How to remove bad reviews from Google My Business

Can You Remove Bad Google Reviews?

Yes, you can remove negative reviews, but businesses can’t just delete them directly.

Google has strict guidelines that determine when a review can be removed, which involves a violation of their content policies.

Here are some reasons in Google’s content policy that could lead to a removal of review:

• Deceptive Actions: Fake engagement, impersonation, spreading false or misleading info

• Harmful Behavior: Harassment, hate speech, offensive or obscene language, sexual or violent content

• Prohibited Content: Child exploitation, terrorism, illegal activity, inappropriate ads

• Misuse: Off-topic, defacement, repetitive/unclear content

How to remove bad reviews from Google My Business?

First off, if spam reviews are what you’re dealing with, there’s no need for you to take action—Google’s automated system will take care of it.

It automatically eliminates fake or irrelevant reviews, ensuring only genuine feedback is shown. However, it’s wise to monitor your reviews.

And if the system did not take care of the bad review, follow the methods below.

Flagging a Review for Removal:

Flagging means reporting reviews that violate Google’s guidelines; the conventional method for handling reviews.

Many businesses have successfully used it to remove fake or misleading reviews, here’s how you do it:

You can also report a user by clicking on their name and then selecting “Report profile.”

How Long Does It Take to Remove a Google Review?

After you’ve flagged the review, it’s time to take a breather.

Google will take three business days to process things. Hitting refreshes every five minutes won’t make the process any quicker.

And if the system did not take care of the bad review, follow the methods below.

1. Go to the Reviews Management Tool
2. Search for your business name.
3. Click on Read Reviews.
4. Then select More (three vertical dots)
5. Choose Manage reported reviews.
6. Ensure that the email address displayed is the one you use to manage your Business Profile.
7. If a different email address is shown, click on Switch account to log in with the correct one.
8. Click Confirm to proceed.
9. From the options provided, select your business.
10. Click on Check the status of a review I reported previously and appeals options.

Decision Pending:

This means Google is still looking at your flagged review. The review remains visible on your business profile during this period.

Report Reviewed

If you see this status, it means Google checked your flagged review and found that it doesn’t violate any policies. Thus, the review will remain on your profile.

Nonetheless, flagging a review for removal can be limiting because it only works if the review falls under Google’s content policies.

Google isn’t likely to take action if your concern doesn’t violate its policies.

Contacting Google My Business Support

If it’s been more than three days since you flagged the review and you’re still waiting for action, it’s time to escalate things–literally.

Reach out to Google My Business support on social media, on Facebook, or Twitter.

A friendly nudge on these platforms helps speed things along.

Just drop them a message to request a follow-up, and you’ll give your flagged review the attention it needs for a timely response.

Facebook: Google Business Profile

You can also tag Google Business Profile in a post.

Twitter: @googlemybiz

Steps to Take If Google Finds No Policy Violation

It’s possible your first attempt at reporting the review didn’t quite hit the mark because Google found no policy violations.

You can challenge this decision with a one-time appeal.

Since this is a one-time opportunity, make it count, and present a strong, valid case.

How to Submit an Appeal?

1. Open Google Search and find your business by typing its name.
2. Click on your Business Profile and go to the Reviews Management Tool.
3. Confirm the email displayed is the one used for managing the profile. If not, switch accounts.
4. Scroll to the bottom and click “Appeal eligible reviews.”
5. Select up to 10 reviews to appeal and click “Continue.”
6. Fill out the appeal form with details explaining why the reviews should be removed.
7. Submit the appeal.

Once you submit your appeal, Google will review your case and send an email to let you know their decision.

You can only challenge reviews that have already been flagged and reviewed before. If it hasn’t gone through that initial flagging process, you can’t appeal.

It can be frustrating that Google doesn’t provide specific feedback or reasons for accepting or rejecting your appeal.

So, if your appeal is successful, fantastic.

But if it’s denied, keep scrolling.

What to do if you cannot remove a negative review?

Your Bad Reviews, Our Problem: How We Make It Disappear

You’ve tried everything so far, but the review is still there. So, what’s next?
Leave it to us.
Managing negative reviews is what we do best at Maximatic Media—and we have a method that really works!
Our team understands Google’s review policies inside and out.
We don’t leave anything to chance and take every step to ensure your business gets the best outcome.

How We Work

The first thing we do is examine the review closely. By identifying the weak spots in the review’s language, we prepare a strong case to challenge it.

Instead of simply flagging the review and hoping for the best, we take a more strategic turn.

We use our exclusive access to their internal ‘Central Escalation Support’ system (CES) and a dedicated representative.

This priority access allows us to frame the issue in a way that guarantees it gets attention.

Our internal representative helps us file this claim, increasing our success rates tenfold.

Our goal isn’t just to remove the review; we aim to hide it from public view. This means it won’t affect your star rating anymore.

The best part is that the reviewer will still see their review as live, but it’ll be completely invisible to everyone else.

This means you won’t have to worry about getting more negative reviews from that same person while you’re trying to deal with the original one.

And if the system did not take care of the bad review, follow the methods below.

Again, before you opt for these methods, know that Google doesn’t take kindly to these practices, and you could face removal from listings or, in serious cases, legal trouble.

So, it’s best to play it safe.

Asking the customers for Review Revision

Instead of asking for negative reviews to be deleted, you could also talk it through with those unhappy customers.

Reach out and politely ask if they’d consider revising their feedback.

By addressing their concerns and working to make up for any inconvenience they face, you show that your business genuinely values feedback and is ready to make things right.

A little personal touch can work wonders.

And NO pressuring them.

If they feel cornered, not only might they decline to edit their review, but they could also throw in some extra negative comments for good measure.

So, don’t let the customer get on your nerves—or worse, you on theirs. Stay calm and collected.

Sure, you could try winning them over with a fruit basket every week, except you’re not Michael Scott, and it won’t do much.

Automation Tools for Review Management

We get it—keeping up with reviews can be tough, and dealing with it is tougher.

You can check out automation tools to simplify this process for you.

These tools can monitor, flag, and even respond to reviews automatically, so you don’t have to feel overwhelmed.

This means less time stressing over reviews and more time focusing on running your business.

And with real-time alerts, you’ll always stay in the loop when it comes to customer feedback.

Online reputation matters, which is why managing your reviews effectively is important.

Whether you deal with negative feedback directly, use automation tools, let our team at Maximatic Media handle it all, or opt for the shortcuts, you have all the options.

Frequently Asked Questions