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Google checks every review you send it against its own review policies. When it won't show one, the Reviews dashboard marks it Needs attention or Disapproved and tells you why. This article walks through each reason.
Two things to know first:
The decision is Google's, not Judge.me's. We report Google's verdict; we can't overturn it.
Nothing is re-sent automatically. After you fix a review, use Re-submit to Google in the row's more-actions menu. The review goes to Pending until Google answers.
Reasons you can fix on the review
Google's reason | What it means | What to change |
Review contains a web address. | The review text has a link in it. | Remove the link, then resubmit. |
Review links to a site Google considers unsafe. | The link points somewhere Google distrusts. | Remove the link, then resubmit. |
Review contains HTML code. | Markup ended up in the review body. | Remove the code, then resubmit |
Review contains characters Google couldn't read. | Unusual symbols or broken characters in the text. | Remove unusual symbols, then resubmit. |
Review has no written content. | Rating only, no text, and your feed expects text for this source. | Ask the customer to add written text, then resubmit. |
Review reads as promotional. | The text sounds like an ad rather than a customer's experience. | Remove promotional wording, then resubmit. |
Image on this review is too small or unclear for Google. | The photo doesn't meet Google's quality bar. | Remove the image, then resubmit. |
Image on this review isn't family-safe. | Google judged the photo unsuitable. | Remove the image, then resubmit. |
Review was sent to Google marked as spam. | The review was in your spam folder when it went out. | If it isn't spam, publish it in Judge.me, then resubmit. |
Reasons you fix somewhere else
Google's reason | What it means | What to change |
Product misses an identifier Google needs. | The product has no barcode or manufacturer part number, so Google can't match the review to a product. | Add a barcode or manufacturer part number to the product in Shopify, then resubmit. Google also re-crawls product data, so this can clear on its own. |
Reasons with nothing to resubmit
Google's reason | What it means | What to change |
Google judged this review too short or unhelpful. | Google didn't consider it useful enough to show. | Ask the customer for a more detailed review. Resubmitting the same text won't change the verdict. |
Google couldn't confirm this review is genuine. | Google wasn't satisfied the review is real. | Verified reviews are less likely to be flagged. Nothing to fix here. |
Review breaks Google's review policies. | A policy call by Google. | Check Google's review policies. If this looks wrong, contact Google Merchant Center support. |
Google flagged this review for hateful content. | Google judged the content hateful. | Hide it in Judge.me if it breaks your guidelines. Nothing to resubmit. |
Google flagged this review as inappropriate. | Google judged the content unsuitable. | Remove the content, or hide the review in Judge.me. |
Google didn't give a reason. | Google rejected it without naming a cause. | Resubmit. If it keeps failing, contact Judge.me support. |
Why a review shows "Not submitted"
Not submitted means the review isn't one your feed sends to Google at all — it's separate from being published in Judge.me. The usual causes:
The review was imported from another platform rather than collected by Judge.me.
The review has no product attached, or its product isn't in your store (when your feed excludes out-of-store products).
The review came from a manual order.
The review is about your store rather than a product.
The review had personal information removed, or is a store-experience review, and your feed settings exclude those.
Your Google Shopping settings page lists which of your reviews are eligible for the feed.
Resources
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