Anybody can leave a bad Google review about your business—even if they’ve never stepped foot in your store or used your services. For most businesses, online reviews are a powerful tool for building a strong reputation. But when fake reviews start appearing, they can quickly become a nightmare, misleading potential customers and damaging your credibility.
And it’s not just unhappy customers you need to watch out for.
Shady competitors, disgruntled ex-employees, or even random internet trolls may try to manipulate your ratings by flooding your Google Business Profile with fake negative reviews. The worst part? Many potential customers can’t tell the difference between a genuine review and a fraudulent one.
But don’t worry—we’ve got you covered. In this step-by-step guide, I’ll show you exactly how to spot and remove fake Google reviews, ensuring your business maintains a trustworthy online reputation.
The Impact of Fake Google Reviews on Your Business
Online reviews influence customer decisions more than ever. A single fake review can create doubts about your business’s reliability, while multiple fraudulent reviews can significantly harm your credibility and search rankings.
Beyond misleading potential customers, these reviews can also impact revenue and discourage genuine clients from engaging with your business. Recognizing the risks and understanding how to remove fake Google reviews is crucial to safeguarding your reputation and ensuring that authentic feedback prevails.
Identifying Fake Google Reviews
Before taking action, it is important to determine whether a review is genuinely fake. Here are some signs of fraudulent reviews:
- The reviewer has no previous history or a suspicious profile.
- The review lacks specific details about their experience.
- You notice a sudden surge of negative reviews in a short time.
- The reviewer mentions or promotes a competitor.
- The complaint does not match any transactions or customer interactions.
Common Types of Fraudulent Google Reviews
Fake Google reviews generally fall into the following categories:
- Competitor sabotage – Fake negative reviews intended to harm your business.
- Disgruntled employees – Former employees leaving false negative feedback.
- Spam or bot-generated reviews – Automated or fake profiles posting random negative reviews.
- Paid reviews – Competitors or unethical third parties post false positive or negative reviews.
- Revenge reviews – Unhappy customers exaggerating or fabricating complaints.
How to Flag a Fake Google Review for Removal
Google provides an option to report fake reviews. Here’s how you can flag them:
- Go to your Google Business Profile.
- Navigate to the “Reviews” section.
- Find the suspicious review and click on the three vertical dots.
- Select “Flag as inappropriate.“
- Follow the on-screen instructions to submit your report.
Steps to Dispute a Fake Google Review
If flagging the review doesn’t work, you can formally dispute it with Google:
- Log into your Google Business Profile.
- Click on Support from the left panel.
- Choose Need More Help and select Customer Reviews and Photos.
- Click on Manage Customer Reviews and then Email Support.
- Submit evidence that the review violates Google’s guidelines.
Contacting Google for Review Removal
If the dispute does not lead to removal, you can directly contact Google Support via:
- Google My Business Help Center – Submit a formal request.
- Twitter (@GoogleSmallBiz) – Explain the issue with screenshots.
- Legal Request – If the review is defamatory, file a legal removal request through Google’s Legal Help page.
Can You Legally Remove Fake Google Reviews?
If a review is defamatory, false, or violates Google’s content guidelines, and you wish to take legal action, we advise that you speak to a legal advisor who can better answer this question. However, lawsuits can be time-consuming and costly, so exhausting all available dispute methods first is advisable, and sometimes it’s worth just letting the review go, knowing that you and your business are better than the claims noted within the review. Focus instead on the next round of customers, ensuring they receive exceptional service, and inviting them to share their reviews which will then make the negative review you can’t forget about less relevant, and lower in the feed.
Best Practices for Responding to Negative Reviews
Even if a review is fake, responding professionally helps maintain your reputation:
- Stay calm and professional – Avoid emotional responses.
- Acknowledge the complaint – Politely state that you take feedback seriously.
- Request more details – If the review is fake, this can expose its lack of credibility.
- Provide a resolution – Offer to resolve the issue offline if possible.
How to Minimize the Impact of Negative Reviews in Search Results
If a fake review cannot be removed, you can push it down in search results by:
- Encouraging positive customer reviews.
- Updating your Google Business Profile with fresh content.
- Publishing SEO-optimized blog posts to rank higher than the negative review.
- Using social media and PR to generate positive coverage.
Encouraging Positive Customer Reviews for Better Reputation Management
The best way to counter fake reviews is by increasing genuine positive reviews:
- Ask customers and guests to leave reviews.
- Offer great service to naturally generate positive feedback.
- Respond to all reviews to show engagement and credibility.
- Use email follow-ups to request reviews after a purchase.
My Review Concierge: The Ultimate Solution for Fake Review Removal
If you’re struggling with online reviews, My Review Concierge offers a powerful solution. This innovative platform helps businesses aggregate reviews, making it easy to search and filter them, while our team of reputation experts is always a phone call or email away to provide guidance and best practices.
By taking proactive steps, you can protect your business from the impact of negative reviews and maintain a strong, trustworthy online presence.
