In 2025, Google is removing reviews at unprecedented rates – and it is not accidental. Our industry analysis of 60,000 Google Business Profiles shows that deletions are being driven by a mix of: Automated moderation. Industry-wide risk factors. Increased enforcement against incentivized reviews. Local regulatory pressure. Together, these forces have significant implications for businesses and local search visibility. Review deletions are on the up globally Data collected from tens of thousands of Google Business Profile listings across multiple countries by GMBapi.com show a sharp increase in deleted reviews between January and July 2025. The surge began accelerating toward the end of Q1 and gained momentum mid-year, with a growing share of monitored locations experiencing at least one review removal in a given week. This is not limited to negative feedback. While one-star reviews continue to be taken down, five-star reviews now account for a sizable share of deletions. That pattern suggests Google is applying stricter enforcement, including on positive reviews, as it works to maintain authenticity and trust. More recently, Google has begun asking members of its Local Guide community whether businesses are incentivizing reviews, likely in response to AI-driven flags for suspicious activity. Dig deeper: Google’s review deletions: Why 5-star reviews are disappearing Not all industries are treated the same Review deletion patterns vary significantly by business category. Restaurants account for the highest volume of deleted reviews, followed by home services, brick-and-mortar retail, and construction. These categories generate large volumes of reviews, and removals occur across both recent and…