Google My Business Suspensions Are Causing Reviews to Vanish

[JoyHawkins]

I wanted to make you all aware of a trending issue that we've been seeing over at the Google My Business forum in the last week or so. Listings that are suspended and then reinstated are missing all their reviews. This isn't intended and Google is aware of the issue but it appears that thusfar every business that has experienced it has yet to get their reviews back.

In this example, the business is missing over 1700 reviews currently.

 

[Jen Keller]

Is there a list somewhere of actions which result in having your GMB suspended? I know the obvious things as listed here: Suspended business listings - Google My Business Help . What I am interested in is inadvertent actions where, in an attempt to improve your GMB, you accidentally wind up getting your GMB suspended. One thing that seems to have popped up (anecdotally) is too many changes in too short a timeframe?

 

[JoyHawkins]

Hey Jen,

Yep, it is also related to the business category. Certain categories are way more likely to trigger a suspension.

 

[Garrett Sussman]

Thanks for the heads up on this @JoyHawkins. That's crazy. I'd imagine a large amount of business owners are panicking.

 

[BisnarChase]

Same here. Got LA reinstated and poof all reviews were gone. I contacted Google and they simply tweeted me back saying what I've attached here. Luckily we got 2 new ones last week but the others are gone.

 

[BenFisher]

Another thing to add to this, please please please, document your GMB Profile CID. One thing we are seeing is that on reinstatement a new Profile is being created, the only way you will know this is if your CID or Place ID is different. This is happening in conjunction with the lost reviews.

You should have this handy if you are heading to support and trying to get your reviews back.

Additionally, if you are ending up with a new CID (Profile) you should soon be able to ask Google to revert it back tot he previous CID via support.

 

[Tim Colling]

Considering the often life-or-death impact these things can have on small businesses, Google sure seems to take a cavalier approach to what it does sometimes. Perhaps not on purpose, really, but just plain negligent and unconcerned for the harm that their negligence can cause.

 

[Bryan Bloom]

Another thing to add to this, please please please, document your GMB Profile CID. One thing we are seeing is that on reinstatement a new Profile is being created, the only way you will know this is if your CID or Place ID is different. This is happening in conjunction with the lost reviews.

You should have this handy if you are heading to support and trying to get your reviews back.

Additionally, if you are ending up with a new CID (Profile) you should soon be able to ask Google to revert it back tot he previous CID via support.

Wow @BenFisher great idea! We keed the CID link for all clients in one place for other SEO related linking reasons, but never thought it could help later with this. Thanks!

 

[BenFisher]

Thanks @Bryan Bloom I maintain a highly detailed sheet for clients that has all the details I would ever need for a reinstatement (including the CID). Google is too prone to bugs and mistakes like this. I look at it like insurance.

 

[Bryan Bloom]

Anything I can learn here I PUT into practice!

 

[JoshuaMackens]

Another thing to add to this, please please please, document your GMB Profile CID. One thing we are seeing is that on reinstatement a new Profile is being created, the only way you will know this is if your CID or Place ID is different. This is happening in conjunction with the lost reviews.

You should have this handy if you are heading to support and trying to get your reviews back.

Additionally, if you are ending up with a new CID (Profile) you should soon be able to ask Google to revert it back tot he previous CID via support.

Should be an option for post of the year.

Let's get some forum awards going!

 

[Cherie Dickey]

Late to the party...but oh wow! Thanks for sharing, Joy!

 

[BenFisher]

Wanted to give you all an update. While I am not sure if the issue with suspensions leading to review going missing is completely fixed. (I can tell you they are working on it).

I can tell you that for many of the suspension cases I have been working on the reviews are slowly coming back, and in one case I had a reinstatement that had all the reviews on it.

Anyone else seeing this?

 

[JoyHawkins]

Yep - most users I've spoken to that are experiencing this have about 50% of their reviews back now. Looks like the fix is in progress!

 

[razorclicks]

Another thing to add to this, please please please, document your GMB Profile CID.

Can you please clarify where we can find our GMB Profile CID? Is it in the string of the URL?

 

[Scott Rawlins]

I use this one from PlePer to get CID. Just enter brand name (a populated list will pop up) or simply enter the maps url.

PlePer Tools - CID converter and link generator

 

[BenFisher]

Or use an extension like the one from GatherUp

 

[Cherie Dickey]

I use the Grade.us tool quite a bit for listings I do not have access to: Google Review Link Generator: How to Create a Link to Write a Review on Google | Grade.us

For listings you have access to, you can snag the CID pretty quickly in the dash with a little practice. Go to:
Info > View on Maps > and then very quickly copy the URL string in the navigation before it changes to the Lat/Long version. The CID is contained in that URL string, and all you need to do is paste it in a notepad or something so you can extract it. Here's an example of the full URL string. The X's are the CID# (so, the numbers between the = and the &):

http s://www.google.com/maps?cid=XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX&hl=en&_ga=2.205291280.1818834327.1556552753-172262562.1528983067

Thanks!
Cherie

 

[Tim Colling]

I use this Chrome extension every day, for the purpose of getting the company cid code
GatherUp Google Review Link Generator

 

[JoyHawkins]

Update: Google has got back to me on several cases where this happened. They make it sound like the issue is fixed, but it's not. So far only 30-50% of the reviews have come back. One case I was assisting with had 1700 before and is currently at 900. Ouch. It's now been a few weeks so this is becoming painful for many SMBs.