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How to remove fake reviews from Google
Fake or malicious reviews can damage your online reputation, confuse customers, and undermine all the hard work you’ve put into building trust. Fortunately, Google provides tools and processes to help you flag and remove illegitimate feedback. Here’s a step-by-step guide to reclaiming your star rating and ensuring your customers see only authentic, helpful reviews.
Identify Suspicious Reviews
Before you take action, make sure you can tell which reviews are real but not positive and which are spam or fraud.
Look for:
- Repetitive language or keyword–loaded content. Copy-and-paste text or identical phrasing across multiple reviews is a big red flag.
- Anonymous or off-topic accounts. Profiles without photos or history, business without histories often mean that an account was started just to create fake reviews.
- Overly harsh or overly glowing. If a review goes to extremes without any specifics, it may be made-up.
Document each suspicious review (screenshot, date, star rating, reviewer name) so you can reference the details when filing with Google.
Flag the Review in Google My Business
Google’s first line of defense is the “Flag as inappropriate” option:
- Log in to your Google My Business dashboard.
- Navigate to the “Reviews” tab.
- Find the suspect review and click the three-dot menu (⋮) next to it.
- Select “Flag as inappropriate”.
- Choose the reason—typically “Conflict of interest,” “Spam,” or “Off-topic.”
Once flagged, Google’s moderation team will review your request. This can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. It’s frustrating but they’ve got the ball here.
You’ll receive an email notification if Google removes the review—or if they determine it doesn’t violate policy.
To manage multiple fakes- go straight to Google’s platform:
Follow Up with the Google Support Team
If flagging alone doesn’t resolve the issue, escalate directly through Google’s support channels:
- Chat or email via your Google My Business dashboard under “Support” → “Contact us.”
- Social media outreach. Tweet at @GoogleMyBiz with your listing URL and a brief description of the issue.
- Help Community. Post details (anonymized if needed) in the Google My Business Help Forum to get attention from Google product experts.
Be specific and factual—include details, your documented screenshots, and explain clearly why the feedback is fake.
Respond Publicly
While you wait for Google’s review, post a polite public response to reassure genuine customers:
“Hi [Reviewer Name], we’re sorry to hear about your experience. We can’t find any record of your visit—please contact us at [email/phone] so we can help resolve this.”
This accomplishes two things:
- Transparency creates trust. People looking through reviews see that you’re proactive about concerns. PLUS just responding to reviews increases your ranking.
- Trigger the fake reviewer. If fake reviewers continue to engage and your responses take the high road, they end up discrediting themselves.
Encourage Authentic Reviews
The best defense is a flood of positive real feedback:
- Ask loyal customers to leave reviews via email follow-ups or at the point of sale. (We can help make this easy.)
- Use on-site prompts. Add a “Leave us a review” button on your website or receipts. (We have “tap to review” signs, automated follow-ups, and more.)
- Incentivize honesty. Offer a small thank-you (like a future discount) for any review—without requiring a specific star rating. (Be careful with this!)
A robust base of genuine five-star and balanced four-star reviews dilutes the impact of spam and makes fakes easier to spot.
Monitor & Repeat
Reputation management is an ongoing process:
- Set up alerts. Use Google’s “Reviews” notification settings or a third-party tool like Climbing Clicks to get real-time email alerts.
- Schedule weekly audits. Block off time each week to scan and respond to new reviews.
- Document ongoing patterns. If you notice recurring fake-review patterns (e.g., after a competitor promotion), share with Google so they can refine their spam filters.
Take Control of Your Online Reputation
Fake reviews are a nuisance, and it feels like they can ruin your ability to get new customers online. But with attention and consistent generation of new reviews, your business will not be knocked down.
Systematically identifying, flagging, and responding to fake feedback—and by cultivating real reviews—you’ll protect your Google My Business listing and build lasting trust.
Ready to optimize your review strategy and keep your listing pristine?
Contact Spiezz Digital for a free reputation audit and let us help you turn every star into a conversion driver or visit the website for our review management system, Climbing Clicks.
Fake or malicious reviews can damage your online reputation, confuse customers, and undermine all the hard work you’ve put into building trust. Fortunately, Google provides tools and processes to help you flag and remove illegitimate…
