No, you can't see who liked a Google review. Liking a review is now called marking it Helpful. Google notifies the review's author, but your name and info aren't shown, and everyone can see only the total number of helpful votes. That's true for the reviewer, the public and the business owner. Helpful votes don't change your star rating, and Google hasn't said they affect local rankings.
- The like is now the Helpful button. Google shows a total count, never the names behind it.
- The review's author gets notified that someone found it helpful, without your name.
- Google's local ranking guidance talks about review count and ratings. It doesn't mention helpful votes.
- Google has never documented how it picks which reviews show first. Any claim that likes drive it is a guess.
What "liking" a Google review means now
Years ago, Google reviews had a thumbs-up like button. Today Google calls it Helpful. It's the small icon under each review on Google Maps and in your Business Profile on Search. Tap it once to vote, tap it again to take your vote back.
It's a signal to other readers that a review was useful. It isn't a rating, it isn't a reply and it isn't a report. If a review breaks Google's rules, report it. Voting doesn't remove anything.
Who can see what
This is the part people search for most. Here's what Google's own help page says, laid out by who's looking.
| Who | What they see | What they don't see |
|---|---|---|
| The person who wrote the review | A notification that someone found their review helpful | Your name or any info about you |
| The public | The total number of helpful votes on the review | Who voted |
| The business owner | The same total count everyone else sees | A list of voters. We couldn't find any Google tool that shows one. |
| You, the voter | That you voted. Tap again to remove it. | Nothing changes on your public profile that we could find documented |
What a helpful vote does and doesn't affect
The count sits under the review. A detailed review with several votes looks more credible to someone scrolling.
The author gets a notification. For a reviewer who praised you, that's a small, friendly signal.
Your average comes from the ratings in the reviews themselves. Votes on those reviews aren't ratings.
Google's guidance on local ranking points to relevance, distance and prominence, including review count and ratings. Helpful votes aren't on that list.
Do likes decide which reviews show first?
Maybe a little, but nobody outside Google knows. Google sorts reviews by "most relevant" by default and hasn't published how it decides. Local SEO pros have run small informal tests over the years with mixed results, and none of them is a Google statement.
So treat helpful votes as a nice extra, not a strategy. The things Google does name, like getting more reviews and replying to them, matter a lot more.
Should you like your own reviews?
Google doesn't stop business owners from tapping Helpful, and we couldn't find a Google policy that mentions owners voting on their own reviews. So marking a genuinely detailed review helpful now and then isn't a problem we know of.
Your time is better spent replying to reviews. Google says positive reviews and helpful replies help your business stand out, and a thoughtful reply is something every future customer reads.
How to mark a Google review helpful
Open Google Maps and find the business
Or search the business name on Google and open its profile. You need to be signed in to a Google account.
Open the Reviews tab
Scroll to the review you want. You can sort by most relevant, newest, highest or lowest.
Tap Helpful under the review
The count goes up by one and the author gets a notification without your name.
Changed your mind? Tap it again
Google says tapping the icon a second time removes your vote.
What actually moves the needle on Google reviews
If the goal is more calls from Google, likes are a rounding error. These are the things Google itself says help.
Google says more reviews and positive ratings can help your local ranking. Ask every customer, every time.
Thank the happy ones by name. Answer the unhappy ones calmly and offer to fix it.
Accurate hours, services, photos and categories help Google match you to the right searches.
Start with our guide on how to ask for a Google review by text, with templates you can copy. If you want it running on its own after every job, that's what our client engagement system does inside Feedbackwrench OS. And for the bigger picture on showing up in local search, see our SEO and AI optimization work.
What Google hasn't told us
We'd rather tell you plainly what's unknown than guess. As of November 2026, Google hasn't publicly documented these:
- Exactly how "most relevant" review sorting works, and how much helpful votes count in it.
- Whether business owners get notified when someone marks a review of their business helpful.
- Whether votes from the business owner's own account are counted or filtered differently.
If Google publishes more, we'll update this post.
Questions people ask
Can you see who liked a Google review?
No. Google shows only the total number of helpful votes on a review. The author is notified that someone found it helpful, but the voter's name and info aren't shown.
Does the person know if I like their Google review?
They get a notification that someone found their review helpful, but Google doesn't show them your name or any info about you.
Does liking Google reviews help SEO?
Google hasn't said it does. Its local ranking guidance points to relevance, distance and prominence, including review count and ratings, and doesn't mention helpful votes. Focus on getting more reviews and replying to them.
Can a business owner like reviews on their own Google profile?
Google doesn't block it, and we couldn't find a policy that addresses it directly. Mass voting or organized like campaigns can count as fake engagement, which Google prohibits.
How do I undo a like on a Google review?
Tap the Helpful icon under the review again. Google says that removes your vote.
Rob built Feedbackwrench and Nuance Financial Tax & Accounting. Since 2015, our team has helped transform 550+ small businesses with marketing, strategy and systems.
