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Fake, unfair and missing reviews.

What Google will remove, how to report a review, and what to do when one goes missing.

12 guides, 5 to 7 minutes each

  1. How to Handle a Fake Google Review on Your Business Profile

    Receiving a review from someone you're sure never used your business — a competitor, an organised attack, or a case of mistaken identity — is one of the most frustrating things that can happen to a local business online. Here's what actually works, and what makes things worse.

    7 min read

  2. How to Report a Fake Google Review (and What Actually Gets Removed)

    Spotting a review you're convinced was never a real customer is infuriating — but flagging it doesn't guarantee Google will act. Here's the honest picture: what qualifies for removal, how the process works, and what else you can do.

    5 min read

  3. What to Do When a Customer Threatens You With a Bad Review

    Every so often a customer skips the review and goes straight to the threat — a refund, a discount, or a freebie, or else a one-star review goes up. It's an uncomfortable position, but there's a level-headed way through it that doesn't involve caving.

    6 min read

  4. Review Bombing: What It Is and What to Do If It Happens to You

    A sudden wave of one-star reviews with nothing to do with an actual customer experience is called review bombing. Here's how to recognise it, respond calmly, and get it in front of Google properly.

    7 min read

  5. A Former Employee Left a Google Review: How to Handle It

    A review about what it was like to work for you lands in the same place as your customer feedback, where nobody browsing can tell the difference. Google's policies do cover this — here's how to report it, what to write while it's still up, and the responses that make it worse.

    7 min read

  6. What to Do When a Google Review Was Meant for a Different Business

    Sometimes a one-star review lands on your profile by mistake — a similarly named competitor, a different branch, or a straightforward mix-up. Here's how to tell, what Google will actually act on, and how to respond while you wait.

    6 min read

  7. Google Review Scams: What Small Business Owners Should Watch For

    Not every offer to "boost your Google rating" is legitimate — some are expensive nothing, others can get your profile suspended, and a few are outright fraud. Here's how to tell a real reputation service from a scam.

    6 min read

  8. Does Google Verify That Reviews Are From Real Customers?

    Short answer: not before it's published. Here's what Google actually checks, what it doesn't, and what that means for how you handle reviews on your own profile.

    5 min read

  9. Google Review Says "A Google User" — What It Means and How to Respond

    Some reviews show up with no name at all — just "A Google User." It looks suspicious, but it usually isn't. Here's why it happens, how to tell if it's actually worth worrying about, and how to reply when you have no name to work with.

    5 min read

  10. Why Google Reviews Disappear — and What You Can Actually Do

    If a review you remember vanishes from your profile overnight, you're not imagining it. Google's automated systems remove reviews every day — including legitimate ones. Here's what's happening, why, and how to respond without making things worse.

    6 min read

  11. How Long Does It Take for a Google Review to Show Up?

    A review that doesn't appear straight away isn't necessarily lost — Google's checks can hold a genuine review back for hours or days before it ever reaches your profile. Here's what causes the delay, what to check, and when it's worth following up.

    5 min read

  12. Can You Turn Off Google Reviews? What's Actually Possible

    It's one of the first things a business owner looks for after a rough week on their profile — a switch that stops reviews coming in. There isn't one, and the workarounds people reach for next usually make things worse. Here's what you can actually control.

    6 min read

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