Can I Turn Off Google Reviews for My Business?

The short answer is: You can’t turn off Google Reviews for your business. Anyone logged into their Google account can technically leave a review for your business. But wait, there is more to it, of course! In some cases, Google might turn off the reviews for specific reasons such as a sudden review spam (mostly negative reviews and obviously fake reviews).

Additionally, your Google Business Profile may display reviews and overall ratings from other business directories. Currently, there’s no option to disable or hide reviews, nor can you directly delete unwanted ones. However, there are ways to indirectly hide unwanted reviews, prevent negative ones, and, in some cases, even have them removed upon request. We get that you just want to turn off the review function; thus, let’s explore how to manage reviews on Google effectively!

When Can I Delete Reviews from My Google Business Profile?

While there’s no simple “delete” button to remove a review instantly, you can request Google to delete it. However, Google will only grant the request if the review violates its policies.

Reasons for review removal are:

• Off-topic content: Reviews unrelated to an experience at or with the business.
• Spam: Reviews originating from bots, fake accounts, or containing advertisements and promotional content.
• Conflict of interest: Reviews from individuals connected to the business or its competitors.
• Profanity: Reviews containing offensive language, explicit content, or descriptions of illegal activities.
• Bullying or harassment: Reviews that single out and personally attack individuals.
• Discrimination or hate speech: Reviews with harmful language targeting individuals or groups based on identity.
• Personal information: Reviews sharing private details, such as addresses or phone numbers.
• Fake reviews: Reviews are obviously fake if they are overly positive or negative if a large number of nearly identical reviews are submitted at once, if a user with no prior review history suddenly starts posting a huge number of reviews, or if the review explicitly states that the user was "paid" to write it.

Good to know: In most cases, fake reviews and those that don’t meet Google's review criteria are detected and automatically removed by Google’s systems. You’ll receive an email notification when a review has been deleted.

Example: “This is a horrible restaurant. Don’t visit or you will be thrown with tomatoes. Shit place”

This review will most likely be deleted as it obviously violates the guidelines. If they are not automatically deleted, you can request review removal directly from Google Support.

How AI is Used in Review Removal

Google is getting better and better at detecting fake reviews or those that violate its guidelines. Its AI-powered automated systems scan businesses around the clock for reviews that need to be removed.

Reviews without text, those that only contain random emojis, or those from accounts with no other posted reviews, recently created profiles, or no photos at all are common signs of a potential spam attack. Google's automated systems look for both obvious and subtle indicators, flagging reviews accordingly.

From our experience, reviews are mostly only deleted if they are negative! We rarely see 5-star reviews getting automatically deleted unless they are really obviously spam!

Why Can’t I Turn Off Reviews on My Google Business Profile?

It’s simple - Google wants to showcase legitimate, trustworthy, and credible businesses in its local map pack and on Google Maps.

A study of partoo with 1100 participants ages 18-64 found that a whopping 70% turn to online reviews before visiting an establishment because they want to be sure to make the best choice.

This essentially means that a business with a high review count and a strong average rating is more likely to earn trust, attract customers, and drive bookings. But if your business has zero reviews, how can potential customers know if your services, products, or amenities are any good? Exactly - they can’t.

That’s exactly why Google prioritizes businesses with third-party proof of excellence rather than just relying on a company’s own (potentially biased) claims. Since Google values customer reviews so highly, collecting them comes with significant benefits.

Benefits of Google Reviews

• Higher visibility – Positive reviews improve local rankings.
• Better click-through rate (CTR) – Star ratings make Google Business Profiles (GBPs) more attractive.
• Increased trust – Potential customers heavily rely on reviews for decision-making.
• Local relevance – Google uses reviews to determine the relevance of your local business.
• Keyword optimization – Customers often include relevant keywords in reviews that make it easier for search engines to pair your business with local search queries.
• Higher conversion rate – Good reviews increase foot traffic and bookings, thus, revenue.
• Direct customer engagement – Responding to reviews shows great customer service commitment and boosts brand perception.
• Competitive advantage – More and better reviews set your business apart from competitors.

And just that you know: According to a study by Spiegel Research Center, displaying reviews can increase conversion rates by up to 270%.

This comes down to the power of social proof, which builds instant trust with potential customers. Businesses can market themselves all they want, but it’s the independent third-party reviews that truly seal the deal! After reading this, you should be convinced that turning off reviews is a bad idea!

So, let’s explore different strategies to make the most of your review section, enhance your online reputation, and ultimately attract more customers!

How to Prevent Negative Reviews on My Google Business Profile?

You probably found this article because your business isn’t getting only 5-star reviews every day - otherwise, you wouldn’t be searching for a way to turn off the review function. If you’re looking for a way to prevent negative reviews from being published, we have good news for you!

Re-direct Negative Feedback to a Private Survey

This unique feature of our Obenan Review Management Tool allows you to create a special workflow that will redirect customers who want to leave a negative review to a private survey.

How does this work?

1. Create a new review collection campaign.
2. Change the design of the landing page to your brand’s identity by adding a custom image and text.
3. Create a QR code or send out an e-mail campaign with a link to the survey.
4. When customers choose the option to leave a positive review, they are sent directly to your Google Business Profile.
5. When customers want to leave negative feedback, they end up at a private survey where they can leave their reviews. This will only be sent to you internally and will not be published on the Google Business Profile.

If you proactively share the QR code or link via email, customers are more likely to leave their reviews through this channel. This gives you more control over your review section. While it may not fulfill your initial wish to disable reviews entirely, it’s a great alternative - offering far more benefits than having no reviews at all.

Case Study - How Preventing Negative Feedback Improves Online Reputation

Nusr-Et has achieved remarkable results through our review request campaigns, gathering 11,777 reviews across their 26 locations. Our strategic approach has successfully redirected 375 negative reviews to private surveys, protecting their online reputation.

The Impact on a Single Location

Let's examine one location that collected 60 reviews through our campaigns. With our system successfully diverting 13.3% of negative feedback (8 reviews) to private channels, we preserved their stellar online presence.

This impact is significant when you consider the industry standard: each negative review requires 5-10 positive reviews to neutralize its effect Without our intervention, this location would have needed 40-80 additional positive reviews just to maintain their current rating—before seeing any actual improvement.

Measurable Results

Since partnering with Obenan in March 2023 and implementing our review campaigns in July 2023, Nusr-Et has experienced a steady increase in its average rating. This improvement stems from two key factors:

1. Proactively encouraging satisfied customers to share their positive experiences
2. Strategically redirecting negative feedback through private channels

This dual approach has proven highly effective at not just protecting but actively enhancing Nusr-Et's online reputation.

Learn from Your Mistakes

Yes, it may sound obvious - almost cheesy - but if you receive negative reviews, you need to take them seriously! Analyzing hundreds of Google reviews (along with reviews from other platforms like Tripadvisor, Yelp, or Trustpilot) can be overwhelming. We have been there and we know the struggle. Especially if you need to run a business, you don’t have time to read through countless reviews daily. That’s why we’ve created a special tool that does the heavy lifting for you and provides a tailored action plan based on your specific situation - meet Emotion AI.

Emotion AI is designed to analyze customer sentiment and engagement based on online reviews and interactions. It helps businesses understand how customers feel about their services and products by processing vast amounts of data in real time. Understand what hundreds of customers are trying to tell you within two minutes. It is like listening to all those people all at once and understanding every one of them!

Key features of Emotion AI include:

• Sentiment Analysis – It evaluates customer reviews and feedback to determine whether they are positive, neutral, or negative.
• Review & Rating Tracking – Tracks trends in customer ratings and helps businesses see fluctuations over time.
• Competitor Benchmarking – Compares a business's reputation and sentiment scores against competitors.
• AI-Driven Action Plans – Generate recommendations based on customer sentiment trends, helping businesses improve their online reputation.
• Review Response Assistance – Suggests responses for customer reviews based on sentiment, tone, and business priorities.
• Keyword Cloud Analysis – Identifies commonly mentioned words in reviews, providing insights into customer preferences and concerns.
• Reporting & Insights – Allows businesses to export sentiment reports and track performance over custom timeframes.

Let's be honest! This is a relly complex topic we don't want to venture on a side quest now in this article! Thus, check out our detailed article about this topic and learn more about how to turn negative reviews into a real opportunity!

Can I Hide Google Reviews?

While there’s no direct option to "hide" reviews, the more reviews you collect, the more unwanted ones get pushed down. Customers aren’t going to scroll endlessly just to find that one review you’re stressing about.

However, if you're mostly receiving neutral or negative reviews, the real focus should be on improving your service. By consistently gathering positive reviews and redirecting negative feedback to a private survey, you can gradually build a strong reputation. Over time, a higher average rating and a larger number of positive reviews will make potential customers trust your business faster - reducing the likelihood that they’ll dig through reviews specifically looking for negative ones. Those unwanted reviews essentially get buried under the overwhelming number of positive ones!

But how many positive reviews does it actually take to up your average star rating? Check it in two seconds with our free Google review calculator!

How Should I Handle Google Reviews?

If a customer takes the time to write a review, you should take the time to read it and respond accordingly. As we mentioned, reading every review can be time-consuming, and responding takes even longer. But no worries - we have a quick solution for that too!

Automate Your Responses

Replying to both positive and negative reviews is essential for local SEO and signals to Google that you’re active and engaged with your customers. Obenan’s Review Management Tool, of course, includes automated, timely review responses!

How Does That Work?

1. Set up rules for each review scenario. In theory, there are 10 possible scenarios. Stars 1-5 with either review text present or not present.
2. Give our AI input on the preferred tone of voice or any other extras that the reviews should include.
3. Whenever a new Google review is received our AI automatically analyzes the review and crafts a response based on the review rating, content, and of course your prior input!

Why Is This So Beneficial?

• Timely responses (within 1 hour)
• You never miss responding to a single review.
• Increase customer trust.
• Take the air out of negative reviews and calm down disgruntled customers.
• Increased visibility - Google prioritizes businesses that maintain a steady flow of reviews and actively engage with their customers online.

Learn more about how to respond to Google reviews - including text examples (but remember, with Obenan you wouldn't need text examples, of course!).

Wrapping Up

You can’t turn off Google reviews for your business - and even if you could, you really shouldn’t! Google reviews offer many benefits, the most important being social proof, which enhances trust and credibility with both search engines and potential customers. They also boost online visibility, leading to higher conversions (aka more revenue for your business).

And let’s be honest - who doesn’t want a strong online reputation?

Are you suddenly getting a wave of negative reviews and wishing you could just turn off Google reviews for your business - only to realize that's not an option? We know how frustrating that can be! Let us help you manage your reviews and turn a bad situation into something positive.