A bad review is hard to read, especially one you believe is fake. The honest answer first: Google removes reviews that break its policies, not reviews that are negative or unfair. Its help page on reporting inappropriate reviews says not to report a review just because you disagree with it or dislike it, and that Google doesn’t get involved in conflict between businesses and customers.
You also can’t delete someone else’s review yourself. Google’s page on Maps reviews says the route is to report the review and ask Google to remove it. The rules and steps below are Google’s, with each help page linked. Google makes every removal decision, and nobody outside Google can promise that a review will come down, Kovus included.
What Google will remove, and what it won’t
Google’s prohibited and restricted content policy for Maps sets the rules. It has no category for a review that is negative, harsh or unfair. These are the parts that matter for a trade business.
| What the review is | What the policy says | Policy area |
|---|---|---|
| Written by someone who was never a customer | Content that is not based on a real experience is not allowed. | Fake engagement |
| Posted by a competitor to damage your name | Posting content on a competitor's business to undermine its reputation is not allowed. | Fake engagement |
| Written by a current or former employee, or a relative | Content based on a conflict of interest, including current or former employment and family relationships, is not allowed. | Rating manipulation |
| The same review posted again and again, or from several accounts run by one person | Repetitive content, and content posted from multiple accounts by one person, are not allowed. | Repetitive content and fake engagement |
| Threats, doxxing or harassment | Content posted to harass people or businesses is not allowed. | Harassment |
| Claims of crime or unethical conduct with nothing to back them | Unsubstantiated allegations of unethical behaviour or criminal wrongdoing are not allowed. | Offensive content |
| Swearing used to offend or to sharpen the criticism | Obscene and profane content is removed. | Obscenity and profanity |
| Someone's personal details posted without consent | Personal information posted without consent is not allowed. A professional doing business under their own name, contractors included, can be named. | Personal information |
| A rant about something other than the job | General, political or social commentary and personal rants are not allowed. | Off-topic |
| A real customer's bad experience, told politely | Content that describes negative experiences in a respectful manner is allowed. | None. It stays up |
A review can feel unfair and still be within the rules. For one like that, a calm reply (covered below) is the better use of your time.
How to report a review
From your Business Profile, following Google’s reporting steps:
- Go to your Business ProfileUse the Google account that manages the profile.
- Select Read reviewsFind the review you want to flag.
- Select Report next to the reviewIt sits beside each review.
- Choose the reasonGoogle's examples include Spam and Profanity. Pick the one that matches the policy the review breaks.
- Select Send reportThe report then shows in the Reviews Management Tool.
The second route is Google’s Reviews Management Tool. Confirm the account linked to your profile, select the business, choose Report a new review for removal, then select Report next to the review, choose the reason and submit. The same tool shows the status of each report and is where the appeal happens.
After you report: statuses and the one-time appeal
Google says review evaluation typically takes several days. In the Reviews Management Tool, each report shows one of three statuses:
- Decision pending: the review is flagged but has not been evaluated yet.
- Report reviewed, no policy violation: Google evaluated it and found no violation. You can submit a one-time appeal.
- Escalated, check your email for updates: the appeal has been escalated and the final decision comes by email.
Google says a flagged review that breaks its content policies is removed and no longer shows on Maps and Search.
The one-time appeal
- Open the Reviews Management ToolConfirm the email address linked to your Business Profile, then select your business.
- Choose the appeal optionSelect Check the status of a review I reported previously and appeal options.
- Select the reviewsSelect Appeal eligible reviews, then the review or reviews to appeal, up to 10.
- Submit the appealSelect Submit an appeal, fill in the form that opens in a new tab, and submit it.
Google emails the result. If the review breaks its policies, it is removed. If it complies, it stays live. Google’s appeals page points review removal decisions to the same tool. Because the appeal is one-time, explain clearly in the form which policy you believe the review breaks.
If someone wants money to remove the reviews
Google’s page on negative review extortion scams describes the pattern: a sudden increase in 1-star and 2-star reviews, followed by someone demanding money, goods or services in exchange for removing them. Google’s instructions are:
- Do not engage with or pay them. Google says this can encourage further attempts and doesn’t guarantee the reviews are removed.
- Do not try to resolve it yourself by offering money or services.
- Gather the evidence immediately.
- Report it through Google’s merchant extortion report form.
The evidence Google asks for
- Screenshots of every message with the demands, showing the date, time and the sender's contact details where possible
- Direct links to each review you believe is part of it
- Names, usernames, email addresses, phone numbers or social media profiles linked to the people involved
- When you first noticed the rise in negative reviews, and when the demand first arrived
- Any history of similar attempts
Google investigates and tells you the result, but says it can’t share details of the investigation. The form is only for extortion. A review that is spam or off-topic goes through the normal report.
What not to do
Leave these alone
- Burying it with fake positive reviews, or asking staff, family or friends to post some. Google treats these as fake engagement or a conflict of interest.
- Offering the reviewer money, a discount or a free job to remove or change the review. Google's policy prohibits incentives for the revision or removal of a negative review.
- Reporting every negative review. Reports are for policy breaches.
- Arguing with the reviewer in public.
- Relying on anyone who promises a removal. The decision is Google's.
Faking your own reviews carries its own penalties. Google’s page on profile restrictions says that as well as removing the reviews, it can stop a business that breaks its fake engagement policy from receiving new reviews for a set period, unpublish its existing reviews for a set period, and show customers a warning that fake reviews were removed. Google emails the business before applying a restriction, and the business can appeal.
In Australia it is also a legal matter. The government’s business.gov.au guidance on online reviews says that under the Australian Consumer Law it is illegal to create or arrange for a fake or misleading review.
If you believe a review is defamatory, that is a legal question, so get independent legal advice.
Reply, because you always can
While a report is pending, or if Google leaves the review up, a reply is the part of the page you control. Google’s page on managing customer reviews says:
- You can reply once the business is verified.
- Google checks replies against its content policies. Replies usually take up to 10 minutes to review, and sometimes up to 30 days.
- An approved reply is public and appears as the business, without your personal name.
- The reviewer is notified, and can still change their review after reading your reply.
The business.gov.au guidance for negative reviews is to respond promptly but take the time to draft a careful reply, stay professional, offer to discuss it by phone or email, and follow up once the issue is fixed. For a review you can’t match to any job, keep the reply short and factual: say you can’t find a record of the work and ask them to get in touch. Wording for that and other replies is in the Google review request templates.
If reviews have disappeared from your profile
A missing review is a different problem from an unwanted one. Google’s page about missing or delayed reviews gives these reasons, and two more come from its pages on reporting reviews and profile restrictions.
| What you see | What Google says | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| A new review hasn't appeared yet | Reviews are checked against its policies, which might take a few days | Give it a few days before chasing it |
| Reviews missing after two profiles were merged | Reviews from both profiles might take a few days to display | Wait, then check both sets are showing |
| A customer can't post a review | Customers on older phones or software might have trouble | Ask them to update the Google Maps app |
| A review was removed for breaking a policy | Reviews removed for policy violations won't be restored | Nothing to restore. Keep asking genuine customers |
| Reviews gone after a suspended profile was reinstated | Reviews are sometimes removed after reinstatement | Contact Google support |
| Genuine reviews removed as spam | Its automated spam detection occasionally removes legitimate reviews | Contact Google support |
| Reviews switched off on the profile | It might temporarily disable reviews for some profiles or business categories | Wait, and contact Google support if they stay off |
| Existing reviews unpublished and a warning shown | A restriction for breaking the fake engagement policy | Read Google's email and appeal if you believe it is wrong |
Moving or changing hands doesn’t wipe reviews. Google’s page on moving reviews says reviews move automatically when a business relocates under the same name (some categories excepted), and stay when a business changes owner but keeps its name, or closes. It also says not to create a new Business Profile because of a change in location or ownership.
Google support is reached through the Contact us link on its help pages.
Kovus cannot remove a review, restore one or promise that Google will. Google Business Profile management in the Kovus SEO plan, from A$197 a month, includes review requests: a review link or QR code and short templates for asking customers after a job, with no paid or incentivised reviews. Problems with the profile itself are covered in the guides to verification, ownership and access and suspension, and setting up and running the profile is in the Google Business Profile guide.
Frequently asked questions
Can I delete a bad Google review of my business?
No. Google says you cannot directly delete someone else's review. You can report a review that breaks Google's policies and ask Google to remove it, and you can reply to any review once the business is verified.
Will Google remove a negative review that I think is unfair?
Only if it breaks one of Google's policies. Google says not to report a review just because you disagree with it or dislike it, and that it doesn't get involved in conflict between businesses and customers. Its policy allows content that describes a negative experience in a respectful manner.
How long does Google take to look at a reported review?
Google says review evaluation typically takes several days, and you can check the status in the Reviews Management Tool.
What if Google says the review doesn't break a policy?
You can submit a one-time appeal through the Reviews Management Tool and select up to 10 reviews. If Google finds a violation, the review is removed. If not, it stays up.
Someone wants money to remove a run of bad reviews. What should I do?
Google calls this an extortion scam. Do not engage with them or pay. Gather the evidence straight away, including screenshots of the demands and links to the reviews, and report it through Google's merchant extortion report form.
Can I pay someone to get a Google review removed?
Google decides which reviews come down, based on its policies, and nobody outside Google can make that decision for it. Offering the reviewer a payment, discount or free service to remove or change a negative review is itself against Google's policy.