While there may not be a big, red button you can click to remove a Google review outright, there is a way to submit a review for removal. But before you do that, it’s worth considering whether you really want to try to remove a review…and whether a review even qualifies for removal at all. Google has strict rules about what it will and won’t remove, but that’s not the only thing to consider: a negative review by itself isn’t cause for removal – in fact, it’s often a chance for you to show potential clients your customer service skills. So, when should you remove a review, and how do you go about doing that?
When Should You Remove Google Reviews?
According to Google’s policy around restricted and prohibited content, there are five categories a review might fall into that would qualify it for removal: civil discourse, deceptive content, mature content, regulated, dangerous and illegal, and information quality. Each category has subcategories that define what would qualify a review within that category.
Here are the categories:
- Civil Discourse
- Harassment
- Hate speech
- Offensive content
- Personal information
- Deceptive Content
- Fake engagement
- Impersonation
- Misinformation
- Misrepresentation
- Mature Content
- Obscenity and profanity
- Sexually explicit content
- Adult-themed content
- Violence and gore
- Regulated, Dangerous and Illegal
- Restricted content
- Dangerous content
- Illegal content
- Child safety
- Terrorist content
- Information Quality
- Off-topic
- Advertising and solicitation
- Gibberish and repetitive content
If a review is negative and seems legitimate, you’re better off forming a response (check out our guide to responding to negative reviews if you need help). However, if any of your reviews fit into any of the categories listed above, whether positive or negative, it’s a good idea to submit them to Google for review and potential removal.
How Do You Submit Google Reviews For Removal?
Luckily, Google makes the review submission process pretty easy. Here’s what to do once you’ve decided to flag a review for removal.
- Make sure you’re signed in to your Google account.
- Go to business.google.com
- Choose the review you’d like to report:
- If you have a single business, open the profile you’d like to manage. On the left, in the menu, click Reviews.
- For multiple businesses, on the left side of the menu, click Manage reviews. Then use the drop-down menu to choose a location group.
- Click the “More” icon (three horizontal dots) next to the review you want to flag.
- Click “Flag as inappropriate.”
- Click submit.
We Can Help
Need help managing your reviews? Not sure how or when to respond to reviews? The MyAdvice platform can help – and our experts can show you how. Schedule your consultation to see how.
