How to Remove Google Reviews: Removal, Response, and Reputation Building

According to a 2021 report by PowerReviews, over 99.9% of customers read reviews when they shop online, with 64% explicitly favoring Google as their go-to platform.

But what happens when you, as a business owner, find a negative review on your Google My Business listing?

Negative online reviews can significantly impact your business's reputation and bottom line, so many business owners are curious about how to delete negative reviews on Google.

If you're one of them, keep reading because this blog will give you all the answers.

Below, we'll delve into the importance of managing Google reviews, explore why negative Google reviews can be detrimental, and provide actionable steps on how to remove Google reviews.

Not only that, but we'll also cover some practical tips on how to handle bad Google reviews effectively, even if you can’t erase them.

But before we begin discussing how to get rid of bad reviews on Google, it’s crucial to understand why Google reviews even matter for businesses.

Why Google Reviews Matter for Businesses

Managing reviews on Google is an ongoing process. It requires consistent attention to maintain a good online reputation. You should respond to negative reviews, not avoid them.

Ignoring a negative review can make it seem like you don't care about customer feedback.

Even in cases where nothing was said but someone left you stars, you should still respond. Encourage additional feedback when nothing was said by asking the reviewers questions about the product/services they received.

All reviews, particularly ones that reference your products and services help your local SEO rankings and increase the chances of potential leads.

However, the percentage of consumers who leave reviews is small, so negative reviews stand out

This is why as a business owner you should respond to every review–to encourage people to review, to let your customers know you read and care about reviews, and to provide context to negative reviews (whatever the circumstance).

Can you Remove Reviews on Google?

Can I delete a Google review? Yes, you can delete Google reviews. If you feel that the review is fake or even defamatory, you can take steps to erase it. However, how to remove Google reviews can be a complicated process.

Suppose your brand's online reputation suffers, and you must remove Google reviews quickly.

In that case, it's important to continue generating positive reviews so future readers, browsers, and buyers can have a balanced perspective and build trust.

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Why do Businesses Need to Remove Negative Google Reviews

Removing Google reviews is a decision a business should consider carefully, as it can only be done in certain circumstances.

While negative reviews on Google can harm a business’s reputation, honest feedback is essential for a brand to improve the quality of its products and services.

That said, there are a few cases where eliminating negative Google reviews might be necessary. The most common scenario is when you, as a business, may receive negative reviews that are unfair or untrue, and you may want to remove them.

Then, the review may be removed if it violates Google’s policies, such as containing spam or fake content. A review that contains offensive language or personal attacks can also be flagged and removed.

However, it’s important to remember that Google has strict policies regarding removing reviews, and simply disliking a review is insufficient grounds for removal.

Ultimately, it’s up to the business owner to decide whether or not to attempt to remove a negative Google review.

You should weigh the potential benefits and drawbacks and decide how to get rid of negative Google reviews based on the specific circumstances of each review.

How to Remove Google Reviews in a Few Simple Steps

As mentioned before deleting Google reviews is not as simple as going to your Google Business Profile and deleting the reviews yourself. However, Google allows businesses to flag or report reviews that violate their policies.

So you can take steps to flag and remove negative reviews on Google that damage your online reputation.

But before, it’s best to try reaching out to the reviewers directly, as sometimes a bad negative can result in a misunderstanding or miscommunication.

By reaching out to the reviewers, you can resolve the issue and convince them to remove the reviews themselves.

If reaching out to the reviewer is not a successful option, the next step is to flag the review to Google

This process typically involves submitting a request to Google to review the review and find whether it violates their policies.

Google has strict policies around customer reviews and will only remove reviews that violate these policies. You can follow the steps below to flag or get rid of a negative Google review:

• Step 1. Sign in to your Google Business account.
• Step 2. Open Google Maps and search for your business name.
• Step 3. Click on the “Reviews” tab on Google’s review page.
• Step 4. Locate the review you want to remove.
• Step 5. Click on the three-dot menu in the top right corner of the review.
• Step 6. Select the Report Review option.
• Step 7. Follow the prompt “What’s wrong with this review?
• Step 8. Report the review to Google.

Even though there’s a guarantee that Google will erase the review, taking action to flag it can safeguard your business’s online reputation.

By proactively managing your online customer reviews, you can ensure that your brand’s reputation accurately reflects your business and customers’ experiences.

Must Read: Top 12 Tips To Rank Higher in Google My Business Listing

How Does Google Spam Filter Delete Google Reviews Automatically?

Now that you have a roadmap for removing Google reviews, you might wonder how the Google spam filter works and deletes reviews automatically.

So, Google has automated systems and spam filters to detect and remove spammy reviews.  This system detects user reviews that violate Google’s policies, such as spam, sexual content, hate speech, or personal information.

This makes the whole process of deleting negative reviews on Google a lot more systematic & easier.

Google's automated systems consider several factors when evaluating a user review, including the review's content, the reviewer's history on Google, and the overall pattern of reviews for the business.

If a review is found as spam, it will be automatically removed from the business's Google page. This process happens quickly, often within a few days of posting the review.

However, Google's automated systems will only catch some spammy or fake Google reviews.

Businesses must still be proactive about monitoring and handling their online reviews. They must report spam or fake reviews that have not been automatically removed.

What Types of Reviews does Google delete?

When searching for how to remove Google reviews, it’s essential to know what type of reviews will Google delete.

Google allows businesses to report a review when it violates Google’s guidelines or your company’s policies.

On that note, the following are some cases where you may want to flag a review:

1. When a Review violates Google’s content policy

Google has a content policy outlining the kinds of reviews prohibited or restricted. A review with any of these types of content should be flagged. These include:

• Civil discourse: Reviews that include hate speech, harassment, or personal attacks.
• Mature content: Reviews that include explicit or graphic content.
• Fake or Deceptive content: Reviews that include false information or are written by fake accounts.
• Information quality: Reviews that include off-topic, gibberish, or irrelevant content.
• Regulated, harmful, or illegal content: Reviews that encourage illegal activities, such as drug use, or violate regulated industries, such as financial or healthcare industries.

2. When a review violates your company’s policies

If a customer review contains content that violates your company’s policies, such as harassing or defamatory content, you must flag it.

3. When a review violates privacy or confidentiality

If a review includes confidential or private information, such as personal details or trade secrets, you should flag it.

Note: Don’t report a user review just because you don’t agree with it or don’t like it. There’s no specific way to determine who’s right about a customer’s experience. If businesses and customers disagree, Google won’t intervene.

So, before you report a negative review, ensure it breaks Google’s rules or has inappropriate or irrelevant content. Concentrate on dealing with specific problems in a review instead of arguing about what happened.

By responding professionally to negative Google reviews, you can show your commitment to customer satisfaction and promote a positive image of your business.

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Ways to Handle Bad Google Reviews

Now that you know the steps on how to remove Google reviews, what to do if Google doesn’t remove a review after you’ve flagged it?

You can still do many things to address the situation and reduce the impact of the negative review. Here are some of the most effective ways on how to manage negative Google reviews:

1. Respond to the Review

One of the most effective ways to manage a negative review on Google is to respond directly to it. Suppose your team made a mistake that made a customer write a negative review. In that case, a genuine apology can go a long way in changing a potential customer's perception of your business.

An appreciative response will also be impacted if it's a positive review. Remember, these reviews are public for the customer and your business, and customers don't want to look like the villain when your team responds politely underneath.

2. Ask the Customer to Remove it

If your team handles a negative review well and makes it right with the customer, they may choose to leave the review up anyway.

After all, the matter is closed, and other users will see the review as an example of your great customer service.

While the sentiment is nice, you may still be able to have the review removed if you politely approach the customer and ask them to delete it.

If possible, message them on a private platform like email so the customer doesn‘t feel pressured by your request.

Thank them for reading your reply. Ask them if they will consider removing the review in light of their recent experiences with your company.

Be sure to remain patient and don’t demand anything from the customer. Ultimately, they have the choice to remove the review.

3. Solve the Customer's Problem

When it comes to how to remove Google reviews, focusing on solving the customer's problem is a straightforward approach to reduce the negative impact and save your business from having a bad reputation.

Customers often leave bad reviews as their frustration from not getting the expected product or service from the company.

In such cases, it becomes essential to recognize the problems that customers are reporting in your negative reviews and take action to correct them.

Once you do, follow up with the customers who left poor reviews and see if they will try your product or service again.

Make it clear that you have taken steps to correct your mistakes and still value the customer relationship with your business.

While you may not win every customer over, this promotes a customer-centric culture for your brand's reputation.

4. Follow up with Customer

One study by BrightLocal found that 85% of customers believe reviews older than three months are irrelevant.

However, this stat neglects that these older reviews still count towards your business's overall rating on Google. That rating is vital because 52% of customers will not buy from a business if it has less than a 4-star rating.

Moreover, your business can change as you grow and develop over time. A Google review posted two years ago may need to be more accurate today.

If the customer is still active, try contacting them via the review and see if they would be willing to edit their post. You could also invite them to try your enhanced product or service again.

5. Confirm the Review is for your business

Mixing up a business name, clicking the wrong link, or forgetting the business name you're leaving a review for is common. But that means it's up to the business owner to verify that the review is on topic for their company.

You can take the example of the above-given review. A customer left a review for what can be assumed to be a restaurant on a nearby hair salon's Google My Business page.

Luckily, the owner caught the customer's mistake and politely informed them their review needed to be found. The owner also invited the customer to book an appointment for a new hairstyle.

This is an excellent example of how to remove bad Google reviews while using them as a marketing opportunity to attract new customers.

6. Authenticate the Review

Unfortunately, many people write fake negative reviews to sabotage their competitors' businesses. It's hard to spot and even harder to prove, but if you have a history of dealing with an unfair competitor, you can take action and flag the review.

If you're suspicious about a review's authenticity, look for signs that would confirm it is fake. Fake reviews often lack details and can be applied to almost any business.

Check to see if the reviewer has left any other reviews and if they have a picture on their account. Then, respond to the review, to write a reply you can also use AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini.

If you don't get a response, flag the post as inappropriate and wait for Google to review your report.

7. Take legal action

You can take legal action if a review violates your business policies or is defamatory.

However, you need to keep in mind that legal action should be a last resort and should be pursued if the review is truly harmful to your business.

Remember, even the best businesses get negative reviews from time to time. The key is to address them professionally and proactively and encourage more customers to leave reviews to use them as an opportunity to improve your business.

Managing online Google reviews is an ongoing process. It’s crucial to stay vigilant and proactive in addressing negative reviews.

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Concluding Thoughts

One negative review, even many negative reviews, can't kill your business. This is particularly true if you ensure you are visible in your reviews and respond to all positive or negative reviews.

Some savvy customers understand that bad reviews happen and know every business has disgruntled customers. Many consumers are much more skeptical about companies that have only positive reviews!

Your best bet is to counteract the negative review by responding to it and encouraging all your customers to leave so that your reviews better show the reality of your customers' experiences.

That means you don’t need to just focus on how to remove Google reviews that harm your reputation, positive reviews can drown out negative reviews. Always ask your happy customers to leave Google reviews about the products and services they have used!

These positive sentiments can go a long way in convincing others to do business with you and significantly contribute to your local SEO.

If you want to transform your local SEO with a reputable SEO agency then contact Arramton Infotech!

We’ve helped many businesses from different industries stand out in their local business listings and dominate search engine results.

Our expert team will analyze your business, identify key opportunities, and implement a tailored SEO strategy to drive more local customers through your doors.

Ready to take your business to the next level? Contact us today for a free consultation!

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. How you can erase Google reviews?

Ans. Unfortunately, you can't directly erase Google reviews. However, you can flag reviews that violate Google's review policies (spam, hate speech, etc.) for removal. Google will then review the flag and decide if the review should be taken down.

Q. How much does it cost to remove a negative review from Google?

Ans. Google doesn't offer paid services for review removal. It's a free process to flag reviews, but there's no guarantee they'll be deleted. The best course of action is to address negative reviews professionally and offer solutions to improve your service.

Q. How do you delete negative reviews on Google?

Ans. You can’t delete negative reviews on Google directly. Businesses can only flag reviews for violation of Google's policies. Focus on responding to negative reviews helpfully and apologetically. This can sometimes encourage the reviewer to edit or remove their review themselves.

Q. How you can disable Google reviews?

Ans. Disabling reviews entirely isn't an option. Google reviews are a valuable tool for both customers and businesses. However, you can manage your online presence by encouraging positive reviews and responding professionally to negative ones.

Q. Are Google reviews permanent?

Ans. Not necessarily. Reviews can be removed if they violate Google's guidelines or if the reviewer chooses to delete them.

Q. Will people know if I report their Google reviews?

Ans. No, the reviewer won't be notified that you reported their review. Google keeps this process anonymous to prevent retaliation.

Q. Can a business owner delete fake Google reviews?

Ans. No, business owners can't directly delete reviews, even if they suspect they're fake. The best approach is to flag the review and explain why you believe it's fake. Google will then investigate and decide if it should be removed.