How To Remove Google Reviews

Google is the most prolific review platform today. In an internet-driven business landscape, leveraging Google customer reviews can benefit your business in impactful ways, from improving your online reputation to driving conversions and profit. With Google being the go-to platform for business information, all your customers have to do is search Google reviews and learn from the actual experiences of others through Google ratings and reviews.

However, most businesses today find that learning how to delete Google reviews can be invaluable as part of their business reputation management strategies. Whether you’ve gone through a change in ownership that renders past reviews inaccurate or some reviews on your Google Business Profile are offensive or untrue, learning how to remove negative reviews on Google can prevent such reviews from harming your business.

After all, 67.7 percent of purchasing decisions are influenced by Google customer reviews, and 22 percent of prospects are turned off by a single negative review or article about the product.

As more users search Google reviews and rely on them for buying decisions, managing your brand’s reviews is more crucial than ever. You can’t afford to have false or spammy reviews painting an inaccurate picture of your brand or product.

But the question is: can you delete Google reviews? And after the removal process, will they still show up in search results when you search Google reviews? 

In this blog, we’ll answer those questions and more as we delve into the specifics of how to delete Google reviews. Let’s get started.

Can You Delete Google Reviews?

Understandably, the first question would be, can you delete Google Reviews? Is it actually doable? 

Yes, it is possible to delete Google ratings and reviews. However, the entire process can be cumbersome for some business owners because there is no direct method to remove them from your Google Business Profile. A delete button doesn’t exist for those who didn’t leave the review. So, if you don’t have the time to go through the removal process, you may be better off letting business reputation management experts handle the process for you.

There are several ways to delete Google ratings and reviews, all of which may take several days to complete. These many involve you having to report fake Google reviews or contact Google support and have them remove the review for you, both of which will be subject to the Google review policy.

Google Review Policy 

Google protects all the content published on its platform as part of its commitment to providing a reliable experience for businesses and their customers. The Google Review Policy ensures all submitted reviews are appropriate and accurate and contribute to enriching the user experience.

As part of this policy, Google identified 10 different types of review content that are not allowed on its platform. These include:

• Spam and Fake Content
• Off-Topic
• Restricted Content
• Illegal Content
• Terrorist Content
• Sexually Explicit Content
• Offensive Content
• Dangerous and Derogatory Content
• Impersonation
• Conflict of Interest

In most cases, review content that falls under these categories is removed immediately through spam detection and review monitoring. If you think a negative review on your Google Business Profile violates these policies, you can flag the review or contact Google Support to have it removed. Read on to learn more about this below.

How To Delete Google Reviews

Once you’ve determined that a review has violated Google’s policies, you can flag the review in question for removal or file a report by contacting support. Learn how to remove negative reviews on Google by following these steps:

Flag and Report Fake Google Reviews

In cases where you stumble upon reviews that violate Google’s policies, you can report fake Google reviews by flagging them for removal. Here’s how:

On Your Computer

Flagging a Review Through Google Maps

1. Open the Google Maps website on your computer browser.
2. Find your Business Profile and navigate to the review in question.
3. Click on More ⋮ > Flag as inappropriate.

Flagging a Review Through Google Search

1. On your computer browser, open the Google website. 
2. Find your Business Profile and click on Google Reviews.
3. Under the Reviews panel, navigate to the review you’d like to report.
4. Click on More ⋮ > Report review, then select the violation committed to have it removed.

Flagging a Review Through Your Google Business Account

1. Log into your Google Business Profile and find the review you want to report.
2. If you are operating a single business, then open the profile of that business and click on Reviews on the menu on the left. Click More ⋮ > Flag as inappropriate.
3. To manage reviews for multiple businesses, click on the Manage Reviews button on the left-side menu and choose a location group from the drop-down menu. Then find the review you want to report, click on More ⋮ > Flag as inappropriate.

On Android and iOS Devices

Flagging a Review or User Through Google Maps

1. Open the Google Maps app on your Android or iOS device.
2. Tap on your profile picture or initials at the top right portion of the screen and select Reviews.
3. Locate the review you want to flag. Tap on the review then More ⋮ or … > Report review to report the review. To report a user, tap on the user’s name and then tap More ⋮ or … > Report profile.

Flagging a Review Through Google Search

1. On your Android or iOS device, visit the Google mobile website.
2. Open your Business Profile and select Reviews.
3. Navigate to the review you would like to report and tap More ⋮ or … > Report review.

Now you know how to remove negative reviews on Google using your Android/iOS device or computer. Here are a few additional reminders:

• Disagreements between businesses and customers about facts do not constitute a violation. You cannot flag or report a review just because you disagree or don’t like it.
• Third-party hotel reviews are outside the scope of Google Business. To have them removed, you can contact the third-party review site directly.

Try Responding to Negative Reviews

When dealing with negative Google customer reviews from disgruntled customers, you should never ask them outright to delete their reviews. This could show that you care more about the review than their experience and may backfire on you. Instead, you should handle the situation by responding appropriately.

A big part of learning how to remove negative reviews on Google is recognizing when responding to negative reviews is necessary. It is also an important step in review monitoring as it takes care of two things at once: removing the negative review and turning a disgruntled customer into an advocate. Here’s how you can respond:

1. Respond to the situation kindly.
2. Never get defensive and instead acknowledge any lapses, if any.
3. Apologize to the customer and offer to fix the problem.
4. Keep your response short and sweet.
5. Offer to take the conversation to an offline channel to extend the dialogue if necessary.

If you’re unsuccessful at either removing the review or maintaining the customer relationship, at the very least, you’re able to mitigate the damage of the negative review. A BrightLocal survey revealed that an astounding 97 percent of customers read a business’s response to a customer review, which is why your response to the negative review matters.

Get In Touch With Google Support

Suppose you’ve flagged inappropriate reviews multiple times and have provided a response but haven’t received actual responses or acknowledgment. In that case, you can contact Google Support and ask them directly to remove the review in question. You can follow this process to contact Google Support:

1. Visit support.google.com/business.
2. Scroll down to the Need help? section and click on Contact us.
3. Write your concern in the textbox under Tell us what we can help you with.
4. Select an option that best describes your query, such as Remove reviews.
5. Click on Next step.
6. Google will display links to resources related to your question. If you don’t see the correct response and want to proceed to the next section, click on Next step.
7. Under contact options, select to receive help via Phone, Web Chat or Email.
8. Follow the on-screen prompts to proceed with your request.

You can also send a tweet to @GoogleMyBiz to get help on Twitter. Whether through web chat, email or tweet, it helps to have a screenshot of the review ready to facilitate the removal process.

Seamless Brand Reputation Management With Trusted Reputation Management Consultants

The impact of online reviews on a business can never be understated. In an internet-driven business landscape, customer decisions are formed based on what they see online, which is why brand reputation management matters. 

A key aspect of reputation management is knowing how to delete Google reviews to remove inappropriate content on your Business Profile and provide accurate information to prospective customers. But without a direct way of doing so, the entire process can be cumbersome for business owners. For a seamless experience, it is best to leave it to professional reputation management consultants.

Rize is a trusted name in reputation management and a publisher of efficient online reputation management software that helps you take control of your online reputation. We monitor your online mentions through our online reputation management software and ensure your brand is well-represented online. Establish credibility and build meaningful relationships with Rize. Call us today at 866-325-0303 or fill out our online form to schedule a free consultation.