How to report a Google review, track it and appeal

Before you report a Google review

Anyone can report any review, but Google only removes the ones that break its Maps user contributed content policy. Its help page for owners puts it plainly:

"You can report any review, but only those that violate Google policies are eligible for removal."

Google, Report inappropriate reviews on your Business Profile

Spend two minutes on three checks before you press anything. They decide whether your report succeeds far more than how you file it.

1. Which policy does it break? Name it: fake engagement, conflict of interest, harassment, hate speech, personal information, off-topic, advertising, repetitive content. Our Google review policy guide explains each one with examples.
2. Can you show it? Some reviews break the rules on their face, such as a slur or a phone number. Others, such as a review from an ex-employee, need facts that link the reviewer to the conflict.
3. Have you saved a copy? Screenshot the review with the date showing and copy its link. Reviewers sometimes edit a review after it is reported.

If you are unsure, the free review removal checker tells you which policy a review is most likely to break and which reason to choose.

How to report a Google review from your Business Profile

This is the quickest route for a review on a business you own or manage. Sign in with the Google account that manages the profile. Your profile opens from business.google.com.

1. Go to your Business Profile.
2. Select Read reviews.
3. Next to the review that you want to flag, select Report (the flag icon).
4. Select the reason to flag the review. Google gives "Spam" and "Profanity" as examples.
5. Select Send report.

That is the whole report. To see what happens next, use the Reviews Management Tool, covered below.

Report a review in Google Maps on a phone or computer

Google Maps has its own report button on every review, which works whether or not the business is yours. The labels below are the ones in Google's current help pages; older versions of the app say Flag as inappropriate instead of Report review.

In the Google Maps app

1. Open the Google Maps app.
2. Search for the business and select it from the results.
3. Swipe to the right until you see the Reviews section.
4. Tap the review, scroll down to the report icon and select Report review.
5. Complete the form in the window that appears.
6. Tap Submit.

In Google Maps on a computer

1. Go to Google Maps and search for the business by name or address.
2. Select the business, then select Reviews.
3. Scroll to the review and click the menu next to it, then Report review.
4. Complete the form and click Submit.

As the owner, report through your Business Profile or the Reviews Management Tool as well, because those are the routes that show the owner's status labels and the appeal option.

Report with the Reviews Management Tool

The Reviews Management Tool is a free Google form at support.google.com/business/workflow/9945796. It lists your reviews, files the report, and keeps a record of every report and its status. It is also where owners appeal, so for any review you might need to fight for, start here.

1. Go to the Reviews Management Tool.
2. If the email address shown is the one associated with your Business Profile, select Confirm. To use a different account, select Switch account.
3. Select your business.
4. Select Continue, then Report a new review for removal, then Continue.
5. Next to the review that you want to flag, select Report.
6. In the new tab, select the reason to flag the review.
7. Select Submit.

Check the status of your report

Go back into the Reviews Management Tool, select your business, and choose Check the status of a review I reported previously and appeal options. Each review you reported shows one of three statuses.

If a reported review disappears from your profile, Google has removed it or the reviewer has deleted it. If it is still up and the status says no violation, the report failed.

The Google review appeal process

Google gives you a one-time appeal for a review it decided not to remove. You can appeal up to 10 reviews in one go, but each review gets one appeal only, so treat it as your final argument.

1. Go to the Reviews Management Tool and select Confirm.
2. Select your business.
3. Select Continue, then Check the status of a review I reported previously and appeal options, then Continue.
4. At the bottom, select Appeal eligible reviews.
5. Select the review you want to appeal. You can select up to 10.
6. Select Continue, then Submit an appeal.
7. In the new tab, fill in the form.
8. Select Submit.

Google emails you the result. In Google's words, "If the review violates our policies, it will be removed. If the review complies with our policies, it will remain live."

What to write in the appeal form

The appeal is where evidence matters. Name the policy, give dates and facts someone outside your business could check, and ask for one specific outcome. Leave out anger, marketing and anything about the reviewer's character. If you would rather not spend the appeal yourself, we can get negative Google reviews removed for you, for a fixed fee charged only if Google removes the review.

Report a Google review for conflict of interest

Conflict of interest covers reviews written by people with a reason to be biased, not by customers. Google's policy says:

"Content that is based on a conflict of interest. A conflict of interest may include current or former employment, a contractual or consultory relationship or other professional or personal affiliations that demonstrate a conflict of interest (such as industry competitors, familial relationships, etc.)."

Google Maps user contributed content policy

Report these through the Reviews Management Tool, because they usually need an appeal with evidence. The evidence that works is anything that ties the reviewer to the conflict: employment dates, a match between the reviewer's name or photo and a rival business, or the timing of the review against a dispute. For staff reviews, see our guide to ex-employee Google reviews.

In this example, the reviewer owns the garage on Mill Lane. The review promotes a rival, which also makes it an advertising case.

How to report a Google review as fake

Google's term for a fake review is fake engagement: "Content that is not based on a real experience or does not accurately represent the location or product in question." It also covers paid reviews and reviews posted from several accounts by one person.

1. Report the review under the spam or fake content reason in the Reviews Management Tool.
2. Check your records for any sign of the person and note what you searched.
3. If the account has posted other fake content, report the reviewer's profile too. In the Google Maps app, tap the reviewer's name, then More and Report profile on Android, or More and Report on iPhone. Google says "it can take several days for a profile to be assessed."
4. If Google refuses, appeal with the record check and any pattern you found.

If a burst of one-star reviews is followed by a demand for money, stop and use Google's separate form for Google review extortion instead. Our page on fake Google reviews explains the signs of a review attack.

Report a review on a business you do not own

You can report a review on any business, for example one on a friend's shop or one that names you personally. Use the Google Maps steps above. You do not get the Reviews Management Tool for a profile you do not manage, but the Google Maps app has a Reports section that tracks reports on reviews and media. Its statuses are:

• Processing report: Google has received it.
• Content removed: the review has been taken down.
• Content not removed: Google found too little to support removal, or your account is restricted.
• Content restored: the review was put back after Google found new information.
• Report cancelled: the review or the place was edited or removed.

Google says that if it does not remove the content you reported, "you may be eligible to submit one appeal." If the review is on a friend's or a client's business, ask the owner to report it from their own profile as well, because that route carries the owner's status labels and appeal.

Why reports come back with no policy violation

A report fails when Google cannot see the rule break from the review and the reason you chose. The usual causes:

• It is an honest negative review. Google allows "content that describes negative experiences in a respectful manner."
• The wrong reason was chosen. A competitor's review filed as "Profanity" when it contains no swearing will not match.
• The problem is not visible. Conflict of interest and fake engagement often need evidence, which only the appeal form lets you give.
• It is a factual dispute. Google "doesn't get involved in conflict between businesses and customers." If the review states false facts that harm you, that is a legal question.

If the appeal also fails, our guide on how to remove a Google review covers the routes that remain, including the legal removal request.