Google Review Policy 2025: Complete Compliance Guide

No, you cannot delete reviews as a business owner. Only the reviewer or Google can remove reviews. You can flag reviews that violate policy, respond professionally to address concerns, and encourage satisfied customers to share experiences (balancing your average). Google will ONLY remove reviews that violate policy—not simply because they're negative or you disagree with them.

Timeline varies: Automated removal (0-48 hours) if algorithms detect clear violations, Manual review (2-5 days) typical, Complex cases (7-14+ days) requiring investigation. In my experience with 1,200+ removal requests, 40% resolve within 48 hours, 35% within 3-7 days, and 25% take longer or get denied. If denied, you can submit one appeal with additional evidence. Appeals succeed approximately 15-20% of the time.

Legally yes—if they're genuine customers. Practically, it's risky for both parties. Google's policy prohibits "posting content on a competitor's place to undermine that business." But if a competitor genuinely patronized your business and had a bad experience, they can review it. Your best defenses: deliver exceptional service, respond professionally, flag obvious fakes with evidence, monitor competitor profiles for patterns. Under India's Consumer Protection Act 2019 and Defamation Law, posting demonstrably false negative reviews can result in legal action.

Short-term: you might get review volume spike. Medium-term (30-90 days): Google's algorithm detects unusual patterns, reviews get removed, profile enters review freeze. Long-term: profile suspension, FTC fines (₹51,744 per violation in U.S.), Consumer Protection Act penalties (₹10 lakh+ in India), permanent reputation damage if exposed. I've watched this play out with clients—none recovered their original review counts. Average permanent loss: 35-60% of reviews. The alternative: build genuine review strategies that create sustainable growth without policy violations.

Technically yes. Practically, not recommended. Google allows disclosed employee reviews, but: they're often flagged as biased and removed, customers discount them when disclosed, mass employee campaigns trigger spam filters, competitors can report them as conflicts of interest. Better strategy: train employees to deliver review-worthy experiences, then let genuine customers do the reviewing.

Step-by-step: Open Google Maps or Search, navigate to your Business Profile, find the suspected fake review, click the three-dot menu next to it, select "Report review," choose the most specific violation category, submit. Google reviews within 2-5 days typically. Pro tip: Screenshot the review before reporting—sometimes they disappear during investigation, and you lose evidence for appeals. For detailed procedures, access Google Business Profile Help.

Depends on violation type: Hate speech/profanity (75%), Spam/gibberish (65%), Fake review with proof (55%), Conflict of interest (45%), Off-topic content (40%), Negative but legitimate (5%). Key factor: evidence quality. Reviews removed most reliably when you can prove reviewer never visited, review contains factually impossible claims, reviewer has conflict of interest, or review violates clear content policy. Negative but legitimate reviews almost never get removed.

No—it's illegal and ineffective. Services claiming to "remove any review guaranteed" operate through fake DMCA takedown notices (illegal), hacking reviewer accounts (illegal), filing fraudulent legal complaints (illegal), or impersonating business owners (illegal). These services violate federal laws, state laws, India's IT Act 2000, result in permanent Google bans if discovered, and often scam businesses. Legal alternative: flag legitimate policy violations through Google's official reporting system. Accept and respond professionally to legitimate negative feedback.

If a review is false but doesn't violate Google's technical policy: Public response: Thank them, express concern, politely correct factual inaccuracies without being defensive, invite them to discuss offline. Example: "Hi [Name], thanks for feedback. We're concerned to hear about your experience. We don't actually offer [service mentioned]. Can't locate your appointment on [date]. We'd love to resolve this—please contact us at [email]." Private follow-up: Email the reviewer directly (if contact available), attempt to resolve or clarify, request review update if misunderstanding is cleared. Why this works: Future customers see you're professional, factual, and responsive.

A review freeze means: customers can still write and submit reviews, reviews enter extended "pending" status, reviews don't publish immediately (or at all during freeze), existing reviews remain visible, you receive no notification from Google. Duration: Typically 30-180 days based on violation severity. How to identify: customers mention leaving reviews you don't see, check Business Profile Reviews for "pending reviews," review volume suddenly drops despite customer claims. How to recover: stop any policy-violating practices immediately, wait out the freeze (appeals rarely work), continue encouraging organic reviews (they'll publish when lifted), focus on other platforms during freeze. Average duration from my experience: 74 days. All eventually recovered but lost competitive ground during the freeze.