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How to Remove Fake Reviews on your GMB

I have some fake reviews about my business on my Google My Business listing. How can I get them removed?

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How to Report Fake Reviews

The first thing you want to ask yourself is “are the reviews truly fake or are they reviews you simply don’t like”.  If the reviews are simply negative reviews, there is an extremely low chance that Google will actually remove any of them.

If the review truly violates Google’s Review Policies, the first thing you should do is respond to the reviewer.  This is important because it shows everyone that you care enough to address the complaint.  Here are some tips on how to respond to a review:

1: Be Nice and Don’t Get Personal:  It is difficult to win an argument with a frustrated customer and you want to avoid burning bridges.  Be courteous and keep the response as useful as possible.
2: Keep it Short and Sweet: Users want genuine responses but a long response can overwhelm users.
3: Thank Your Reviewers:  Respond to every review you can, positive or not.  It shows your users that you care and can help win over more clients.
4: Be a Friend, Not a Sales Person: Your reviewers are already customers, so theres no need to offer incentives or advertise.  Tell your users something new and exciting about your business or share something your users might not have learned about your business yet.

Next, you want to log into your Google My Business dashboard and click the Review button.  You can flag a review on the browser itself but its more effective to do it from inside your dashboard. Next to the reviews you want to flag, click the 3 dots and click Flag as Inappropriate.

Once this is complete, wait three business days.  You should get an email from Google where you can explain further in detail as to why the reviews are fake.  Be sure to stick to the facts and give Google as much detail as possible.  The goal is to prove to Google why the reviewer and review is fake and why it violates Googles policies.  

You can also use the Google My Business form and submit a complaint there. 

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