In a recent development that has caught the attention of the local SEO community, Google has confirmed a significant outage affecting review counts on Google Business Profiles (GBP). As a local SEO expert who works closely with businesses to optimize their online presence, I want to break down what this means for local businesses and what steps they should take.
Understanding Google Business Profiles
Before diving into the current issue, let’s understand why Google Business Profiles matter. GBP (formerly known as Google My Business) is essentially your business’s digital storefront on Google. It’s what appears when customers search for your business or services like yours in their local area. This free tool allows businesses to manage their online presence across Google Search and Maps, making it an invaluable asset for local business visibility.
The Current Review Display Issue
Victoria Kroll, a Google Employee, recently addressed the situation with an official statement:
“We’re aware of an issue affecting some Google Business Profiles, causing some profiles to show lower-than-actual review counts due to a display issue. The reviews themselves have not actually been removed. We’re working hard to resolve this and restore accurate review counts as quickly as possible.”
Impact on Local Businesses
This outage is particularly concerning for local businesses because:
- Reviews are a crucial trust signal for potential customers. When review counts appear lower than they actually are, it can impact consumer confidence and potentially affect purchasing decisions.
- Many businesses rely on their Google reviews as social proof of their service quality. The temporary disappearance of these review counts could lead to confusion among potential customers.
- Business owners who have worked hard to build up their review profiles might experience anxiety seeing their review counts drop, even though it’s just a display issue.
What Business Owners Should Know
The key takeaway from Google’s statement is that this is purely a display issue – your actual reviews haven’t been deleted. As confirmed by Planet 8 Digital’s CEO Drew Rigler, this is an ongoing issue affecting numerous businesses across the platform. While Google works on a fix, it’s important to understand that this differs from regular review removals, which typically occur due to policy violations.
Steps for Business Owners
During this outage, I recommend:
- Maintaining clear communication with your customers about the temporary nature of this issue
- Documenting your actual review count for reference
- Continuing to encourage new reviews, as they are still being collected even if not immediately displayed
- Staying updated through official Google channels for resolution updates
Looking Forward
While this situation is frustrating for business owners, it’s important to remember that technical issues like this are usually temporary. Google’s acknowledgment of the problem and active work on a solution is a positive sign. In the meantime, businesses should focus on continuing to provide excellent service and maintaining strong relationships with their customers.
The local SEO landscape is constantly evolving, and while challenges like this review display issue can be concerning, they also remind us of the importance of maintaining a diverse online presence beyond just Google Business Profiles. However, given GBP’s crucial role in local search visibility, we’ll continue monitoring this situation closely and update as new information becomes available.
Stay tuned for updates on this developing situation.
