{
  "title": "Google review removal time: an observation-window sensitivity analysis",
  "version": "1.0",
  "published": "2026-10-24",
  "article_url": "https://reviewsboost.ca/google-review-removal-time-study.html",
  "license": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "rights_note": "ReviewsBoost original compilation, conditional bounds, synthetic examples, calculations and figures: CC BY 4.0. Attribute source observations to Localo; external source material retains its rights.",
  "source_url": "https://localo.com/blog/review-velocity-study",
  "source_published": "2026-05-29",
  "source_capture_sha256": "3a4f5051be6e999f87168b151bb13b17e23162134cde4f08e5857f71f1b7a273",
  "source_geography": "Multiple countries and industries in the publisher description; no separate Canadian sample or merchant-report cohort.",
  "source_input_file": "google-removal-time-source-values.json",
  "analysis_assumptions": {
    "observation_start_inclusive": "2023-11-01",
    "observation_end_exclusive": "2026-02-01",
    "creation_year_intervals": "January 1 inclusive to January 1 of next year exclusive; January 2026 ends February 1 exclusive.",
    "timing_condition": "Calendar support applies if the deletions represented in each cohort occurred within the stated tracking window. Public aggregate tables do not independently verify row-level event dates.",
    "duration_resolution": "Elapsed days with half-open timestamp bounds. Upper bounds are strict; positive lower bounds are strict. No equivalence between <31 elapsed days and <=30 elapsed days is assumed.",
    "rounding_compatibility_model": "For a sensitivity illustration only, treat each displayed monthly average as nearest-integer rounded, with errors in [-0.5,+0.5). The publisher does not document its rounding rule."
  },
  "summary": {
    "reported_cohort_rows": 7,
    "selected_cohort_count_sum": 50901,
    "reported_period_rows": 6,
    "synthetic_scenario_rows": 2,
    "reported_study_deleted_total": 335520,
    "reported_business_profiles": 22292,
    "tracking_months": 27,
    "implied_total_from_displayed_monthly_means": 335513,
    "reported_total_minus_implied_total": 7,
    "nearest_integer_mean_model_total_lower_inclusive": 335499.5,
    "nearest_integer_mean_model_total_upper_exclusive": 335526.5,
    "nearest_integer_mean_model_compatible_with_reported_total": true,
    "nominal_2017_to_january_2026_deleted_median_ratio": 580.4
  },
  "notes": [
    "Observed aggregates, conditional mathematical bounds and synthetic examples are separate record types.",
    "No review-level creation/removal timestamps, still-visible comparison sample or sampling-inclusion rules were obtained.",
    "The calendar interpretation is a sensitivity model, not a replication of Localo’s data pipeline or proof that a published conclusion is false.",
    "The 31-day endpoint in the model is not substituted for the publisher’s reported 30-day percentage.",
    "Creation-to-deletion age is different from report-to-decision time. No service deadline is inferred.",
    "Creation-year rows are a selected five-star, no-text subset. Period averages describe the broader reported deletion set and must not be joined as if they represented the same cohort.",
    "Rounded averages imply an approximate total. Rounding compatibility depends on the stated nearest-integer assumption; no publisher rounding rule is asserted."
  ],
  "cohorts": [
    {
      "record_id": "C01",
      "record_type": "reported_cohort_with_conditional_calendar_analysis",
      "source_year_label": "2017",
      "year": 2017,
      "count": 336,
      "median_lifespan_days": 2902,
      "removed_within_30_days_percent": 0.0,
      "creation_start_inclusive": "2017-01-01",
      "creation_end_exclusive": "2018-01-01",
      "assumed_observation_start_inclusive": "2023-11-01",
      "assumed_observation_end_exclusive": "2026-02-01",
      "conditional_lifespan_lower_days": 2130,
      "lower_inclusive": false,
      "conditional_lifespan_upper_days": 3318,
      "upper_inclusive": false,
      "endpoint_31_days": "impossible_within_31_days",
      "source_url": "https://localo.com/blog/review-velocity-study",
      "scope": "Published five-star, no-text deleted-review rows; selected creation-year bins, not all reviews or all deletion events.",
      "notes": "Calendar support is conditional on the deletion-window interpretation. The source median is an observed aggregate, not a report-processing time or service promise."
    },
    {
      "record_id": "C02",
      "record_type": "reported_cohort_with_conditional_calendar_analysis",
      "source_year_label": "2019",
      "year": 2019,
      "count": 1167,
      "median_lifespan_days": 2200,
      "removed_within_30_days_percent": 0.0,
      "creation_start_inclusive": "2019-01-01",
      "creation_end_exclusive": "2020-01-01",
      "assumed_observation_start_inclusive": "2023-11-01",
      "assumed_observation_end_exclusive": "2026-02-01",
      "conditional_lifespan_lower_days": 1400,
      "lower_inclusive": false,
      "conditional_lifespan_upper_days": 2588,
      "upper_inclusive": false,
      "endpoint_31_days": "impossible_within_31_days",
      "source_url": "https://localo.com/blog/review-velocity-study",
      "scope": "Published five-star, no-text deleted-review rows; selected creation-year bins, not all reviews or all deletion events.",
      "notes": "Calendar support is conditional on the deletion-window interpretation. The source median is an observed aggregate, not a report-processing time or service promise."
    },
    {
      "record_id": "C03",
      "record_type": "reported_cohort_with_conditional_calendar_analysis",
      "source_year_label": "2021",
      "year": 2021,
      "count": 1735,
      "median_lifespan_days": 1529,
      "removed_within_30_days_percent": 0.0,
      "creation_start_inclusive": "2021-01-01",
      "creation_end_exclusive": "2022-01-01",
      "assumed_observation_start_inclusive": "2023-11-01",
      "assumed_observation_end_exclusive": "2026-02-01",
      "conditional_lifespan_lower_days": 669,
      "lower_inclusive": false,
      "conditional_lifespan_upper_days": 1857,
      "upper_inclusive": false,
      "endpoint_31_days": "impossible_within_31_days",
      "source_url": "https://localo.com/blog/review-velocity-study",
      "scope": "Published five-star, no-text deleted-review rows; selected creation-year bins, not all reviews or all deletion events.",
      "notes": "Calendar support is conditional on the deletion-window interpretation. The source median is an observed aggregate, not a report-processing time or service promise."
    },
    {
      "record_id": "C04",
      "record_type": "reported_cohort_with_conditional_calendar_analysis",
      "source_year_label": "2023",
      "year": 2023,
      "count": 5212,
      "median_lifespan_days": 782,
      "removed_within_30_days_percent": 0.7,
      "creation_start_inclusive": "2023-01-01",
      "creation_end_exclusive": "2024-01-01",
      "assumed_observation_start_inclusive": "2023-11-01",
      "assumed_observation_end_exclusive": "2026-02-01",
      "conditional_lifespan_lower_days": 0,
      "lower_inclusive": true,
      "conditional_lifespan_upper_days": 1127,
      "upper_inclusive": false,
      "endpoint_31_days": "either_side_possible",
      "source_url": "https://localo.com/blog/review-velocity-study",
      "scope": "Published five-star, no-text deleted-review rows; selected creation-year bins, not all reviews or all deletion events.",
      "notes": "Calendar support is conditional on the deletion-window interpretation. The source median is an observed aggregate, not a report-processing time or service promise."
    },
    {
      "record_id": "C05",
      "record_type": "reported_cohort_with_conditional_calendar_analysis",
      "source_year_label": "2024",
      "year": 2024,
      "count": 10617,
      "median_lifespan_days": 360,
      "removed_within_30_days_percent": 18.9,
      "creation_start_inclusive": "2024-01-01",
      "creation_end_exclusive": "2025-01-01",
      "assumed_observation_start_inclusive": "2023-11-01",
      "assumed_observation_end_exclusive": "2026-02-01",
      "conditional_lifespan_lower_days": 0,
      "lower_inclusive": true,
      "conditional_lifespan_upper_days": 762,
      "upper_inclusive": false,
      "endpoint_31_days": "either_side_possible",
      "source_url": "https://localo.com/blog/review-velocity-study",
      "scope": "Published five-star, no-text deleted-review rows; selected creation-year bins, not all reviews or all deletion events.",
      "notes": "Calendar support is conditional on the deletion-window interpretation. The source median is an observed aggregate, not a report-processing time or service promise."
    },
    {
      "record_id": "C06",
      "record_type": "reported_cohort_with_conditional_calendar_analysis",
      "source_year_label": "2025",
      "year": 2025,
      "count": 29384,
      "median_lifespan_days": 13,
      "removed_within_30_days_percent": 58.1,
      "creation_start_inclusive": "2025-01-01",
      "creation_end_exclusive": "2026-01-01",
      "assumed_observation_start_inclusive": "2023-11-01",
      "assumed_observation_end_exclusive": "2026-02-01",
      "conditional_lifespan_lower_days": 0,
      "lower_inclusive": true,
      "conditional_lifespan_upper_days": 396,
      "upper_inclusive": false,
      "endpoint_31_days": "either_side_possible",
      "source_url": "https://localo.com/blog/review-velocity-study",
      "scope": "Published five-star, no-text deleted-review rows; selected creation-year bins, not all reviews or all deletion events.",
      "notes": "Calendar support is conditional on the deletion-window interpretation. The source median is an observed aggregate, not a report-processing time or service promise."
    },
    {
      "record_id": "C07",
      "record_type": "reported_cohort_with_conditional_calendar_analysis",
      "source_year_label": "2026 (Jan)",
      "year": 2026,
      "count": 2450,
      "median_lifespan_days": 5,
      "removed_within_30_days_percent": 100.0,
      "creation_start_inclusive": "2026-01-01",
      "creation_end_exclusive": "2026-02-01",
      "assumed_observation_start_inclusive": "2023-11-01",
      "assumed_observation_end_exclusive": "2026-02-01",
      "conditional_lifespan_lower_days": 0,
      "lower_inclusive": true,
      "conditional_lifespan_upper_days": 31,
      "upper_inclusive": false,
      "endpoint_31_days": "necessarily_under_31_days",
      "source_url": "https://localo.com/blog/review-velocity-study",
      "scope": "Published five-star, no-text deleted-review rows; selected creation-year bins, not all reviews or all deletion events.",
      "notes": "Calendar support is conditional on the deletion-window interpretation. The source median is an observed aggregate, not a report-processing time or service promise."
    }
  ],
  "periods": [
    {
      "record_id": "P01",
      "record_type": "reported_rounded_period_average_with_derived_volume",
      "label": "Late 2023 (Nov-Dec)",
      "displayed_average_monthly_deletions": 2765,
      "start": "2023-11-01",
      "end_exclusive": "2024-01-01",
      "months": 2,
      "implied_deletions_from_displayed_mean": 5530,
      "source_url": "https://localo.com/blog/review-velocity-study",
      "notes": "Mean multiplied by month count; an approximate reconstruction, not an exact period event count."
    },
    {
      "record_id": "P02",
      "record_type": "reported_rounded_period_average_with_derived_volume",
      "label": "H1 2024 (Jan-Jun)",
      "displayed_average_monthly_deletions": 1609,
      "start": "2024-01-01",
      "end_exclusive": "2024-07-01",
      "months": 6,
      "implied_deletions_from_displayed_mean": 9654,
      "source_url": "https://localo.com/blog/review-velocity-study",
      "notes": "Mean multiplied by month count; an approximate reconstruction, not an exact period event count."
    },
    {
      "record_id": "P03",
      "record_type": "reported_rounded_period_average_with_derived_volume",
      "label": "H2 2024 (Jul-Dec)",
      "displayed_average_monthly_deletions": 4006,
      "start": "2024-07-01",
      "end_exclusive": "2025-01-01",
      "months": 6,
      "implied_deletions_from_displayed_mean": 24036,
      "source_url": "https://localo.com/blog/review-velocity-study",
      "notes": "Mean multiplied by month count; an approximate reconstruction, not an exact period event count."
    },
    {
      "record_id": "P04",
      "record_type": "reported_rounded_period_average_with_derived_volume",
      "label": "H1 2025 (Jan-Jun)",
      "displayed_average_monthly_deletions": 7444,
      "start": "2025-01-01",
      "end_exclusive": "2025-07-01",
      "months": 6,
      "implied_deletions_from_displayed_mean": 44664,
      "source_url": "https://localo.com/blog/review-velocity-study",
      "notes": "Mean multiplied by month count; an approximate reconstruction, not an exact period event count."
    },
    {
      "record_id": "P05",
      "record_type": "reported_rounded_period_average_with_derived_volume",
      "label": "H2 2025 (Jul-Dec)",
      "displayed_average_monthly_deletions": 34748,
      "start": "2025-07-01",
      "end_exclusive": "2026-01-01",
      "months": 6,
      "implied_deletions_from_displayed_mean": 208488,
      "source_url": "https://localo.com/blog/review-velocity-study",
      "notes": "Mean multiplied by month count; an approximate reconstruction, not an exact period event count."
    },
    {
      "record_id": "P06",
      "record_type": "reported_rounded_period_average_with_derived_volume",
      "label": "Jan 2026",
      "displayed_average_monthly_deletions": 43141,
      "start": "2026-01-01",
      "end_exclusive": "2026-02-01",
      "months": 1,
      "implied_deletions_from_displayed_mean": 43141,
      "source_url": "https://localo.com/blog/review-velocity-study",
      "notes": "Mean multiplied by month count; an approximate reconstruction, not an exact period event count."
    }
  ],
  "synthetic_scenarios": [
    {
      "record_id": "SA",
      "record_type": "synthetic_illustration_not_google_observations",
      "starting_reviews": 100,
      "deleted_on_day": 5,
      "deleted_count": 5,
      "still_visible_at_day_30": 95,
      "follow_up_days": 30,
      "deleted_only_median_days": 5,
      "observed_deletion_fraction_percent": 5,
      "population_median_deletion_day": null,
      "population_median_status": "not_reached_within_30_day_follow_up",
      "source_url": null,
      "notes": "Original constructed example. Every review starts at day zero; remaining reviews are right-censored at day 30. No client or platform record is represented."
    },
    {
      "record_id": "SB",
      "record_type": "synthetic_illustration_not_google_observations",
      "starting_reviews": 100,
      "deleted_on_day": 5,
      "deleted_count": 90,
      "still_visible_at_day_30": 10,
      "follow_up_days": 30,
      "deleted_only_median_days": 5,
      "observed_deletion_fraction_percent": 90,
      "population_median_deletion_day": 5,
      "population_median_status": "reached",
      "source_url": null,
      "notes": "Original constructed example. Every review starts at day zero; remaining reviews are right-censored at day 30. No client or platform record is represented."
    }
  ]
}