Contributions/Reviews are not posting publicly. I have submitted a ticket weeks ago and no resolve. What is strange is google reported the associated pictures of these posts have been getting viewed, not sure how that is possible when the posts are not publicly visible. Please help resolve (all of my reviews) to become public - the businesses are pending these posts.
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Hi @kpurguy , welcome to Connect, and thank you for asking.
From your profile in Google Maps I see that only 3 of your 5 reviews are publicly visible, and none of your photos.
A review can be made private because the content or an attached media is not respecting the rules, but sometimes an over sensitive filter can block a review even if everything is fine.
In this case you can appeal for an operator to check your contents, and eventually to release them.
The form for the appeal can be found in this post: An update on how we moderate Google Maps reviews .
The moderation may take up to 6 - 8 weeks.
I am not sure about what you mean when you said “I have submitted a ticket weeks ago”.
Do you mean that you’ve already submitted the form?
Hi Ermes! Thank you for your reply. Yes I just added those reviews today and they showed up instantly. I have also tried to delete the 2 (with photos) and repost them but to no avail. Yes I have submitted this form weeks ago and no update. Not sure what else I can do to release the other 2 posts (which were the original 2 I reported not showing to the public). Any help or guidance on this would be greatly appreciated!
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You could try sharing your review photos in a reply below. They could be what is triggering the filter. Maybe we can spot something.
Cheers
Morten
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Hi @kpurguy ,
I see you got useful insights form the fellow Local Guides.
I just want to let you know that I will change the topic of your post to How-tos to keep Connect organized. This is the place where you can ask questions, share tips and feedback about Connect and the Local Guides program.
2 Likes
Thanks for the feedback, @kpurguy
Editing/Deleting a review after submitting an appeal is not a great idea, because of it is not posted again then you will have to appeal one more time.
We can’t comment on reviews that we can’t see, that’s why @MortenCopenhagen asked you to share with us a copy of the contents.
Flagging a review as private can be an automatic operation (made by an automated filter based on keywords), or manual, if your review have been reported, and checked.
The filter is working on keywords, e.g. prices, because they can be interpreted as spam. However, this is possible to fix, as you can see here below.
A review is made private when it violates the Maps User Contributed Content Policy
A negative review is perfectly fine, but cannot be a blackmail for the business, nor a personal rant.
Personally, when one of my review is made private, first of all I try to update the review.
Making your review visible again is indeed possible, by modifying and republishing it, as you can read here below
Fixing your issue
As you can read in Flag and fix inappropriate content "If a review you wrote has been flagged and removed, you can fix it yourself. Edit your review to follow Google review policies — for example, you might remove a phone number or URL from the review. Your review will be automatically republished.
Google uses automated spam detection measures to remove reviews that are probably spam. Although legitimate reviews are sometimes inappropriately removed, these spam prevention measures help improve people’s experiences on Google by ensuring that the reviews they see are authentic, relevant, and useful."
If the review is not immediately republished, I remove all the media attached, and l post the review again. If it is posted the issue was in a media. Edit your review adding one photo or video only, and post it again. You can repeat the process till you find the content that is blocking the review.
Please share that content with us for some more guidance.
If the "text only " review is blocked please share the text with us.
If you appeal for that review please keep in mind that the check may take more than two months. Do not modify your review after the appeal.
Hope you his can help you to better fix your issue
2 Likes
Really appreciate the community here! Ok understood on the deletion and repost for the appeal if we can’t figure this out in editing I will resubmit the form and leave them be (I was hoping as you submit your entire contribution url that all posts no matter when submitted would be reviewed as well as I was trying to follow any helps guides on this topic I have found as it has been at least a month at this point). I have also tried to edit these posts/reviews (remove the image, remove text, etc.) but haven’t found a fix yet. They are both highly postive reviews and the businesses deserve every bit. Fingers crossed you guys see something to get these resolved:
Image for review 1:
Images for review 2:
Review 1: (hair dresser - best in the area)
Hidden Beauty Salon is truly a Hidden Gem! Sabrina made my hair come back to life and the cut and style instantly comes back after each wash, which makes life so easy! If you need a friendly, talented, and thoughtful hair stylist look no further.
Review 2: (General Contractor - just knocked it out of the park - so hard to find in the area)
With my father retired after 50+ years in construction, I thought finding a detail-oriented, trustworthy, and knowledgeable construction company after so many months of looking was near to impossible. Take it from someone who has been around this industry their whole life; just dial the number for Aleta Contruction and let Joe make your dreams come true. After interviewing and receiving estimates from all of the top rated construction companies in the area to repair my sinking porch, I selected Aleta Contruction and was simply elated ever since. Not only does Joe take the time to outline and review every aspect of his comprehensive project estimate, but he’s patience and professionalism in answering every question and making your requests a reality is simply astonishing. Not only are Joe and Brandon the kindess individuals you will meet, but the level and quality of the work they provide is that of artists with surgical precision, and it was simply impressive to watch. You will never find a better construction company than Aleta Contruction, don’t wait, hire them now!
Thank you for your feedback, @kpurguy
In my humble opinion:
- your two reviews sounds very “promotional”, with the addition of some text that like seems to be an advertisement for the business, like "You will never find a better construction company". Same for “If you need a friendly, talented, and thoughtful hair stylist look no further”. A review should express an experience, that’s all.
- The images should represent the business. We see what seems to be your house, not a construction company at work. And a collage of photos is against the stylistic Adjustment rules, so I would consider to add more relevant photos
Of course this is just my opinion
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Thanks for your review! I have also fully removed these texts and just wrote something very plain (unfortunately didn’t work). Assuming my edits would “instantly” show a difference, is there an amount of time I should wait to validate that different text or different photos would make the review public?
Hi again, @kpurguy
Well, this is how it should work, but there are other factors that we need to keep into consideration: AI has memories, and may “remember” that you were apparently “advertising” for a place. In such case your profile may be in some way “flagged”.
If this is the case a “human” action may be helpful for unflagging you, so please fill out the form shared with you previously on this conversation.
I know by personal experience that it can be quite disappointing, but unfortunately the actual situation related to fake reviews is forcing maps, and all the other platforms where reviews are hosted, to take stronger actions about reviews.
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@ErmesT I have 443 reviews, but only 57 of them are displaying. Can you fix this issue? I want to see all my reviews. I sent 2-3 tickets before. It was never resolved.
Hi @Pamuka
I am sorry about your issue, and sorry for missing your previous post.
I am just a Local Guide, so I cannot fix the issue for you, but of course there are steps that you can take to makes your review visible again.
My suggestion for you is to proceed in three steps:
- Check if your reviews are adhering to the Maps user-generated content policy “we generally remove full posts (for example, a photo post with a text review attached) even if one part of it is in violation”, and to the Community policy , and in case fix it
- Take photos that clearly and accurately represent a location …**"
- “Dark, blurry, and redundant photos will be removed. Users who duplicate photos across locations, … will also be removed.”
- Edit your reviews, for the AI to check them again. The algorithm has improved a lot in the recent few weeks, so probably a new edit and submission of your content may help. This operation will force the filter to check the reviews again and to post it publicly. for more details: Report and fix inappropriate content
- If some of the content still be private you can fill the appeal form that you can find in An update on how we moderate Google Maps reviews . The check may take several weeks, and everything that is not against the rules will be released
Good luck
Ermes