As a cleaning business owner, your Google reviews are crucial for attracting new customers. A strong rating helps you stand out in search results and increases trust with potential cleaning customers. However, if you’ve noticed reviews disappearing from your Google Business Profile, you’re not alone. Google has strict guidelines and automated spam detection filters that may remove or hide reviews—even legitimate ones.

In this guide, we’ll explore why Google might remove reviews, how to recover missing reviews, and ways to protect your cleaning business from losing valuable customer feedback.

1. Why Do You Cleaning Company's Google Reviews Disappear?

Google enforces strict review policies to prevent spam, fake reviews, and manipulation of business ratings. If your reviews suddenly disappear, it could be due to one of the following reasons:

Reviews Were Flagged as Spam (Even If They Weren’t Fake)

Google’s automated system detects and removes reviews that appear unnatural or spammy. This could happen if:

• Your business receives too many reviews in a short period (Google sees this as an attempt to manipulate ratings).

• Reviews come from new accounts with no previous review history (these profiles may look suspicious).

• The reviewer didn’t complete their profile (missing details like a profile picture or name can raise red flags).

How to Prevent This: Encourage cleaning customers to leave reviews naturally over time rather than all at once. If you run a review campaign, space out your requests to avoid triggering Google’s spam filters.

The Reviewer’s Location Seems Suspicious

Google tracks users’ review activity, and if a reviewer has a history of posting in a different region or country, their review may be removed.

For example:

• If your cleaning company is based in Dallas, but you suddenly receive reviews from users who primarily review businesses in New York, Google may find that suspicious and delete them.

• If the reviewer’s account is tied to VPN usage or an IP address from another country, Google may consider it a fake review.

How to Prevent This: Focus on gathering reviews from local customers who actually used your cleaning service. If you work with out-of-town property managers or rental owners, have them mention their connection to the service area in their review (e.g., "I own a rental home in [city], and this company did a great job cleaning it!").

Reviews Came from Employees, Friends, or Family Members

Google’s guidelines prohibit reviews from people with a direct connection to the business. If a review comes from:

• A current or former employee (don't ask your cleaners to leave a review!)

• A friend or family member (even if they were a real customer)

• The business owner or their staff using personal accounts

…it could be flagged as a conflict of interest and removed.

How to Prevent This: Only request reviews from actual customers who had a legitimate experience with your cleaning services.

Reviews Contained Prohibited Content

Google removes reviews that include:

• Profanity, offensive language, or hate speech

• Links to websites (Google may think it’s spam or promotional)

• Personal information (e.g., full names, addresses, or phone numbers)

If a review violates any of these rules, it will likely never be restored.

How to Prevent This: Let customers know to keep their reviews professional and avoid sharing personal details or links.

Google Flagged Your Business Profile for Suspicious Activity

If Google detects unusual activity on your business profile, it may temporarily filter out new or existing reviews.

Some triggers include:

• Changing your business name or address too frequently

• A sudden spike in reviews after updating your listing

• Suspicious login attempts from multiple locations

How to Prevent This: Keep your business details consistent and avoid making unnecessary profile changes unless absolutely needed.

2. Steps to Recover Missing Reviews

If you’ve lost valuable reviews, here’s what you can do:

Step 1: Check If the Reviews Are Still Visible to the Reviewer

Before assuming a review is deleted, ask the customer if they can still see it on their end. Sometimes, Google hides reviews temporarily but does not delete them permanently.

Step 2: Contact Google Business Profile Support

If you believe reviews were removed unfairly:

• Go to Google Business Profile Help

• Click "Contact Us"

• Select "Manage Reviews" and explain the issue

• Provide details like customer names, review dates, and screenshots (if available)

Google may restore the reviews if they were removed in error, but this is not guaranteed.

Step 3: Reply to Google’s Automated Response

Google’s first response will likely be automated. Reply to the email to escalate your case and request a real human to review the issue.

3. How to Protect Your Reviews and Reputation

While you can’t control every Google review, you can take proactive steps to minimize the risk of losing them.

Encourage Reviews Gradually

Rather than getting a flood of reviews at once, aim for a steady trickle over time.

• Set up an automated follow-up email or text after each cleaning job.

• Ask long-term clients who haven’t left a review yet.

• Space out review requests so Google doesn’t flag them as spam.

Get Reviews on Multiple Platforms

Google isn’t the only place that matters! Encourage customers to leave reviews on multiple sites, including:

• Yelp

• Facebook

• Angi (Angie’s List)

• Nextdoor

This protects your reputation in case Google filters some reviews.

Monitor Your Reviews Regularly

Check your Google Business Profile weekly for missing or flagged reviews. If a review disappears, you’ll have a better chance of recovering it if you notice right away.

Final Thoughts For Cleaners

Lost Google reviews can be frustrating, but understanding why they disappear and taking the right steps can help you recover and protect your cleaning business’s reputation.

✅ Follow Google’s guidelines to avoid review removals.

✅ Encourage natural, steady review growth instead of sudden surges.

✅ Diversify where you collect reviews so you’re not overly reliant on Google.

✅ Monitor your business profile and act quickly if reviews go missing.

By taking a proactive approach, you can safeguard your online reputation and ensure your cleaning business continues to grow with the power of real customer feedback!

Need Help Managing Your Google Business Profile?

At BookCleaningJobs, we specialize in helping cleaning businesses like yours get found online, generate leads, and boost your reputation. Want expert help? Contact us today! 🚀