While unpleasant, the impact of a negative google review on your business page is not always the end of the world. It can, however, deter new clients or customers from doing business with you. While it may seem daunting, turning a bad customer review into a positive for your business is easier than you think. Check out our article on how to respond to negative reviews.
A one-star review with a negative comment can be unfair, unkind and cruel, but it might not be enough to pursue an action in defamation.
When does Google consider a review defamatory?
- If it goes against civil discourse and features harassment, hate speech, offensive content or contains personal information.
- If it features deceptive content, including fake engagement, impersonation, misinformation, or misrepresentation.
- If it displays mature content, including obscenity, profanity, sexually explicit content, adult-themed content, violence or gore.
- If it contains regulated, dangerous or illegal information, including restricted, dangerous, illegal or terrorist content or endangers child safety.
- If it features poor information quality, such as off-topic, advertising and solicitation or gibberish and repetitive content.
Click here to view Google’s full policy on prohibited and restricted content.
How to ask Google to remove a defamatory review
You can use Google Maps or Google Search to report an inappropriate review for removal. Once removed, the review will stop showing on both.
Flag a review in Google Maps
- On your computer, open Google Maps.
- Find your Business Profile.
- Find the review you want to report.
- Click More (3 vertical dots) and select Flag as inappropriate.
Flag a review in Google Search
- On your computer, sign in to manage your Business Profile.
- Choose the review you’d like to report:
Single business: Open the profile you would like to manage. On the left, in the menu, click Reviews.
Multiple businesses: On the left, in the menu, click Manage reviews. Then use the drop-down menu to choose a location group. (This option is not for organisation accounts.) - On the review, you want to flag, click More (3 vertical dots) and select Flag as inappropriate.
Did you know that any one or two-star reviews can be sent to your inbox directly to respond to offline with the Smart Reviews platform? Learn more about the platform and how it can make getting quality reviews for your business a breeze!
