Huzzah! At long last, it seems as though Google Reviews have returned in full, meaning that you can now see new reviews and respond to them with full functionality. We at WebPunch just wanted to give you a brief update on what’s happening with your Google My Business page and reviews. Here’s a bit of a recap:
- On March 20th, Google shut off reviews and much of their Google My Business functionality. This prevented users from writing new reviews and owners from replying. It also halted new listings and updates to GMB pages.
- On April 7th, Google began letting users submit new reviews, but after submitting, users received a warning message that their review may not be visible until a later date. This turned out to be the case, as users submitting their reviews could see their own, but they did not appear publicly or on the business owner’s GMB dashboard.
- On May 13th, it appears that review functionality has been restored, meaning that users were able to instantly see their reviews posted and business owners can now reply to those reviews.
It appears that all reviews that users have submitted during the time Google Reviews were down (about March 20th to May 12th) are now visible on your GMB listing. Previously, these reviews were not visible to the public, but that seems to have changed! It also means that WebPunch will be busy in the coming weeks responding to these reviews as well as any new ones that come up.
This is a huge step forward for many businesses, as communicating with customers and showing them that you’re listening goes a long way in building trust in your brand. We’ll continue to keep you posted if anything changes, but for now, let’s celebrate!
