The 12 Google Policies That Can Actually Get a Bad Review Removed

Every legitimate removal request we submit cites one or more of the specific categories below. If a review doesn't clearly fit into one of these 12 buckets, it almost always stays up.

1. 1. Spam & Fake Engagement — Coordinated review bombs, bot networks, or reviews posted as part of fake engagement schemes.
2. 2. Non-Customer Reviews — Reviews from people who never visited, purchased from, or meaningfully interacted with your practice.
3. 3. Conflicts of Interest — Reviews from competitors, former employees, business partners, or anyone with a clear motive to harm your reputation.
4. 4. Off-Topic Content — Reviews that rant about politics, other businesses, or topics completely unrelated to the patient experience at your office.
5. 5. Personal Information — Reviews that share private details such as addresses, phone numbers, license plates, or employee names.
6. 6. Offensive Content — Profanity, slurs, harassment, hate speech, or attacks based on protected characteristics.
7. 7. Dangerous & Derogatory Content — Threats, bullying, doxxing, or content that incites real-world harm.
8. 8. Impersonation — Fake accounts pretending to be a real patient, employee, or another business.
9. 9. Illegal Content — Copyright violations, terrorist content, or sexually explicit material.
10. 10. Restricted Content — Promotion of illegal activity or prohibited products/services.
11. 11. Sexually Explicit Content — Pornographic material or graphic sexual descriptions unrelated to clinical care.
12. 12. Terrorism & Violence — Content glorifying violence, making threats, or supporting violent organizations.

These are the only categories Google will consider when evaluating a removal request. Everything else — including many reviews that feel deeply unfair — is generally protected speech on the platform.