How to Spot and Deal With Fake Reviews

Introduction

Fake reviews are a serious and growing problem for local businesses. Whether it's competitors posting negative reviews, disgruntled former employees or fake accounts selling positive reviews — all forms undermine trust in the review system. Research suggests that up to 30% of online reviews may not be authentic. In this article we explain how to spot fake reviews, how to officially report them to Google, and which strategies you can use to effectively push bad or fake reviews down.

How to recognise a fake review

There are several signals that point to a fake review. Look for reviewers without a profile photo or with few other reviews. Pay attention to the language: fake reviews are often extremely positive or negative without specific details about the product or service. Also check the timing: multiple reviews in a short time from new accounts is very suspicious.

• Reviewer has no or very few other reviews
• Extreme language without specific details
• Multiple reviews from new accounts in a short time
• Review doesn't match your customer base
• Reviewer posts reviews at totally different businesses in different cities on the same day
• Text appears auto-generated or contains unnatural sentences

Reporting fake reviews to Google

Google offers the ability to report reviews that violate their guidelines. Go to the review, click the three dots and select 'Flag as inappropriate'. Google will assess the report and remove the review if it indeed violates guidelines. This process can take several days to weeks. You can also use the official Google form for fake reviews to report inappropriate reviews.

• Step 1: Open the review on your Google Business Profile
• Step 2: Click the three dots next to the review and select 'Flag as inappropriate'
• Step 3: Choose the reason that best fits (spam, fake, irrelevant, etc.)
• Step 4: Use the official Google form to report the review
• Step 5: Collect screenshots and patterns as evidence
• Step 6: File an appeal if needed via the Google Business Profile dashboard

Reviews with photos appear at the top

What many business owners don't know is that Google gives reviews with photos higher priority in display. Reviews with images are shown more prominently and often appear at the top of the review overview. This is because Google considers visual content more trustworthy and relevant — photos prove the reviewer was actually on location. This is a powerful strategy to push negative or fake reviews down.

• Reviews with photos are displayed more prominently by Google
• Visual reviews get up to 2x more engagement from potential customers
• Photos prove authenticity — Google trusts these reviews more
• The more photo reviews you have, the further bad reviews sink down
• Encourage customers to add photos of your product, location or result
• Use your review link and specifically mention that photos are welcome

Pushing negative reviews down

You can't always get negative or fake reviews removed, but you can effectively push them down. The key is volume: the more recent, positive reviews you collect, the less visible that one negative review becomes. Google also gives more weight to recent reviews, so a consistent stream of new positive reviews is the best strategy.

• Collect new reviews structurally — consistency matters more than quantity
• Ask satisfied customers specifically for a review with a photo
• Respond professionally to every review (including negative ones)
• Use a review link to make it as easy as possible for customers
• Schedule a weekly moment to ask for reviews
• Older negative reviews automatically lose weight with Google

Legal options

In serious cases of fake reviews or review-bombing, you can consider legal action. In worldwide, defamation is punishable and you can hire a lawyer to have a review removed via a court order. However, this is a last resort and often expensive. In practice, it's more effective to focus on collecting authentic positive reviews.

Proactively protect your business

The best protection against fake reviews is a large volume of real reviews. When you have hundreds of authentic reviews, a single fake review barely stands out. Additionally, structurally monitoring your reviews helps you act quickly on suspicious activity.

• Build a strong base of authentic reviews (ideally 50+)
• Monitor your reviews daily with a review management tool
• Respond within 24 hours to every new review
• Document suspicious patterns for potential reporting
• Keep your Google Business Profile up to date with current information and photos

Summary

Fake reviews are annoying but manageable. By staying alert, reporting suspicious reviews via Google's official form, and building a strong base of real reviews (preferably with photos), you effectively protect your online reputation. Want to know where your online reputation stands? Take a free reputation scan.