Flag reviews that break Google's rules, such as ones meant for another business or spam. Google will not remove a review because you dispute it, so reply calmly and briefly for the next reader.

One star, and nobody recognises the name

A one-star review appears on your Google listing. It describes a visit you have no record of, a product you do not sell, or a member of staff who has never worked for you.

You check the bookings and the invoices. Nothing matches the name or the date.

The temptation is to reply at once and say so, firmly. It is worth waiting a day, because the reply will sit under the review for as long as the review does.

Some of these reviews can be removed. Most of the work, though, is in the reply.

Where these reviews come from

The third needs the most care. A person who phoned, was quoted a price and hung up unhappy has had a real experience of your business, even without buying.

Google's rules ask for a genuine experience rather than a purchase, so that review is likely to stay.

What Google will remove

Google removes reviews that break its content policies, and only those.

A review about a different business is off-topic, since reviews are meant to describe the place they are left on.

Spam and fake reviews are covered too, as are reviews from competitors and from people with a stake in the business.

So is content that is offensive, hateful, sexually explicit or harassing, and anything publishing somebody's personal information, such as a staff member's home address.

What Google will not remove

Google does not decide who is right. A review you think is unfair, or that tells a story you remember differently, stays up.

Nor will it remove a review because the name is not in your records. Google cannot see your bookings, and plenty of genuine customers review under a nickname or a family member's account.

A harsh opinion of a real visit is allowed, and so is a low rating with no text at all. Which is why, in most cases, the reply matters more than the flag.

How to flag it

In the Google My Business dashboard, open Reviews, find the review, and choose Flag as inappropriate from its menu. The same option sits on the review in Google Maps.

Where it asks for a reason, choose the one that fits, usually off-topic, spam or conflict of interest. Flag it once, from the business's own account.

Google does not tell you the outcome, so check back after a few days.

If a review plainly breaks the rules and is still there a week later, Google My Business support can be contacted from its help centre. A short, factual case with a screenshot does better than a long complaint.

Evidence for the wrong-business case

A review meant for somebody else usually says so, if you read it closely.

It names a product you do not sell, a service you do not offer, a location you do not have, or a day you were closed. It may name a staff member nobody at your business has heard of.

Take a screenshot before doing anything else. Then look up the business with the similar name: if its listing matches what the review describes, that is the explanation, and it belongs in both the flag and the reply.

A worked example

A two-bay auto repair shop shares most of its name with a car dealership across town.

One Friday, a one-star review appeared on the shop's listing, describing a used car sold with a faulty transmission and a salesperson who had stopped returning calls.

The shop has never sold a car. The reviewer had searched for the dealership by name, and the shop's listing had come up first.

The owner flagged the review as off-topic and waited until Monday to reply. The reply thanked the reviewer and said the shop does not sell vehicles and could find no record of the visit.

It suggested, politely, that the review may have been meant for another business, and gave a number to call if that was wrong.

The review came down about a week later. Had it stayed, the reply would have done the job on its own.

The reply is for the next reader

Whoever wrote the review will probably never read your answer. The people deciding whether to call you will.

They read the review and the reply together, and judge the business by the reply. A calm, short answer to a strange review tells them the review was strange; an angry one tells them the business is angry.

Keep it brief and factual. Thank them, say what does not match, accuse nobody of lying, and give a way to reach you in case you have it wrong.

Clinics and confidentiality

For a dental office, a physiotherapy clinic or any regulated health practice, even a careful reply can say too much.

Saying you have no record of somebody as a patient discloses something about who is and is not a patient. Confirming that somebody is one is worse.

The safer reply is the same for every review: you cannot discuss anyone's care in public, and the person is welcome to call the office. Check your professional college's guidance before replying at all.

The counter-case

Some never-a-customer reviews are fair.

If the caller was treated badly, the review describes a real failing, and the right reply owns it. Removing it would not have fixed what happened at the front desk.

A single odd review among many genuine ones also does little harm. An hour on a good reply is well spent; a week pursuing it is not.

The best protection is a steady flow of reviews from real customers, asked for routinely, so one strange review is a small part of the picture.

Flag what breaks the rules, reply calmly to everything, and keep asking real customers.

When it appears

  1. Wait a day before replying.
  2. Check your records for the name and date.
  3. Take a screenshot of the review.
  4. Flag it if it breaks Google's rules.
  5. Reply briefly and without accusation.
  6. Offer a phone number for any real complaint.
  7. Check back after a week.

Step five is the one that matters most. Google may leave the review up whatever you do, and the reply is the part of the listing you control.

Replying to the reviews that really are about you is covered in answering the reviews from December.

Frequently asked questions

Will Google remove a review from a non-customer?

Only if it breaks Google's policies, such as a review about another business, or spam. Someone who phoned and was unhappy has had a genuine experience, so that review usually stays.

How do I flag a review on Google?

In the Google My Business dashboard, open Reviews, find the review and choose Flag as inappropriate from its menu. The same option appears on the review in Google Maps.

What will Google not remove?

Reviews you consider unfair, disputed accounts of a real visit, harsh opinions, and reviews from names missing from your records, since Google cannot see your bookings.

How should I reply to a fake review?

Briefly and calmly. Thank them, say what does not match your records, avoid accusing anyone of lying, and give a number to call if you have it wrong.

Why reply if Google might remove it?

Because removal is never certain and takes time. Meanwhile, people deciding whether to call you read the review and the reply together, and judge the business by the reply.

How should a health clinic reply?

Without confirming or denying that anyone is a patient. Use the same short reply for every review, invite them to call the office, and check your professional college's guidance.

West Coast Media Solutions Inc. provides web design, web development, hosting, digital marketing, and business consulting to organisations across Canada, drawing on more than twenty-five years in the field.

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