviews.

Who ran this study?

Reviewflowz, the review management software, and Cartelis, a data and CRM consultancy based in Paris, ran it together.

Can I use these numbers?

Yes. Quote any number or chart on this page with credit to Reviewflowz and Cartelis and a link to this page.