You have read the review a few times, checked it against your job records, and you are sure it breaks one of Google's rules. Now you want the exact clicks. Google gives you several ways in: your profile on Search, Google Maps on a computer or a phone, and the Reviews Management Tool built for business owners.
Keep one thing in mind from the start. A report asks Google to take a look; on its own it does not take anything down. Google decides whether the review breaks a policy, and a fair review from a real customer usually stays up.
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Who Can Report a Review
Anyone signed in to a Google account can report a review on any business, whether that is a customer, a neighbor or you. Google is clear that any review can be reported, but only the ones that break its policies qualify for removal.
For your own business, the account matters. Owners and managers of a Google Business Profile can both reply to reviews, and Google says each person needs their own Google Account, so nobody has to share a password. Report while signed in to an account that runs your profile, and use the Reviews Management Tool when you want to follow the result.
Still weighing whether a review can come down at all? Start with our guide on how to remove Google reviews.
Before You Report
A little prep before the first click makes the report easier to stand behind and leaves you a record in case you appeal.
- Name the one policy it breaks. If you cannot name one, you are likely looking at a fair review, and a reply will serve you better. Our guide to Google's review policy lists the rules one by one.
- Look it up in your records. Try the name in your invoices, estimates and call log, then the spouse's or landlord's name. A review that looks fake sometimes belongs to a real job booked under someone else.
- Screenshot the review. Capture the text, the stars, the reviewer's name and the date Google shows.
- Screenshot the reviewer's profile. Accounts get renamed or deleted, and your screenshot shows what was there, other reviews included.
- Write down three things. The day you report, the screen you used and the reason you picked.
Report From Google Search
This route works when you are signed in and already looking at your profile in the search results.
- Search your business name on Google and open your Business Profile.
- Select Read reviews.
- Find the review and select the Report icon next to it.
- Choose the reason that fits. Google gives Spam and Profanity as examples.
- Select Send report.
Google says you can check the status of that report later in the Reviews Management Tool, covered below.
Report From Google Maps
On a computer
Open Google Maps, search for your business and open its reviews. Next to the review, click More, the three dot menu, then Flag as inappropriate, and select the reason. Some of Google's help pages call the same option Report review and end with a short form you submit, so go with whichever label your screen shows.
In the Maps app
Open the Google Maps app, find your business and scroll down to the reviews. Tap More next to the review, then Report review, and choose the reason.
One trap can sit in that list: Not helpful. Google's help for the Android app says picking it does not report the review at all; Google just shows the review to fewer people. If the review breaks a rule, pick the rule.
Report in the Reviews Management Tool
This is Google's tool for business owners, and the path to use for any review you plan to follow up on.
- Open the Reviews Management Tool. Confirm the email shown, or select Switch account to use the one that manages your profile.
- Select your business, then Continue.
- Select Report a new review for removal, then Continue.
- Select Report next to the review.
- In the new tab, choose the reason.
- Select Submit.
Search is quicker, but this tool shows the status of reports on your profile, and that status tells you whether to wait, appeal or move on. The one appeal starts here too. If an office manager handles reviews, add them to the profile as a manager so they sign in with their own account.
Pick the Right Reason
The reason is where you tell Google which rule the review breaks. Google's prohibited content for Maps reviews includes fake engagement, conflict of interest, harassment, hate speech, offensive content, personal information, profanity, off topic posts, advertising and repetitive content. Match what you see:
- No real job behind it, a made up account or a paid attack: spam or fake engagement. The warning signs are in our fake reviews guide.
- A rival, a current or former employee, or anyone with a stake in your rating: conflict of interest, covered in our post on competitor and former employee reviews.
- Threats, insults aimed at a person, or slurs: harassment or hate speech.
- Claims of a crime or dishonest dealing with nothing to back them up: offensive content.
- Your cell number, home address or a worker's private details: personal information.
- Swearing used to insult or to hammer a complaint home: obscenity and profanity.
- A rant about politics, the news or some other company: off topic.
- A link or a sales pitch for another business: advertising and solicitation.
Pick the rule the review actually breaks, not the one that sounds most serious.
Two cases with their own form
Extortion. If one and two star reviews pile up and then someone asks for money, goods or services to make them stop, do not pay. Google takes these on a separate merchant extortion report form; our post on review extortion walks through it.
Legal claims. If you believe a review is unlawful, for example defamatory, Google also has a separate process to report content for legal reasons. Talk to your lawyer before you file, and see our post on defamatory Google reviews.
Report the Reviewer's Profile
Sometimes the problem is the account rather than one review: a profile that attacks business after business, or one set up to pass itself off as someone else. You can report the profile itself from the Maps app.
- Open the Google Maps app and go to your business.
- Tap Reviews, then tap the reviewer's name.
- At the top right, tap More, then Report (Report profile on Android).
- Choose a reason, such as Legal issue or Privacy concerns.
Google then looks over that account's contributions for policy breaks. Keep your report on the review itself too, since the two reports ask about different things: one post, and the person behind it.
What Happens After You Send It
The Reviews Management Tool shows one of these statuses for each report on your profile:
- Decision pending: Google has the report and has not evaluated it yet.
- Report reviewed, no policy violation: Google looked and found no rule broken.
- Escalated, check your email for updates: you appealed, and Google sends the final decision by email.
Reports sent from the Maps app show up in the app's own Reports section, with different labels. How long each stage lasts is up to Google. Our guide on how long Google takes to remove a review explains both sets of statuses, and if the answer is no policy violation, our Google review appeal guide covers the one appeal Google allows.
While you wait, reply in public: two or three calm sentences, no names, no accusations, and an invitation to call the office. Write it for the customer who reads your profile next, not for the person who posted the review.
If chasing reports between jobs is where things slip, our Review Removal team reads each review against Google's rules, files it under the reason that fits and stays on it until Google makes the call. You pay only after a review is removed, and we quote on a quick call. A fair review from a real customer usually stays, and we tell you that before any work starts.
Your Reporting Checklist
- Name the one policy the review breaks.
- Check your records for the reviewer and the job.
- Screenshot the review and the reviewer's profile.
- Report it once, from an account that manages your profile, ideally in the Reviews Management Tool.
- Use the extortion form, or a legal request with your lawyer, when either one fits.
- Report the reviewer's profile too if the account itself is the problem.
- Reply in public, briefly and calmly.
- Watch the status, and appeal only when Google offers it and you have facts to add.
Your reviews sit on the same profile Google weighs for the map pack. Our Local SEO plan works on that profile, your website and your local links, starting at $999/month.
Questions Owners Ask
Can anyone report a Google review, or only the business owner?
Anyone signed in to a Google account can. As the owner, report from an account that manages your profile, then check the status in the Reviews Management Tool.
Which reason should I pick when I report a review?
The one rule it actually breaks: fake engagement for an invented account, conflict of interest for a rival or an old employee, harassment for personal attacks. If nothing fits, reply instead.
Can I report the reviewer instead of the review?
You can report both. In the Maps app, tap the reviewer's name, then More, then Report. Keep the report on the review as well.
Does my office manager need my password to report reviews?
No. Add them to your Business Profile as a manager. Google says each user needs their own Google Account, and managers can reply to reviews just as owners can.
Should I report the same review again if nothing happens?
Check the status first. Decision pending means Google has not evaluated it yet. If it says no policy violation, the next step is the appeal, where you add facts, not a fresh report.