You’ve been left a fake or dodgy Google review, and you’re trying to get it removed from your Google My Business page.
The first step is to respond to the review. This lets your customers know this is not a real review and you’ve reported the review to Google.
The second step is to flag the review on your Google Business Profile as a fake review. This is where the options are a little limited, and it doesn’t really give this option. I usually go with:
- Conflict of interest – Review is from someone affiliated with the business or a competitor’s business
- Spam – Review is from a bot, a fake account or contains ads and promotions
Neither of these completely nails it, but they usually do the job.
The third step is to patiently wait. It can take between a few days and a few weeks for Google to process the review.
If the fake review is not removed, you can appeal the decision via the Google Business Profile Review Management Tool.
If you’re stuck on step 3 (waiting for the review to be removed), you can check its status here.
Fake reviews are a nightmare and damaging to businesses. Google really should make this process easier.
