How to Flag or Remove Reviews from Google

We all wish we could erase negative opinions. In some cases, you can. If a review that has been written about your company on Google is inappropriate or inaccurate, you can flag the review for possible removal.

It’s worth noting that Google’s policy does not allow businesses to flag reviews they don’t agree with or delete reviews simply because they are negative. Google will not settle any debates between a customer and a business about the contents of an online review. However, Google will step in and remove reviews when they are inappropriate and outside the bounds of Google’s review policies.

Google’s review policies prohibit inappropriate content, including fake reviews and spam, along with reviews that are off-topic and reviews that include restricted, illegal, terrorist, sexually explicit, offensive, dangerous, or derogatory content. If you believe that a reviewer is impersonating someone else, that may also be a reason for Google to delete the review.

If you believe that a review posted about your business falls into one of the categories mentioned above, follow these steps to flag the review for removal.

How to Request Google to Remove Review

If you believe that a review posted about your business falls into one of the categories mentioned above, follow these steps to flag the review for removal.

Step 1: Read Google’s review policies to determine whether the review falls under the guidelines for removal.

Step 2: Sign in to Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) and choose the review you would like to flag. On the review, click “More” and then “Flag as inappropriate.”

Step 3: To flag a review in Google Maps, open Google Maps, find your Business Profile, locate the review, and then click “Flag as inappropriate.”

Once you have flagged a review for removal, it can take several days for the review to be assessed.

Keep in mind that you can’t flag third-party hotel reviews directly in the Google platform. To flag an inappropriate third-party review, you must contact the third-party provider directly. A company like SOCi can help mitigate the damages of a negative review posted on a third-party site.