I’ve posted a review on Google Maps regarding a place of business but my review is only visible to me and no one else.
Do note that the first time I submitted said review, the accompanying photos and videos had the text ‘Your upload is pending’ for a week. So after a week of waiting and nothing changed, I filled up a Google form I found on a similar issue in a different discussion thread.
After 5 days - give or take - nothing changed. No update from Google, no response, nothing.
So, I decided to delete the initial review, reword and rephrase some parts as well as remove videos and only attach photos.
This time round, after “posting” it, I saw that the photos still had ‘Your upload is pending’ text and the same issue still persists - with the entire review still only visible to me.
Can someone tell me what’s going on and what can be done about this?
Your review may not be showing publicly if you have included any of this: an email address, a URL or dollar or pound signs, or maybe another icon or symbol or special characters “&” “@” “( )” etc, and also other reasons. Please check your review and remove it and let’s see if it publish; otherwise any or some of the words you used are Prohibited and restricted content.
Moreover, sometimes Google also flag genuine review as spam due to upgradation of Google Algorithm. So you can delete the review and rewrite it after later not at the same time.
Hello @GregorySze welcome to the Local Guides Connect community.
In addition to @AbdullahAM’s valuable comment, I would like to point out one more point regarding to:
The AI filter not only checks the text of your review, but also each attached photo or video. If only one of them is rejected, the entire review including all other attached media is not published. Therefore my recommendation is to remove all photos and verify, whether text-only is published. If so, attach the photos again, but one by one always verifying if it is accepted before adding the next.
Alternatively, you can also post photos and videos directly to the listing, which gives you better control over what is accepted or not.
Furthermore, I am not sure if deleting the initial review is a good idea. I would rather try to edit it.
This is the only form you can fill out for your comments and photos. There is no other form. If you fill out this form requesting a one-day review, you will not receive a response, but if you request a long review, you will receive an email from Google after the review is completed. You must fill out this form correctly for your unpublished comments. Your comments that comply with the rules will be published. I recommend that you do not edit the comments again.
My review does not include any email address, a URL or any currency symbol whatsoever and special characters.
As I’ve mentioned, the review has been rephrased and does not contain any prohibited and restricted content.
I have already waited one week during my first attempt and the second attempt yielded no result either. Am I expected to just keep repeating this even though it appears no outcome/solution seems to be on the horizon?
I’ve already filled out the form weeks ago and until now, no response has been provided.
Wouldn’t it be counter-productive to do the exact same thing again for the same review?
And what do you mean by you recommend that I do not edit the comments again? Are you talking about editing the review? Because another commented in this thread has suggested editing the review by removing the photos and videos and trying again.
No, the business owner cannot hide the review, this can only be done by Google - usually automatically without any notification. In fact 7 of you 11 photos and 2of your reviews are hidden, as you can see here:
However, in some countries (e.g. Germany) the owner can file a complaint. In that case Google would hide the review, but also send you a notification, where you have the chance to oppose against. But I understand, this happens rarely and I’m not sure it happens in any other country.
I tag @ErmesT who might be able to provide some more information.
Instead of attaching photos or videos to a review, you can also click the button Add photos and videos at the business listing. In case one of the photos will be hidden by the AI filters, the others and the review are still public. For photos taken in the EU, there is also a warning sign on the thumbnail, when you show My Contributions → Photos
Note, after you filed an appeal, you must not edit the review. If you did, the appeal is canceled. It can take several weeks, to reinstate a review and you do not get any notification.
I see, understood on the “hiding” of the reviews. And thank you for tagging another member who can hopefully provide extra information too.
Also, understood on the ‘add photos and videos’ at the business listing.
Lastly, thank you for the tip on the appeal process. I believe my earlier appeal is cancelled since I’ve deleted the initial review but I will take your advise and edit the second one by removing the photos and videos first to see what happens.
Hi @GregorySze, If your comment is not published, there may be a rule violation in a photo or the content of the comment. You can try to edit the unpublished comment and republish it. Continuously editing a comment is considered spam.
After filling out the form, the support team will review your comments and publish the comments that comply with the rules. There is no return email for a one-day request, but if you request a long-term review, you will be contacted via email.
I usually request a one-day review and my comment is published. It takes up to 7 hours to be processed. Even if you fill out the form a hundred times, your comments will be reviewed a hundred times. You cannot have your comments published outside of this form.
The photos and contents of my review are completely within the bounds of the regulations with no profanities and prohibited content - why is the Google filter not allowing it to be published?
I only edited the review once so I highly doubt it is considered spam.
As I already said, I filled out the form and waited for a week with no change in the status at all.
I published my unpublished comment today by filling out the form. There is no problem with the support team. There is only a general problem with Google Maps because the comments are added to the businesses as numbers but are not published. I solve this problem with the support team. Sometimes editing the comment even once or twice is considered spam.
1 of your comments and 4 photos are not published. Filling out the form does not mean that your comments will be published 100%. If you can detect your unpublished comment, edit it once and request a one-day review.
