What Types of Google Reviews Can Be Removed?

Let’s now take a look at some of the main types of reviews which can be removed from Google, along with some real world examples.

It is also important to note that leaving a Google review anonymously is no longer possible under current policies. This change aims to prevent fraud and protect businesses from false feedback.

1. Fake Reviews and Content

Reviews that are fabricated or contain dishonest information can be flagged for removal. This includes reviews posted by competitors to harm a business, overly positive reviews that may have been bought or incentivized or negative reviews that unfairly damage a business’s reputation.

Some examples we’ve seen of fake Google reviews include:

• A competitor posts a review claiming your business provided a service you don’t offer, stating it was subpar.
• A customer who has never visited your business then leaves a one-star review claiming poor service.
• Large numbers of reviews from international sources with very little content or relevance.

2. Offensive Material and Negative Reviews

Google will remove reviews that contain hate speech, profanity, or other offensive content. This ensures the review section remains a respectful and helpful resource for users.

Some examples of this include:

• Reviews that use racial slurs or derogatory language against a staff member.
• A customer posts a comment with explicit content or profanity directed at your business.
• A review includes threatening language towards your staff or other customers.

3. Personal Information

Any review that includes personal information, such as someone’s financial details, contact numbers, or other private data, violates Google’s review policies and can be removed.

This can include:

• A reviewer sharing another customer’s name and phone number in their comment.
• A review revealing sensitive financial details related to a transaction.
• A comment including the personal address of an employee.

4. Irrelevant Reviews

Reviews should be relevant to the business or service they are posted about. Posts that are off-topic such as political opinions or personal rants unrelated to customer experience can be flagged for removal.

Irrelevant reviews we’ve seen include:

• A review discussing a political event instead of the service provided by your business.
• A customer who leaves a review about a different location that is unrelated to your business.
• A comment focussing on personal grievances that have nothing to do with the business itself.

5. Spam Reviews

Google removes reviews that are considered spam. This includes content that is repetitive, promotional in nature, or contains links to external websites.

Examples of spam include:

• Reviews repeatedly mention a competitor’s (or other) business or include links to their website.
• Multiple identical reviews posted by the same person across different platforms.
• A review containing unrelated promotional content for a different business.

6. Conflicts of Interest in Google Business Profile

Reviews from individuals with a clear conflict of interest can also be removed. This includes reviews from current or former employees, family members, or friends of the business owner.

Conflicts of interest can include:

• Former employees leaving negative reviews out of spite.
• A family member writing an overly positive review to boost ratings.
• A business owner’s friend posts a five-star review without ever using the service.

While these types of reviews don’t necessarily damage your brand, they can be perceived to be fake or an attempt by your company to inflate their reputation which in turn has a negative effect.

7. Duplicate Reviews

Google also removes duplicate reviews. If a customer posts the same review multiple times, or if there are reviews that appear to be copied and pasted from other sources, these duplicates can be flagged and removed. Reviews are integrated into the Google ecosystem, including Google Maps, where they are highly visible within the app.

Duplicate reviews can be:

• A customer posts identical reviews under different accounts.
• The same review is posted multiple times in quick succession by the same person.
• A review is copied and pasted from a different review platform.