Google Business Profile reviews: replies, removal and policy

This guide is built from Business Profile Help: Manage customer reviews, Tips to get more reviews, Create a Google link or QR code to request reviews, Report inappropriate reviews on your Business Profile, About missing or delayed reviews and Business Profile restrictions for policy violations, plus the Maps Prohibited & restricted content policy. Our Google Business Profile guide has a short reviews summary; this page goes into the detail.

Before you start

Two limits apply before any of the steps below. First, Google says "Before you can reply to reviews, you must verify your business." Our verification guide covers that. Second, reviews "are available only in certain countries or regions and for certain business categories", and that availability may change over time.

Customers need a Google Account to leave a review, and Google notes they can set one up with a non-Gmail email address. Your profile may also show reviews from "trusted, non-Google sources, such as travel or local review sites", and service businesses may see the service a customer chose shown in the written review.

Asking for reviews: the link and QR code

Google's own advice is to remind customers, using "a Google link or scan a QR code." To get them:

1. Go to your Business Profile on a computer. Google says review QR codes "can only be generated on a computer browser, not on mobile devices."
2. Select Read Reviews, then Get more reviews.
3. Select Copy for the link. For the QR code, right-click it and choose Save image as...

Google suggests putting the link or code on receipts, in thank-you emails, at the end of a chat, or printed in your store. It also mentions sending requests by email, WhatsApp message or Facebook post.

You can also share a single review. On Google Maps, find your business, open Reviews, select More then Share review next to the review, and copy the link. Google frames this as a way to show "helpful testimonials" to new customers. If you want reviews on your own site, our guide to reviews and testimonials on websites covers the legal side.

What you may and may not do when asking

The Maps content policy is stricter than many owners expect. It allows merchants to "solicit or encourage the posting of content that does represent a genuine experience, without offering incentives to do so or attempting to influence the rating or the contents of the review." Under its Rating Manipulation section, merchants may not:

• Offer incentives, "such as payment, discounts, free goods and/or services", for posting a review or for revising or removing a negative one.
• "Discourage or prohibit negative reviews, or selectively solicit positive reviews from customers." Sending the review link only to customers you expect to be happy (often called review gating) falls under this.
• Require or pressure customers to leave ratings or reviews while on the premises, or ask for specific content in the review.
• Ask staff to collect a set number of reviews, or reviews that include specific content, "including content that identifies a staff member."

The policy also removes reviews based on a conflict of interest, which it says may include "current or former employment, a contractual or consultory relationship", or personal ties such as family. So reviews from staff, relatives or a partner agency are out, and so is posting on a competitor's profile to undermine it. Reviews posted from several accounts by one person, or showing "unusual volumes or patterns" that point to manipulation, are removed too.

Replying to reviews

Google's steps for a reply are:

1. Go to your Business Profile.
2. Select Read reviews.
3. Next to the review, select Reply, type your reply and select Reply again.

To change a reply, open Read reviews again and select Edit under it, then Update. The same menu has Delete.

What happens next is worth knowing:

• Replies are checked. Google reviews them against its content policies. If a reply isn't approved, you'll be asked to edit it. Google says replies "usually take up to 10 minutes to review, but sometimes a review can take up to 30 days."
• They post as the business. An approved reply appears under the customer's review "like your business replied, and your personal name won't be shown."
• The customer is told. The reviewer is notified when you reply and can still change their review. If they do, the date on the review changes to the latest update.

Customers can also post photo updates to your profile, and you can reply to those. Google says photo updates "don't impact your review score", though other customers can see them.

Writing replies, including to negative reviews

Google's reply tips come down to a few points: be professional and polite, keep it short, and focus on reviews "where you can share a helpful update or answer a question" rather than sending the same thank-you to everyone. It also asks you to be "conversational, not promotional": reviewers are already customers, so don't use the reply to offer deals.

For negative reviews, Google suggests:

• Never share a reviewer's private information or make personal attacks. If the case is complex, ask them to contact you by phone or email.
• Acknowledge real mistakes, but "don't take responsibility for things outside your control", and explain what you can and can't do.
• Apologise where it fits, address the reviewer by name, and sign off with your name or initials.
• Reply promptly.

Google adds that "a mix of positive and negative feedback often feels more trustworthy", and that a constructive reply "may even encourage the customer to update their review."

Reporting a review

You can report any review, but Google is clear that only reviews that break its policies are eligible for removal. It says: "Do not report a review just because you disagree with it or dislike it. Google doesn't get involved in conflict between businesses and customers."

To report one from the profile:

1. Go to your Business Profile and select Read reviews.
2. Next to the review, select Report.
3. Pick the reason, for example "Spam" or "Profanity", and select Send report.

Google says evaluation "typically takes several days". The policy reasons that most often apply to reviews of a business are fake engagement, conflict of interest, harassment, off-topic content ("general, political, or social commentary or personal rants"), promotional content such as reviewers posting phone numbers or links, and repetitive content. If your profile has been targeted by an extortion scam involving negative reviews, the report article links a separate way to report that.

You can also report the person, not only the review. In the Google Maps app, tap Business, then Reviews, tap the reviewer's name, then More and Report.

The Reviews Management Tool and appeals

The Reviews Management Tool, linked from the report article, lets you report reviews and track them. After you confirm the account and pick the business, choose Report a new review for removal. Each report then shows one of three statuses:

Status	What it means
Decision pending	The review is flagged but hasn't been evaluated yet.
Report reviewed - no policy violation	It was evaluated and no violation was found. You can appeal once.
Escalated - check your email for updates	The appeal has been escalated and the final decision comes by email.

To appeal, open the tool, choose Check the status of a review I reported previously and appeal options, then Appeal eligible reviews. You can select up to 10 reviews in one appeal, then fill out the form. If the review breaks the policy it is removed; if not, it stays live. Google calls this "a one-time appeal", so put your clearest evidence of the policy breach in it.

Google notes that merchants in the EEA can report third-party reviews directly on Google.

Why reviews go missing or are delayed

Google says that "usually, reviews are removed for policy violations like spam or inappropriate content." The causes it lists are:

• Policy checks. These can take a few days, which delays a review's appearance.
• Merged profiles. After a merge, reviews from both profiles can take a few days to show.
• Old apps. Customers on older phones or software may have trouble posting; Google suggests updating Google Maps.
• Removal for violations. "Reviews removed for policy violations won't be restored."
• Content turned off. Google may temporarily disable reviews for some profiles or categories "to protect business owners."

Automated spam detection also removes reviews, and Google admits it "may also mistakenly remove legitimate reviews." If that happens, or if reviews vanish after a profile is reinstated, Google says to contact support. Our guide to suspended profiles covers reinstatement.

Schools are a special case. Google is removing and disabling reviews and ratings for profiles primarily categorised as educational institutions for students aged 6 to 18. Universities, day care centres and swim schools are among those it names as not affected. If that category doesn't describe your business, Google suggests changing it.

Restrictions for fake reviews

Removing the reviews is not the only consequence. If Google finds that a business owner broke the Fake Engagement policy, it says it may also restrict the profile, for example:

• The profile can't receive new reviews or ratings for a set period.
• Existing reviews and ratings are unpublished for a set period.
• The profile shows a warning that fake reviews were removed.

Google says it notifies owners by email before applying a restriction, and that you can appeal. It re-reviews the profile with any context you provide. This is one more reason never to buy reviews, run a reviews-for-discounts offer or let an outside vendor post them for you.

Our view: a review routine that holds up

This part is our own practice, not Google guidance. We send the same review link to every customer after the job, through the receipt or thank-you email, so nobody is filtered out. We reply to every negative review and to positive ones where there is something useful to say, without promotions. We report a review only when we can name the policy it breaks, and we save the one-time appeal for clear cases. And we watch the profile's performance report rather than assume reviews alone move calls and visits. Google lists reviews and ratings as part of prominence in local ranking; our Business Profile guide covers what else counts.

Frequently asked questions

Can I get a bad Google review removed?

Only if it breaks Google's content policies, such as spam, a conflict of interest, harassment or off-topic content. Google says not to report a review just because you disagree with it. Report it from your profile or the Reviews Management Tool, and you can appeal once if no violation is found.

How long does it take Google to review a reported review?

Google says review evaluation typically takes several days. You can check the status in the Reviews Management Tool.

Why can't I reply to reviews?

You must verify your business before you can reply. Reviews are also only available in certain countries or regions and for certain business categories.

Can I ask only happy customers for a review?

No. The Maps content policy says merchants may not discourage or prohibit negative reviews or selectively solicit positive reviews. Ask every customer for an honest review.

Why did my reply not appear?

Google checks replies against its policies. Most are reviewed within 10 minutes, but it can take up to 30 days, and if a reply isn't approved you'll be asked to edit it.

For more on Business Profiles, see our guides to posts, services, attributes and Google Local Services Ads. For app store ratings, see app ratings and reviews.