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How to Remove Bad Reviews from Google My Business – Remove Negative Reviews Posted by Others
Getting a negative review on your Google Business Profile, previously named Google My Business, can be one of the most frustrating things about being a business owner.
Understanding how to remove bad reviews from Google My Business is essential for protecting your business’s online reputation.
TLDR:
- Flag the Review: Access your profile dashboard, locate the review, click the three-dot menu, and report it for removal.
- Check Status After 3 Days: Wait three business days, then use the review tool to check if the review was removed or denied.
- Appeal the Decision: If denied, appeal through the provided option, explaining why the review violates policy. Keep your case ID safe. Post in
- Post in Google Business Profile Forum: If the appeal fails, post on the forum with your case ID for moderators to review and possibly escalate.
Google does have guidelines for reviews, and if a review violates those guidelines, you can attempt to remove it from your business profile. However, you must follow a specific process to succeed.
To address the issue, you need to report the review through your Google Business Profile and make a case for yourself by explaining how the review violates Google’s policies. What happens when you report a Google review? Read on to find out!
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Four Steps To Get Negative Reviews Removed From Google:
There are four steps to get rid of negative reviews posted by others on your Google My Business profile, and it’s crucial to follow them in the correct order. Here’s how to remove bad reviews from Google Business Profile effectively:
Flag the Review in the Google Business Profile (GBP/GMB) Dashboard
Go to your Google Business Profile (GBP) dashboard. You can do this one of two ways. First, you can search your business name on Google, and you should see a dashboard pop up. You could also go to this link: https://business.google.com/locations.
Once you are in your business dashboard, you want to click on “read reviews”. There you will see all of your reviews. Find the review that you believe violates Google’s guidelines and there should be three dots next to it. Fun fact: the three dots are called ‘the kebab menu’ (also known as the three dots menu and the three vertical dots menu). It is an icon used to open a menu with additional options. When you click on the three dots menu, you want to click on “Report Review.” After you do this, you have “flagged” the review for removal.
Check the Status of Your Google Review Decision Pending
You must wait three business days before checking the status of your review. This step is crucial. If you try to contact Google before the three days are up, they will just tell you to wait. After three business days, Google will tell you if the review was removed or not. In order to find the status, you have to use the review tool. This is not a commonly known tool but is very important for flagging reviews – be sure to bookmark it so you always have access to it. First, you need to search for your business name by clicking on the arrow and then typing your business name in where it says “Listing Name.”
Once you’ve done that, it will ask you if you are reporting a new review or checking the status of a previously reported review. You want to check the status of the review you reported three days ago.
Once you are in there, it will show you the status of the review(s) you have flagged. If they have not reviewed it yet, it will say “Decision Pending.” If they did not remove the review, it will say “No Policy Violation.” Hopefully, the review will have been removed and it will say, “Removed.”
The problem with flagging a negative review in your Google Business Profile dashboard is that you cannot put any notes in there, so you are telling Google you believe there is a policy violation without being able to give them any context. So, oftentimes, you will see the review was not removed.
What to Do If Your Review Report Remains in “Decision Pending”
What to do if your review report remains in “Decision Pending”? Typically, decisions are made within three business days. However, some businesses have reported that this status can remain unchanged for weeks or even months.
If your report is stuck in this state, here are the recommended next steps:
- Contact Google Support Directly
Visit the Google Business Profile Help page. Select “Reviews and photos,” then choose “Manage customer reviews.” In the description, type “fake reviews” or “mass review attack.” When prompted, select “Other” and proceed to the next step. You should be given the option to contact support via email or chat. - Provide Clear Context
If the reviews appear to be from individuals connected to a single customer or part of a coordinated effort, explain this clearly. Include screenshots and mention that the individuals were never actual customers. - Submit an Appeal if Denied
If Google reviews your flag and responds that no policy violation occurred, you can submit a one-time appeal using the same Review Management Tool. This is your opportunity to explain why the review violates policy. Be specific, referencing relevant sections such as conflicts of interest or false representation. - Use the Google Business Profile Forum
If the appeal is denied and you still believe the review should be removed, you can post your case on the Google Business Profile Community Forum. Be sure to include your Case ID and detailed context. Product Experts in the forum can sometimes escalate valid cases directly to Google.
After months of inaction under a “Decision Pending” status, business owners successfully escalated their case through email and forum support, resulting in the removal of fake reviews.
While the process may take time, persistence and clear documentation are often the keys to success.
Submit an Appeal To Remove a Negative Google Review
If Google has denied your request to remove the negative review, you should have the option to submit an appeal. There will be a button at the bottom of the screen to “Appeal.”
Once you click this, it will open up a window for you to actually put in information about why you believe this review should be removed. You’ll want to explain what policy this is violating and explain how this review violates that policy. This actually creates a ticket to Google Support.
After you submit it, you should receive an email confirmation from Google. This email will contain a case ID number – this is very important – do not lose this number! After a few days, you will receive an email from Google saying that your appeal was approved (the review was removed) or denied (again!). You cannot appeal a decision more than once, the tool will not allow you to.
Post on the Google Business Profile (GBP) Forum
If the review was still not removed, you can post it to the Google Business Profile Forum. On here, you’ll want to post about the review and why you think it should be removed. You must include that case ID number, which is why it is important not to lose that number! The forum is run by a group of moderators who do not work for Google. By posting on the forum, you will get a third-party opinion about whether they agree the review violates Google’s guidelines. If a moderator believes it does violate Google’s guidelines, they can escalate it. The moderator will then explain to Google why they believe the review should be removed. Hopefully, (fingers crossed!) after these four steps, the review has been removed! However, it is important to note that Google does not always remove all of the reviews that you believe should be removed.
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Thanks for the info on the review tool, really appreciate it. We setup a Google Flag Team at work. Whenever we receive a review that we believe breaks Google’s guidelines, we send an email to the the group and put 5 flags on it right away. Seems to work. Nice for photos that break guidelines and fake businesses as well.
Thanks for the info on the review tool, really appreciate it. We setup a Google Flag Team at work. Whenever we receive a review that we believe breaks Google’s guidelines, we send an email to the the group and put 5 flags on it right away. Seems to work. Nice for photos that break guidelines and fake businesses as well.
Remove 3 negative reviews.
Remove 3 negative reviews.
So clarifying! Thanks for all the info you share with us
So clarifying! Thanks for all the info you share with us
Where do I find the forums to actually post in? Need to see if I can get this review removed. I am on step 4 from your youtube video
If you need to escalate the review removal, post on the GBP community forum https://support.google.com/business/community