Google review bombing: what it is and what Google removes

Google's policy page does not use the words review bombing. It names the parts a review bomb is made of. Under fake engagement and rating manipulation, the policy bans:

• Content that is not based on a real experience at the place.
• Content posted from multiple accounts by, or at the request of, one person.
• The same content posted multiple times, from one account or several.
• Unusual volumes or patterns of reviews meant to manipulate a place's rating.
• Content posted on a competitor's listing to undermine its reputation.

The off topic and harassment rules also apply. A rant about a news story is not about a visit, and a threat against your staff is harassment, whatever the star rating.

Google removes reviews that break its policies, and it decides each report on its own. A review bomb is made of single reviews, so it comes down, or stays, one review at a time.

The reviews that break a rule in plain words are the strongest to report: a complaint about a video or a political view, a line copied across many accounts, a threat against a named person. A review from a real customer who is angry stays up, even in the middle of a wave. Google asks owners not to report a review just because they disagree with it, so keep your reports to the ones that break a rule.

1. 1

   Screenshot everything

   Each review with the reviewer name, the date and the stars, plus your listing's rating and review count.

2. 2

   Copy each review link

   Paste them into one log with the date you found each one.

3. 3

   Find the trigger

   A post, a video, a news story or a local forum thread. Save a copy of it with its date.

4. 4

   Hold your replies

   One calm reply on the worst review is enough for now. Long replies to each one feed the attack.

5. 5

   Leave your review count alone

   Reviews from staff or family are a conflict of interest, and a sudden burst of praise is the kind of unusual pattern Google's policy names.

1. 1

   From your Business Profile

   Open your profile, select Read reviews, select the Report icon next to the review, choose the reason that fits and select Send report.

2. 2

   Or from the Reviews Management Tool

   Sign in with the account that manages the listing, select your business, select Continue, then Report a new review for removal, then Report next to the review. Choose the reason and select Submit.

3. 3

   Check the status

   In the same tool, each report shows Decision pending, Report reviewed with no policy violation, or Escalated with an email to follow.

4. 4

   Appeal once

   For a review marked no policy violation, the tool offers a one-time appeal. Select Appeal eligible reviews and pick up to 10 reviews in one appeal.

Some reviews in a wave describe a visit you have no record of. On the page they look like any bad review, and whether the visit happened is a question of who is telling the truth. A short public reply does more for those than a report.

A reply that works: "We have no record of a visit matching this. If you were here, please call the shop and ask for the manager so we can look into it." No names, no accusations and no customer details. New customers read the reply as much as the review.

Paste your Google Maps link into the free check. It reads every low review and labels each one: Off topic for complaints about the news or a post, Spam for copied lines, Abusive language for threats and attacks, and No rule broken for real visits. You tick the ones to file.

Each ticked review is filed once under the policy it breaks. You are billed per review only after Google removes it, and several reviews in one order cost less each.