Digital Marketing

How to Remove a Google Review: The Complete Guide

December 11, 2023

Dealing with negative Google reviews can be a nightmare for any business owner, especially when the feedback seems unreasonable or possibly fake.

We understand. A negative review on platforms like Google, TripAdvisor, or Yelp can significantly undermine the blood, sweat, and tears you’ve invested in your business.

This guide will explore various ways to remove a Google review from your Google Business profile.

Why Remove Inappropriate Google Reviews?

For most local businesses managing their Google Business profile, customer reviews are crucial in shaping their online reputation. Customer experiences, as reflected in Google reviews, can attract more customers and build a positive brand image.

However, when things go wrong and a negative review is received, the impact can be detrimental to your business.

It’s important to note that not all negative reviews should be removed. Only reviews that violate Google’s policies, such as spam or manipulated ratings, can be flagged for removal.

Accept that not all customers will be satisfied with your products or services, and negative Google reviews are part of the business reality. If it’s an honest mistake, responding to the negative review with a solution demonstrates your commitment to customer satisfaction.

However, there are cases where fake negative reviews from irrelevant profiles can harm your online reputation. In such instances, removing these Google reviews becomes crucial to protect your business.

Can Google Reviews Be Removed?

As a business owner, you can’t directly delete Google reviews but can flag them as inappropriate. Google will review your report, and they may take action if the review violates their policies. Here’s what you can do:

Open your Google My Business account.
In the left menu, click on “Reviews.”
Find the review you want to remove.
Click the three-dot menu and select “Flag as inappropriate.”
Choose the reason for flagging (irrelevant to this place, conflict of interest, offensive or sexually explicit, privacy concern, or legal issue).
Click the “Report” button.

How to Ensure Google Removes Your Flagged Review

While Google is becoming more adept at monitoring reviews, understanding their review policy can help you assess whether your flagged review has a chance of being removed. Google won’t remove all reviews, only those that violate their guidelines. Here are some criteria Google considers inappropriate:

Spam content: Repeatedly posted review content from different profiles.
Off-topic: Reviews unrelated to your location, product, or service, including personal and political opinions.
Offensive language: Content containing obscene language or lewd gestures.
Dangerous and derogatory content: Threats, harassment, discriminatory comments, or fraud.
Conflict of interest: Negative reviews about competitors to deceive users and manipulate Google’s search ranking.
Restricted or prohibited content: Reviews containing links, offers, or calls to action for restricted items like alcohol, weapons, tobacco, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices.

If your review falls into these categories, it may be removed from your listing.

Option 1: Remove Google Reviews Using the “Flag as Inappropriate” Option

If, after reading this, you still feel the need to remove a Google review, here are the steps to follow:

Open your Google My Business account.
In the left menu, click on “Reviews.”
Find the review you want to remove.
Click the three-dot menu and select “Flag as inappropriate.”
Choose the reason for flagging (irrelevant to this place, conflict of interest, offensive or sexually explicit, privacy concern, or legal issue).
Click the “Report” button.

That’s it. If Google needs further clarification, their support team will contact you via email.

How to Ensure Google Removes Your Flagged Review

Spam content: Repeatedly posted review content from different profiles.
Off-topic: Reviews unrelated to your location, product, or service, including personal and political opinions.
Offensive language: Content containing obscene language or lewd gestures.
Dangerous and derogatory content: Threats, harassment, discriminatory comments, or fraud.
Conflict of interest: Negative reviews about competitors to deceive users and manipulate Google’s search ranking.
Restricted or prohibited content: Reviews containing links, offers, or calls to action for restricted items like alcohol, weapons, tobacco, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices.

If your review falls into these categories, it may be removed from your listing.

Option 2: Ask the Reviewer to Delete Their Google Review

Knowing how to respond to negative reviews can be a significant advantage for businesses. Having a negative review doesn’t mean it’s the end of the world. You can turn unhappy customers into lifelong brand advocates by addressing their issues professionally.

When your business receives a negative review, the first step is understanding the customer’s perspective. Is there something you can do to make things right for that customer?

If it can be quickly resolved, write a response in the review and offer a solution.

If the issue requires a deeper discussion, it’s best to comment by asking them to email you their feedback.

This way, the public will see that you offered assistance but can only see some of the complaints. On the other hand, you can keep an open conversation with the unhappy customer and gain a clear perspective of what actually happened.

Once you’ve resolved the issue and improved the customer’s experience with your business, you can kindly ask them to edit or remove their Google review. If you’ve addressed the problem and asked politely, they’re likely to change the review.

However, if they still refuse to change it, you can flag it and wait for Google to review it. Keep in mind that when you respond to a review, it’s more challenging to remove it, as your response implies that you acknowledge the review as accurate and relevant.

In the worst-case scenario, if the customer doesn’t delete or edit the review and Google doesn’t remove it, everyone will see that you offered to help and considered your customer’s interests. In the end, that dedication speaks louder than a positive review itself.

3 Tactics for Dealing with Unhappy Customers

Whether you decide to address the issue publicly or through email, here are some tips to help smooth the situation:

Acknowledge and Name the Customer’s Problem: For example, start with, “It seems you had a bad experience with our services.”
Show Empathy and Understand Their Emotions: Let them know that you, too, would be disappointed by such an experience and that you hold yourself to high standards. The situation was an honest mistake you want to address immediately.
Assure Them You’ll Fix the Problem: For instance, say that you want a chance to make things right. If you don’t have a solution for this type of situation yet, you can ask the customer to tell you the best way to resolve their problem.

Option 3: Submit a Legal Removal Request

Submitting a legal removal request is another option to remove Google reviews, but unfortunately, it only applies to a limited number of cases. This option is only available if the Google review is illegal.

Steps to Submit a Legal Removal Request:

Navigate to the Content Removal Tool.
Select Google My Business.
Answer the questions Google will ask regarding the review.

If you decide to submit a legal removal request, be aware that Google takes these cases very seriously. By filing one of these reports, you may be alleging a crime or illegal activity, so Google has to ensure they follow the appropriate protocol from start to finish.

Option 4: Tweet or Contact Google Teams

If you’ve tried all the above options and still haven’t received a solution, you can complain to Google publicly. This puts pressure on Google because people can see the responses it receives. Therefore, it becomes their responsibility to address those concerns as they arise.

We suggest reaching out to Google via Twitter by tweeting to @GoogleMyBiz. Also, follow them so they can directly message you about your issue.

You can attach screenshots to your tweet or DM to expedite the process. Remember to include a brief description and a link to Google’s Small Business department. This can help them get a better overall understanding of the problem and resolve it directly and quickly.

Here are other ways to contact Google:

Access your Google My Business profile.
At the bottom of the left menu, click on “Support.”
Click “Contact” and follow the steps to fill out your issue.

Reasons Not to Remove Some Google Reviews

So, before jumping in and marking the Google review as inappropriate, consider a few reasons why it’s okay to let some negative reviews stay on your page. They can help your business rather than harm it.

Intrigued? Removing Google reviews will frustrate a disappointed customer because it clearly tells them you’re not interested in their feedback.
When someone leaves a negative review about your company, consider it an opportunity to turn negative reviews into positive ones. Listen to what they’re saying, understand them, and propose a solution.
Responding positively to a negative review shows potential customers that you care about them and will go the extra mile to address their issues.
It’s not normal for a business to have 100% positive reviews. Even companies with top-notch customer service receive a negative review at some point, and that’s okay.
Think of the comment as if you’re hiring your mini-focus group without paying for it. Take the feedback seriously and find ways to apply it to your business.
Improve the customer experience and win them back. Then, kindly ask them to edit their online review about your business.

These strategies can help you navigate removing a Google review and managing your online reputation effectively. Remember, every customer interaction, whether positive or negative, is an opportunity to learn and improve your business.