How to get rid of bad Google reviews: a guide for UK trades

To get rid of bad Google reviews, you first need to know which kind you have. Google takes down reviews that break its rules, and leaves up reviews that are a real customer's opinion, however harsh.

Trades tend to get four kinds: a fake one-star from a competitor, a revenge review from a customer who will not pay, a review meant for another business, and a real customer who is unfair. Each has a different route. This guide sets out each one from Google's own policy and help pages, read on 27 October 2026.

Reviews are part of looking after your Google Business Profile, which is a big part of what SEO for trades means for a local firm. Nothing here is legal advice; the section on solicitors says when to get some.

Can you delete a Google review?

No. Google gives a business two things it can do with a review: reply to it, or report it. Google's help page puts it plainly: "You can report any review, but only those that violate Google policies are eligible for removal." Only the person who wrote a review can edit or delete it.

Google is just as plain about what it will not do: "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."

So the job is to match the review to a rule it breaks. If you cannot, your time is better spent on the reply.

Which reviews will Google take down?

Google removes reviews that break its policy on prohibited and restricted content. For a trade, that means fake reviews, reviews from competitors or anyone with a conflict of interest, reviews about a different business, and abuse. An honest bad review from a real customer stays.

The review	Will Google remove it?	Route
A one-star from a competitor	Yes, if it shows. Google bans posting "on a competitor’s place or business to undermine" it	Report as a conflict of interest or fake
From someone who was never your customer	Yes. Reviews must be based on "a real experience"	Report as fake
Meant for another business with a similar name	Usually. Reviews must be about your experience of that place	Report as off-topic, and reply
From an ex-employee, or a rival's family	Yes. Google's conflict of interest rule names "current or former employment" and "familial relationships"	Report as a conflict of interest
Calls you a crook or a fraud with nothing to back it	Possibly. Google's offensive content rule covers "Unsubstantiated allegations of unethical behaviour or criminal wrongdoing"	Report as offensive
Swearing, threats, hate, or your home address	Yes	Report as profanity, harassment or personal information
The same text from several accounts	Yes	Report as spam, and report the profiles
A sudden run of one-stars, then a demand for money	Yes	Google's extortion report form
A real customer, honest but harsh	No	Reply
A customer who owes you money, describing the real job	Usually not	Reply, and chase the debt separately

Two lines from the rules matter most here. Google says it does allow "content that describes negative experiences in a respectful manner". And the Competition and Markets Authority's fake reviews guidance says a review "is not fake just because the trader who it is about does not like or agree with it".

How do you report a Google review?

Report it from your Business Profile, or through Google's Reviews Management Tool, which is also where you follow the report afterwards. Pick the reason that matches the rule it breaks. Google says evaluation "typically takes several days".

First, keep a record. Screenshot the review, the reviewer's name and the date, and copy the link to it. In Google Maps, open your reviews, select More next to the review, then Share review and Send a link.

From your Business Profile, following Google's steps:

1. Go to your Business Profile.
2. Select Read reviews.
3. Next to the review, select Report.
4. Choose the reason. Google's examples are "Spam" and "Profanity".
5. Select Send report.

Through the Reviews Management Tool:

1. Confirm the email address is the one linked to your Business Profile, or switch account.
2. Select your business, then the option to report a new review for removal.
3. Select Report next to the review, choose the reason in the new tab, and submit.

If one person is behind several reviews, you can also report their profile. In the Google Maps app, tap Business, then Reviews, tap the reviewer's name, then More and Report.

What does "decision pending" mean, and how do you appeal?

"Decision pending" means Google has your report but has not looked at it yet. If Google decides the review breaks no rule, you can appeal once, through the same Reviews Management Tool. Google emails you the final decision.

The tool shows one of three statuses:

Status	What Google says it means
Decision pending	"The review is flagged, but it hasn't been evaluated yet."
Report reviewed, no policy violation	"The review was evaluated and no policy violation was found." You can appeal once
Escalated	"The appeal has been escalated and you’ll get an email about the final decision."

To appeal, open the tool, confirm your account and select your business. Choose the option to check the status of reviews you reported and see appeal options, then select Appeal eligible reviews. Pick the review (you can pick up to 10), select Submit an appeal, fill in the form and submit.

The appeal is one time only, so put your evidence in the form. Say which rule the review breaks, and back it up: no job under that name in your records, the reviewer's other reviews of rival firms, or the dates of a sudden run of one-stars.

If the appeal fails, the review stays live, and your reply is what is left to work with.

How should you reply to a real but unfair review?

Reply calmly, briefly and with facts, and leave out anything private about the customer. Other customers read the reply as much as the review, so write it for them, not for the person who complained.

What Google's own tips say, in short:

• Be polite and short. Long replies "might overwhelm" readers.
• Never share the reviewer's private information, and do not attack them personally.
• Check your records about the job before you write.
• Admit real mistakes, but do not take the blame for things outside your control.
• Invite them to get in touch by phone or email to sort it out.
• Sign it with your name or initials.

Your reply is checked by Google first, which usually takes up to 10 minutes but can take up to 30 days. It then appears under the review as your business, and the customer is told you replied. They can still change their review after reading it.

A reply you can adapt:

Hi [first name], thanks for taking the time to leave a review. I'm sorry you weren't happy with [the part of the job they raised]. [One line of fact: what was agreed, what was done, or what you offered.] I'd like to put this right if I can, so please ring me on [business number] or email [business email]. [Your name], [business name]

Keep it to that. Do not argue the detail in public, and never offer money off, a refund or free work in return for the review being changed or taken down. Google's policy bans incentives for the "revision or removal of a negative review".

What if a customer who won't pay leaves a bad review?

Treat the review and the debt as two separate jobs. A customer who owes you money is still a real customer, so Google will usually leave the review up if it describes the job, even unfairly. Report it only if it breaks a rule, reply with facts, and chase the money separately.

• Report it if it crosses a line. Calling you a thief or a fraud with nothing to back it, swearing, or posting your personal details all break Google's rules.
• Reply without the debt. Do not post the amount, the invoice or where they live. Something like "We finished the work on [date] as quoted and have been in touch directly to resolve the outstanding issue" is enough.
• Never trade the invoice for the review. Offering to write off or cut the bill if they change or remove it is the incentive Google bans. The CMA's fake reviews guidance gives a refund in return for removing negative comments as an example of commissioning a banned review.
• Chase the money properly. Our guide for when a customer is refusing to pay for work done sets out the reminder, the letter before claim and the small claims court.

If the review states things that are untrue and it is costing you work, read the solicitor's letter section below.

What if a competitor is posting fake reviews?

Report each review as a conflict of interest. Google's policy names "industry competitors" as a conflict of interest and bans posting content on a competitor's business to undermine its reputation. Since 6 April 2025, submitting or commissioning a fake review has also been a banned practice under UK consumer law.

Signs worth checking before you report:

• No job, quote or enquiry under that name in your records.
• No detail of a real job: no work, no date, no town.
• Several one-stars in a few days, or the same wording from different accounts. Google's rules cover "unusual volumes or patterns" and content posted "from multiple accounts by or at the request of one person".
• The reviewer's other reviews praise a rival in your area.

Then report each review and the reviewer's profile, and keep your screenshots. If the one-stars come with a demand for money to remove them, use Google's merchant extortion report form instead. Google's advice: "Do not engage with or pay the malicious individuals."

The law. The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 makes submitting a fake consumer review, or commissioning someone to write one, a banned practice (Schedule 20, paragraph 13). The CMA's guidance says negative fakes count as well as positive ones, and the CMA can now fine firms directly. Under its January 2025 agreement with the CMA, Google committed to deleting the reviews of people who repeatedly post fake reviews of UK businesses, and to banning them from posting more.

Do not answer fakes with fakes of your own. Under the same agreement, a business found boosting its rating with fake reviews gets a warning on its profile and cannot receive new reviews.

Should you pay a review removal service?

For one bad review, usually not. A removal service files the same report you can file for free, and only Google decides. No service can make Google remove a genuine review, and the honest ones say so.

RepScan, which ranks on page one for these searches, is a fair example of what you get. When we checked its page on 27 October 2026, it charged €129 per review as a one-time payment, including the report to Google and "a legal review of your case". If it cannot remove the review, "you keep the amount as credit": a credit with RepScan, not your money back. Its own page also says Google does not remove a review "just for being negative if it reflects a real experience".

Before you pay anyone, ask what they will file that you cannot, and whether you get a refund or a credit if the review stays. If they promise to remove a review from a real customer, walk away.

If someone contacts you after a run of one-stars offering to make them go away for a fee, that is the extortion scam Google warns about. Report it and do not pay.

When is a solicitor's letter worth it?

Rarely, and only after Google has refused. It may be worth taking advice when a review states something false as fact, not opinion, such as accusing you of a crime, and you can show it is costing you work. Opinion and genuine experience are not what defamation law is for.

In England and Wales, the Defamation Act 2013 says a statement is not defamatory unless it has caused, or is likely to cause, "serious harm" to your reputation. If you trade as a limited company, the bar is higher: the harm has to have caused, or be likely to cause, the company "serious financial loss". The Act also has its own rules for website operators and complaints about what other people post, one more reason this is a job for a solicitor. Scotland has its own law, and the 2013 Act does not extend to Northern Ireland.

Points to weigh before you start:

• Google has a legal route of its own, its "Report content for legal reasons" request. Google says a copy of each legal notice it receives may be sent to the Lumen project for publication.
• A letter can backfire on a fair review. The CMA's guidance on publishing reviews lists threats of legal action among the ways a trader should not put customers off leaving genuine negative reviews.
• Get advice from a solicitor who handles defamation. In England and Wales, the Law Society's Find a Solicitor lists firms by area of law.

Can more good reviews push a bad one down?

Yes. One bad review among plenty of recent good ones reads very differently from one among three. Google itself says a mix of positive and negative feedback "often feels more trustworthy", and that more reviews and positive ratings can help a business's local ranking.

The short version: ask every customer, at the end of the job, with a direct link. Our free Google review link and QR code generator makes the link in a minute, and our guide on how to get more Google reviews has word-for-word messages for the doorstep, the invoice and WhatsApp. Ask everyone, not only the customers you think are happy: Google does not allow businesses to "selectively solicit positive reviews".

Those reviews stay with your business. Reviews on a directory stay on the directory, the point our guide to Checkatrade reviews makes from the trade side.