Here’s something businesses often overlook: a single online review can have a huge impact.
A glowing five-star review on your Google Business Profile can bring in new customers, while a harsh one-star review can drive them away.
Negative reviews can damage your hard-earned reputation and affect your bottom line. But there’s good news: these reviews don’t have to spell disaster. With the right approach and a solid understanding of Google’s review policy, you can address negative feedback and even have inappropriate reviews removed.
In this blog, we’ll cover:
Understanding Google’s Review Policy
How Google Uses Machine Learning to Identify Fake Reviews
Steps to Remove a Google Review
What to Do When a Review Can’t Be Removed
How to Respond to Genuine Negative Reviews
Keep reading to learn how to effectively manage and remove bad reviews from Google.
Understanding Google’s Review Policy
While negative reviews can hurt a business, honest feedback is essential for improving your products and services. Addressing negative feedback transparently also shows customers that their opinions matter. In fact, 96% of customers actively look for negative reviews before making a decision (TrustPulse).
However, there are times when it’s necessary to flag and remove a review. If you’re wondering how to remove bad reviews from Google, the first step is to understand Google’s prohibited and restricted content criteria.
Google’s review guidelines are straightforward. Any content, including photos, videos, and written reviews, can be removed if it’s found to be misleading or inaccurate. Here’s what’s not allowed:
Spam and Fake Content: Reviews should reflect real experiences and not be influenced by incentives like discounts or freebies. Content created using emulators, modified systems, or other methods to mimic real engagement is also prohibited.
Off-Topic: Google won’t tolerate rants, political debates, or social discussions that aren’t relevant to the business being reviewed.
Restricted Content: Reviews must not promote regulated products or services like alcohol, firearms, or gambling.
Illegal Content: This includes anything related to illegal activities, such as sexual abuse, violence, or terrorism.
Terrorist Content: Google strictly prohibits content that promotes terrorism or incites violence.
Sexually Explicit Content: Sexual content, particularly involving children, is strictly forbidden. Google will remove such content, deactivate the account, and report it to authorities.
Offensive Content: Google encourages respectful communication. Reviews that attack individuals or groups, use obscene language, or make baseless allegations of unethical behavior are not allowed.
Impersonation: Content pretending to be someone else or a verified source is prohibited.
Conflict of Interest: Reviews that are self-promotional, discuss competitors, or share content about past employment experiences with the intent to manipulate ratings are not allowed.
In many cases, reviews that violate these guidelines are swiftly removed through Google’s spam detection and review monitoring. If you believe a negative review on your Business Profile violates these policies, you can flag it or reach out to Google Support for help.
How Google Uses Machine Learning to Catch Fake Reviews
Google takes review moderation seriously. Reviews are thoroughly screened by automated systems before they’re published, and the monitoring doesn’t stop there. Google’s systems continually scan for suspicious activity.
In 2023, Google introduced a new machine learning algorithm to detect fake review patterns. This advanced system analyzes both isolated incidents and broader trends, such as identical reviews across multiple businesses or sudden spikes in one-star or five-star reviews.
Thanks to this technology, Google prevented over 170 million fake reviews last year, a 45% increase from the previous year. They also protected businesses from over two million attempts to fraudulently claim Business Profiles.
These efforts aim to protect businesses from malicious actors and create a more trustworthy online environment, helping customers make better-informed decisions.
How to Remove Google Reviews
Here at KIN, we advise businesses to consider removing negative reviews if they are from competitors, non-customers, or contain personal attacks and profanity. However, businesses can’t directly remove Google reviews on their own. Instead, they can submit a request to Google to review and potentially remove the content if it violates their guidelines.
Here’s how to go about it:
Assess the Review: Look for signs that the review may be fake or inappropriate, such as vague comments or overly negative sentiments.
Flag It: Log into your Google Business Profile, find the review, click the three dots in the top right corner, and select “Report review.”
Provide Evidence: Google may ask for additional proof, like screenshots or emails, to support your claim.
Wait for a Response: It usually takes up to 14 days for Google to investigate. You can also ask others to report the review to draw more attention to the issue.
While there’s no guarantee that Google will remove the review, reporting it can help protect your online reputation.
What to Do When You Can’t Remove a Review
If a negative review doesn’t violate Google’s guidelines, you can submit a one-time appeal.
Here’s how:
Access the Reviews Management Tool.
Confirm that the email address shown is the one linked to your Business Profile.
Choose “Check the status of a review I reported previously and appeals options.”
Scroll to the bottom, click “Appeal eligible reviews,” and select up to 10 reviews to appeal.
Follow the prompts and submit your appeal.
You’ll receive an email with the result.
If the appeal is successful, the review will be removed. If not, consider reaching out to the reviewer directly to resolve the issue. Sometimes, a sincere effort to address their concerns can lead the reviewer to update or remove their negative feedback.
How to Respond to Genuine Negative Reviews
Responding to reviews, especially negative ones, is crucial for maintaining good customer relationships. We suggest replying to all reviews, even if they seem unfair. Here’s how to handle negative reviews effectively:
Show Empathy: Acknowledge the issue and validate the reviewer’s feelings. Use their name to add a personal touch.
Apologize Sincerely: If the review points out a legitimate problem, apologize and assure that it won’t happen again.
Offer Solutions: Suggest ways to resolve the issue, such as refunds, discounts, or additional support.
Stay Polite: Keep your tone professional, avoid defensiveness, and don’t engage in arguments.
Take It Offline: Offer to discuss the issue privately through a phone call or email to avoid public disputes.
Follow Up: After resolving the issue, reach out to ensure the reviewer is satisfied. You might ask them to reconsider their review.
Addressing negative reviews openly shows that you care about your customers and are committed to improving. Even when faced with unfair feedback, a thoughtful response can help win over potential customers.
Strengthen Your Online Reputation Management
Don’t let negative reviews define your business. By learning how to manage and remove bad reviews, you can ensure that your online presence reflects the true quality of your brand.
Partner with KIN to take control of your online reputation. We offer advanced tools for businesses of all sizes, specializing in review monitoring, response management, and more.
Book a consultation!