Frequently Asked Questions

You can't delete someone else's Google review directly. Only the reviewer can delete their own review. However, Google will remove reviews that violate their policies (fake reviews, spam, conflicts of interest, etc.) if properly reported. That's what review removal services do: identify policy violations and report them through official channels.

To report a fake review: Go to your Google Business Profile, find the review, click the three dots menu, select 'Report review,' and choose the appropriate violation type. For better results, submit a detailed report through Google Business Profile support with evidence of why it's fake. The basic flag option has lower success rates than documented reports.

Google's review time varies widely: some reviews come down in 24-48 hours, others take 2-3 weeks. For escalated reports, it can take 4-6 weeks. Google doesn't publish timelines, and their volunteer review team prioritizes based on severity. Clear policy violations (threats, spam) tend to be removed faster than subjective violations.

Yes, businesses can sue for defamatory reviews, but it's rarely practical. Lawsuits are expensive ($10,000-$50,000+ in legal fees), time-consuming (6-18 months), and often the reviewer is anonymous. Even if you win, collecting damages is difficult. For most businesses, platform-based removal is more cost-effective than legal action.

Google only removes reviews that violate their policies. A review being negative, unfair, or even inaccurate doesn't automatically violate policy. Google protects opinion-based reviews. To get a review removed, you need to prove a specific policy violation: fake account, conflict of interest, spam, threats, etc. Negative opinions from real customers generally stay.

You can hire professionals to handle review removal through official channels. Legitimate services identify policy violations and report them properly. Be wary of services promising to remove any review or using 'secret methods.' Ethical removal works within Google's system. Shady services may use tactics that could get your profile penalized.

Yes, Google reviews significantly impact local SEO. Reviews influence: local pack rankings (the 3-business map results), click-through rates (people prefer highly-rated businesses), and overall search visibility. Both quantity and quality of reviews matter. Negative reviews can hurt rankings and deter potential customers from clicking.

Respond professionally without accusations. Try: 'We have no record of your visit/purchase. Please contact us directly so we can investigate.' This signals to readers that it may be fake without making you look defensive. Avoid 'This review is fake!' responses. Report the review simultaneously while your response buys time.

Reviews that violate platform policies: fake reviews (from non-customers), competitor reviews, spam, reviews with threats or harassment, reviews with personal information, reviews about the wrong business, and reviews with conflicts of interest (former employees, business rivals). Legitimate negative reviews from real customers typically can't be removed.

Professional review removal typically costs $200-$500 per review, depending on the platform and complexity. Volume discounts are common for multiple reviews. Some services charge upfront; others use success-based pricing where you pay when reviews come down. DIY is free but has much lower success rates.

Yes, when done through official channels. Reporting policy violations is explicitly allowed by review platforms. What's illegal: bribing reviewers to delete, hacking accounts, creating fake positive reviews to bury negatives, or intimidating reviewers. Legitimate removal services work within platform rules.

Typically 2-6 weeks from start to removal. The process includes: assessment (1-2 days), evidence compilation (2-5 days), initial report (same day), platform response (3-14 days), escalation if needed (1-3 weeks). Clear violations can come down in days. Complex cases take the full timeline.

Reputable services offer guarantees: refund or re-attempt if removal fails. If a review genuinely violates policy but can't be removed, options include: legal action (expensive), strategic responses, review generation to dilute the negative, and reputation management. Sometimes you have to accept that a review will stay.

Rarely, but yes. Reviewers can appeal removals, and Google sometimes restores reviews after internal review. Most legitimate removals stay down. If a review reappears, you can re-report with the original documentation. Reputable removal services cover re-appearances within their guarantee period.

Usually yes. Responses show future customers you care and address concerns professionally. Good responses can actually improve perception. The exception: if you're actively trying to remove a review, pause responses until that resolves. Don't respond emotionally. Wait 24 hours if you're upset, then craft a professional reply.

Structure: (1) Thank them for feedback, (2) Acknowledge their concern without being defensive, (3) Offer to resolve it offline ('Please contact us at...'), (4) Keep it short. Don't argue facts in public. Don't over-apologize. Don't offer compensation publicly (invites abuse). The goal is showing readers you handle problems professionally.

Bad responses can. Avoid: arguing with reviewers, being sarcastic, accusing reviewers of lying publicly, sharing personal details, or getting defensive. These make you look worse than the original negative review. No response is better than a bad response. When in doubt, keep it professional and brief.

Yes, briefly. A simple 'Thank you for your kind words! We appreciate your business.' shows engagement without being excessive. Don't write paragraphs. Don't ask for referrals in responses. Just acknowledge the positive feedback. This encourages more reviews and signals you're active on the platform.

The most effective methods: (1) Ask at the moment of satisfaction, (2) Send follow-up emails with direct review links, (3) Use SMS for higher open rates, (4) Add review prompts to receipts/invoices, (5) Train staff to ask. The key is making it easy. Provide direct links. Remove friction. Don't incentivize reviews with discounts.

No. Google explicitly allows asking customers for reviews. What's prohibited: offering incentives ('Leave a review for 10% off'), asking for only positive reviews ('If you're happy, please review us'), gating reviews (directing unhappy customers away from review platforms), and buying fake reviews.

You can, but it's against Google's terms and often illegal (FTC violations). Fake reviews are increasingly easy to detect. Consequences include: review removal, account suspension, legal action, and reputation damage when discovered. The risk far outweighs any short-term benefit. Focus on legitimate review generation instead.

There's no magic number, but: (1) More than your competitors helps local SEO, (2) At least 10-15 reviews for credibility, (3) Recency matters (fresh reviews beat old ones), (4) Quality matters more than quantity. A business with 50 reviews at 4.8 stars beats one with 500 at 3.5 stars.

Different, not necessarily harder. Trustpilot has a formal dispute process where you can challenge reviews and request consumer verification. They're more responsive to documented complaints. However, their 'consumer verification' system can backfire if the reviewer responds. Each platform has different strengths and challenges.

Yes, for policy violations. Yelp is notoriously difficult because their algorithm also 'filters' reviews it deems suspicious. Sometimes legitimate reviews get filtered; sometimes fake ones get through. Removal for policy violations follows similar patterns to Google, but Yelp's appeal process is more opaque.

Less than Google, but still meaningful. Facebook recommendations appear on your business page and influence some customers. They're easier to manage: you can disable recommendations entirely (though this looks suspicious) or respond publicly. Facebook's removal process is less sophisticated than Google's.

Prioritize by impact. Google typically matters most for local businesses. Monitor all platforms but focus energy where your customers actually look. Use review monitoring tools to track all platforms in one place. Respond on all platforms but allocate removal budget to highest-impact reviews.