Fake reviews are a frustrating reality for many businesses. Whether from competitors, disgruntled non-customers, or review manipulation schemes, fake reviews can damage your reputation and mislead potential customers.
This guide covers how to identify, report, and respond to fake reviews on Google.
Types of Fake Reviews
Competitor attacks: Negative reviews left by competitors or people they hire to damage your reputation.
Mistaken identity: Reviews from people who confused your business with another one.
Former employees: Revenge reviews from people you've let go.
Extortion attempts: Threats to leave negative reviews unless demands are met.
Never-customers: People who never actually used your services but leave reviews anyway.
Review bombing: Coordinated campaigns to flood your profile with negative reviews.
How to Identify Fake Reviews
Signs that a review might be fake:
- No record of the person as a customer
- Vague details that don't match your business
- Reviewer has no other reviews or reviews many competitors
- Review mentions employees who don't exist or services you don't offer
- Multiple negative reviews appear suddenly at the same time
- Review timing coincides with a competitor opening or after you left a review on their page
Reporting Fake Reviews to Google
Google will remove reviews that violate their policies. Violations include: spam and fake content, off-topic content, restricted content, illegal content, sexually explicit content, offensive content, impersonation, and conflict of interest.
To flag a review, find the review on your Google Business Profile, click the three dots next to it, and select "Flag as inappropriate." You can also report through the Google Business Profile support page for faster attention.
What Google Will and Won't Remove
Google will remove reviews that clearly violate policies—spam, illegal content, or obviously fake reviews with no connection to your business.
Google typically won't remove reviews just because you disagree with them, you can't verify the person was a customer, or the review is negative but doesn't violate policies. This can be frustrating, but it's important to understand Google's perspective: they want to maintain trust in the review system.
Responding to Fake Reviews
If Google doesn't remove a fake review, respond professionally. Don't accuse the reviewer of being fake, as this can backfire. Instead, respond politely noting that you can't find any record of their visit and inviting them to contact you directly to resolve any issues. This signals to future readers that the review may not be legitimate.
Example response:
"We take all feedback seriously, but we're unable to find any record of your visit in our system. We'd like to learn more and address your concerns. Please contact us at [email/phone] so we can look into this further."
Documenting Patterns
If you're experiencing ongoing fake review attacks, document everything: screenshots of suspicious reviews, patterns you've noticed, any evidence of who might be responsible, and timeline of events.
This documentation can support appeals to Google and may be useful if legal action becomes necessary.
Legal Options
In extreme cases, you may have legal options. Defamation, tortious interference, and unfair business practices laws may apply. Consult with an attorney if fake reviews are causing significant business damage.
Some businesses have successfully sued fake reviewers, but this is expensive and time-consuming. It's usually a last resort.
Prevention Strategies
The best defense against fake reviews is a strong offense of real reviews. Businesses with hundreds of genuine positive reviews are less impacted by the occasional fake negative one.
Focus your energy on generating authentic reviews from real customers. A solid review profile naturally dilutes the impact of any fake reviews.
When Fake Reviews Are Your Fault
Sometimes businesses create their own problems by buying fake positive reviews, having employees post fake reviews, or incentivizing fake reviews. Don't do this. Google is getting better at detecting fake positive reviews, and the penalties can include removal of all your reviews or suspension of your listing.
Build your review profile authentically. It takes longer, but it's sustainable and won't come back to haunt you.
