Do Google reviews pop up immediately?
Not always. Google checks every review against its policies before publishing it, and while many go live quickly, Google says the checks can take a few days in some cases. Reviews that trip Google's spam filters may be held back for longer or never appear at all.
By Richard Thomas-Pryce, Founder · Updated
Google has said its systems check every review before it is published on Maps, looking at the words used, the account's past behaviour and patterns that suggest manipulation. Most ordinary reviews pass quickly. Google's help pages say that in some cases the process takes a few days.
The reviews most likely to be delayed are the ones that look unusual: lots of reviews arriving for one business in a short time, reviews from brand-new accounts, or reviews that mention a reward. If you send a review request to your whole customer list on one evening, expect some delays and some reviews that never appear.
Your rating and review count update once the review is published, so a review that is still being checked will not change your stars yet. Your replies go through a similar check: Google says a reply usually takes up to 10 minutes to appear but can take up to 30 days.
If a customer says they left a review and you cannot see it, give it a few days and check in a private browser window while signed out. Asking them to post it again rarely helps and can make the pattern look worse.
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