WordPress Google Reviews plugin displaying only five reviews

How to Fix a WordPress Google Reviews Plugin Only Showing 5 Reviews

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A WordPress website owner may notice that their Google Reviews plugin displays only five reviews even though the company has many more reviews on Google.

For example:

My company currently has 49 Google reviews, but the WordPress plugin is loading only five. What could be causing this?

In most cases, nothing is wrong with the Google Business Profile or the WordPress website. The plugin is probably using the standard Google Places API, which returns a maximum of five individual reviews.

The plugin may correctly display the company’s total review count as 49 while receiving only five review records to place inside the review slider, grid, or carousel.

Quick Answer

Google’s Places API can return the total number of reviews for a business through the userRatingCount field. However, the separate reviews field contains a maximum of five reviews, sorted by relevance.

A simplified API response may look like this:

{
  "rating": 4.9,
  "userRatingCount": 49,
  "reviews": [
    {
      "author": "Customer One",
      "rating": 5,
      "text": "Excellent service."
    }
  ]
}

The response may report all 49 reviews in userRatingCount, but the reviews array will contain no more than five review entries.

Therefore, increasing the number of reviews in the WordPress widget from 5 to 10, 20, or 50 will not work unless the plugin uses another method to retrieve and store reviews.

Why Does Google Return Only Five Reviews?

Many WordPress Google Reviews plugins connect to the Google Places API using:

  • A Google Place ID
  • A Google Maps API key
  • The Place Details endpoint
  • The Places API review field

Google documents that Place Details reviews are sorted by relevance and that a maximum of five reviews can be returned.

This means the five-review limit is normally imposed by Google, not by:

  • WordPress
  • Your theme
  • Elementor
  • The review carousel
  • Your hosting provider
  • The plugin’s frontend design
  • Your website cache

The plugin can display only the review records it receives from its data source.

Why Does the Widget Show 49 Reviews but Display Only Five?

The review count and the review content are two different pieces of data.

Google may provide:

Average rating: 4.9
Total review count: 49
Individual reviews returned: 5

The WordPress plugin can therefore show a heading such as:

4.9 out of 5 based on 49 reviews

However, the slider underneath that heading may contain only five customer reviews.

This does not necessarily mean that the other 44 reviews are missing from Google. They are simply not included in the Places API response used by the plugin.

First, Confirm That the Five-Review API Limit Is the Problem

Before changing plugins or API settings, check how the current plugin retrieves reviews.

Open the plugin settings in WordPress and look for options such as:

  • Google API Key
  • Google Places API
  • Place ID
  • Place Details
  • Connect Google Place
  • Refresh Google Reviews
  • Import Reviews
  • Connect Google Business Profile

If the plugin requires only an API key and Place ID, it is probably using the Places API.

If it asks you to sign in to the Google account that manages the verified business, it may support the Google Business Profile API instead.

You can also check the plugin documentation or contact its developer and ask:

Does this plugin retrieve reviews through the Google Places API, the Google Business Profile API, or an external review aggregation service?

This distinction determines whether the plugin can retrieve more than five reviews.

Solution 1: Display Five Reviews and Link to All Google Reviews

The simplest solution is to display the five reviews returned by Google and add a button that opens the complete review listing on Google Maps.

The section could contain:

What Our Customers Say

4.9 out of 5 based on 49 Google reviews

[Five review cards]

Read All 49 Reviews on Google

Look for a plugin option named:

  • View All Reviews
  • Read More Reviews
  • Google Reviews Link
  • Google Maps Link
  • Reviews URL
  • View on Google

The current Places API includes a Google Maps reviews URI that can direct visitors to the full review listing.

This is often the best solution when you need a lightweight website and do not need every review stored in WordPress.

Solution 2: Use a Plugin That Stores Reviews Locally

Some WordPress review plugins store imported reviews in the WordPress database.

Instead of replacing the previous five reviews during every API request, the plugin may:

  1. Retrieve the five reviews currently returned by Google.
  2. Save those reviews in WordPress.
  3. Check Google again on a schedule.
  4. Save any newly discovered reviews.
  5. Build a larger local review collection over time.

This can eventually produce more than five stored reviews.

However, there is an important limitation.

Because the Places API sorts reviews by relevance, it may repeatedly return the same five reviews. The plugin cannot guarantee that it will eventually discover all 49 reviews.

Before purchasing or installing a plugin, check whether it supports:

  • Local review storage
  • Review history
  • Automatic review synchronization
  • Manual review import
  • CSV import
  • Google Business Profile account connection
  • Review pagination
  • Scheduled synchronization

Do not assume that a paid plugin automatically removes the five-review limit. The plugin must use a different data source or maintain its own review archive.

Solution 3: Connect Through the Google Business Profile API

Businesses that own and manage a verified Google Business Profile can use the Google Business Profile API rather than the public Places API.

The Business Profile Reviews API supports a paginated review list. Google allows up to 50 reviews per page and provides a nextPageToken when more pages are available. It also returns the total review count and average rating.

For a business with 49 reviews, a properly authorized request could retrieve all 49 reviews in one page.

The request follows this general format:

GET https://mybusiness.googleapis.com/v4/accounts/ACCOUNT_ID/locations/LOCATION_ID/reviews?pageSize=50&orderBy=updateTime%20desc
Authorization: Bearer ACCESS_TOKEN

This request cannot be used with only a normal Google Maps API key. It requires OAuth authorization for the Google account that manages the business location.

The location must also be verified.

What to Look for in a WordPress Plugin

Look for a plugin that specifically supports:

  • Google Business Profile OAuth
  • Sign in with Google
  • Verified business location connection
  • Google Business Profile Reviews API
  • Paginated review synchronization
  • Automatic token renewal

A plugin that asks only for a Place ID and API key is usually not using this integration.

Solution 4: Build a Custom Google Business Profile Integration

Developers can build a custom WordPress integration for a verified business.

A reliable custom integration should:

  1. Authenticate the business owner using Google OAuth.
  2. Store the access and refresh tokens securely.
  3. Identify the correct Google Business Profile account and location.
  4. Request up to 50 reviews per page.
  5. Continue requesting pages while nextPageToken is present.
  6. Store the reviews in a custom database table or custom post type.
  7. Update the stored reviews using WP-Cron.
  8. Display the reviews through a shortcode or Gutenberg block.
  9. Escape all review content before output.
  10. Preserve the reviewer name, rating, review text and attribution.

The API response can include:

{
  "reviews": [],
  "averageRating": 4.9,
  "totalReviewCount": 49,
  "nextPageToken": "NEXT_PAGE_TOKEN"
}

Google’s Business Profile API requires an OAuth business-management scope, so the integration should not expose access tokens inside frontend JavaScript or public page source.

This solution is more complicated than using a standard review widget, but it offers significantly more control.

Solution 5: Manually Import Existing Reviews

Some plugins allow reviews to be imported manually through:

  • CSV files
  • Copy-and-paste forms
  • A browser-based importer
  • A plugin-specific review import tool
  • A third-party synchronization account

This can be useful when you want to display older reviews that the Places API does not return.

When importing reviews manually:

  • Copy the review text accurately.
  • Preserve the original rating.
  • Preserve the reviewer’s displayed name.
  • Do not change a negative review into a positive one.
  • Do not create fake reviews.
  • Clearly identify the reviews as originating from Google.
  • Add a link to the complete Google review profile where appropriate.

Manually entered testimonials should not be presented as a continuously synchronized live Google feed unless they are actually being updated from Google.

What to Check If Fewer Than Five Reviews Appear

If the widget displays exactly five reviews, the Places API limit is the most likely explanation.

If it displays only one, two, three, or four reviews, check the plugin’s filters.

1. Minimum Rating Filter

The plugin may be configured to display only five-star reviews.

Check for settings such as:

Minimum rating: 5

Change it to:

Minimum rating: All reviews

or:

Minimum rating: 1

2. Hide Reviews Without Text

Some customers leave a star rating without writing a comment.

If the plugin has a setting such as:

Hide reviews without text

the number of visible reviews may be lower than the number returned by the API.

Temporarily disable this option and test again.

3. Review Language Filter

The plugin may display only reviews matching the website language.

Check for settings such as:

  • Review language
  • Translation language
  • Current WordPress language only
  • Hide untranslated reviews

Temporarily allow all languages to determine whether the filter is removing reviews.

4. Incorrect Place ID

The plugin may be connected to:

  • An older business listing
  • A duplicate location
  • A closed location
  • A different branch
  • A previous business address

Compare the business name, address, rating and review count shown in the plugin with the current Google Business Profile.

Reconnect the correct location if necessary.

5. Stale Plugin Cache

Review plugins frequently cache API responses to reduce requests and improve page speed.

Use the plugin’s own refresh function first. It may be called:

  • Refresh Reviews
  • Update Reviews
  • Sync Reviews
  • Reconnect Place
  • Download Reviews
  • Clear Review Cache

After that, clear:

  1. The WordPress cache plugin
  2. The hosting or server cache
  3. Object cache such as Redis or Memcached
  4. Cloudflare or another CDN cache
  5. The browser cache

Caching can prevent updated reviews from appearing, but clearing the cache will not bypass Google’s five-review API limit.

6. WP-Cron Is Not Running

Plugins that collect reviews over time may depend on WP-Cron.

Install a cron inspection plugin or use WP-CLI to confirm that scheduled review synchronization events exist.

You can list scheduled events with:

wp cron event list

You can test due cron events with:

wp cron event run --due-now

Take a database backup before running maintenance commands on a production website.

7. API Key Restrictions

Check the Google Cloud Console if the plugin reports API errors.

Confirm that:

  • The Places API is enabled.
  • Billing is active where required.
  • The API key has not expired or been deleted.
  • Website restrictions include the correct domain.
  • API restrictions allow the required Places service.
  • The request quota has not been exceeded.

An API configuration problem normally causes missing reviews or an error response. It does not usually explain a successful response containing exactly five reviews.

How to Refresh the Existing Five Reviews

The Places API returns reviews based on relevance rather than guaranteeing the latest five reviews.

If the displayed reviews appear outdated:

  1. Open the Google review plugin settings.
  2. Find the connected business location.
  3. Click Refresh, Update or Sync.
  4. If no refresh option exists, disconnect and reconnect the business.
  5. Clear the plugin cache.
  6. Clear WordPress, server and CDN caches.
  7. Test the page in a private browser window.

If the same reviews continue appearing, Google may still consider those reviews the most relevant.

Changing the API key will not normally change the reviews returned.

Why Increasing the Widget Display Count Does Not Work

Most review plugins have two separate limits:

Reviews imported from Google: 5
Reviews configured for display: 20

The display setting controls how many imported reviews the widget is allowed to show. It does not force Google to provide additional review records.

Therefore:

Imported reviews: 5
Display limit: 20
Visible reviews: 5

The frontend cannot display 20 reviews when only five exist in the plugin’s database or API response.

Why a New API Key Does Not Fix the Problem

Creating another Places API key changes the credentials used to make the request. It does not change the structure or maximum number of reviews returned by the Place Details endpoint.

A new key may solve:

  • Invalid API key errors
  • Referrer restriction errors
  • Disabled API errors
  • Quota problems
  • Billing configuration errors

It will not remove the five-review response limit.

Should You Scrape All Reviews From Google Maps?

Scraping Google Maps HTML is not a reliable long-term WordPress solution.

A scraper may stop working when Google changes:

  • HTML structure
  • CSS class names
  • JavaScript rendering
  • Cookie requirements
  • Bot-detection systems
  • Authentication requirements

It can also create compliance, attribution and platform-policy concerns.

Use an official API, a reputable synchronization provider, or a manual import process that preserves accurate attribution.

Recommended Solution

For most small business websites, use the following setup:

  1. Display the five reviews supplied by the Places API.
  2. Show the correct average rating and total review count.
  3. Add a prominent “Read All Reviews on Google” button.
  4. Refresh the reviews automatically when the plugin supports it.
  5. Keep the widget lightweight to protect page performance.

For a verified business that must display all 49 reviews:

  1. Use a plugin that connects through Google Business Profile OAuth.
  2. Confirm that it supports paginated review retrieval.
  3. Import and store the reviews locally.
  4. Schedule periodic synchronization.
  5. Add a direct link to the original Google profile.

Troubleshooting Summary

Use this quick diagnosis:

Exactly Five Reviews Are Displayed

Most likely cause:

Google Places API maximum review response

Best solution:

Use a Google Business Profile API integration, local review archive,
manual importer, or link visitors to all reviews on Google.

Fewer Than Five Reviews Are Displayed

Most likely causes:

Rating filter
Reviews without text hidden
Language filter
Wrong Place ID
Stale cache
Failed synchronization

Best solution:

Disable filters, reconnect the correct location, refresh reviews
and clear all website caching layers.

Review Count Is Also Incorrect

Most likely causes:

Wrong business location
Old API response
Duplicate Google profile
Plugin cache
Synchronization failure

Best solution:

Verify the Place ID, reconnect the business and refresh the plugin data.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my company have 49 Google reviews but WordPress shows only five?

The plugin is probably using the Google Places API. Google can return the total review count while limiting the individual review list to a maximum of five records.

Is this a WordPress bug?

Usually, no. If exactly five reviews are displayed, it is generally a limitation of the API used by the plugin.

Can I change a setting to display all 49 reviews?

Only when the plugin has already imported all 49 reviews. Increasing the frontend display limit cannot retrieve additional reviews from Google.

Will upgrading to a paid plugin fix it?

Not automatically. The paid plugin must support local review storage, manual importing, an external review synchronization service, or the Google Business Profile API.

Can the Google Business Profile API retrieve more than five reviews?

Yes. For a verified and authorized business location, the Business Profile Reviews API supports pagination with up to 50 reviews per page.

Why are the five reviews not the newest reviews?

The Places API sorts the returned reviews by relevance. It does not guarantee that the five returned reviews will be the five most recent.

Does clearing the WordPress cache retrieve more reviews?

No. Clearing the cache may refresh stale review data, but it cannot bypass the maximum number of reviews returned by the Places API.

Final Conclusion

When a WordPress Google Reviews plugin displays only five reviews from a business with 49 reviews, the most likely cause is the Google Places API limit.

The total count of 49 can still be correct because Google returns the overall review count separately from the individual review records.

To display more than five reviews, the website must use one of the following:

  • A plugin that stores reviews locally
  • A manual review importer
  • A reputable review synchronization service
  • The authenticated Google Business Profile Reviews API
  • A custom OAuth-based WordPress integration

For a simple and reliable setup, display the five available reviews and add a button linking visitors to the complete Google review listing. For a verified business that needs every review displayed directly on its website, use a plugin or custom integration that supports the Google Business Profile API.

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