Fake Google reviews: how to report and remove them (UK)
How to spot fake Google reviews on your business, report them, use the Reviews Management Tool to appeal, and when the law or a solicitor comes into it.
Read →Glossary
What is Review management?
Also called: reputation management, online reviews, Google reviews, review requests.
Review management means treating reviews as a regular job rather than something that happens by accident. That covers asking customers for reviews after a job, making it easy with a direct link, replying to reviews, and dealing calmly with negative ones.
Google reviews matter most for local search, but Facebook, Trustpilot, Checkatrade and industry-specific sites can matter too, depending on where your customers look.
Reviews must be genuine. Fake reviews, buying reviews, or only asking customers you know are happy while hiding the process from others can breach Google's policies, and under UK consumer protection law fake reviews are banned outright.
Why it matters for your business
Reviews are often the deciding factor between you and the business listed next to you, and they are part of how Google ranks local listings. A steady trickle of recent reviews, with polite replies, looks far more trustworthy than a handful from years ago.
Example. A groomer texts every customer a direct Google review link the evening after their dog's appointment, and replies to every review within a day, including the occasional grumpy one.
Related terms
Referral schemes for small businesses: how to set one up that works
How to run a referral scheme for a small business: when they work, reward options, how to ask, trade partnerships, tracking referrals and the rules on reviews and promotions.
Read →UK website legal requirements for small businesses: the 2026 checklist
What a UK business website legally has to show and do in 2026: business information, company details, privacy notice, cookies, online selling rules, reviews and pricing, with links to the regulators.
Read →£299to set up
£99a month
3working days to launch
You approve it before anything goes live.
Designed from scratch, every word written for you, hosting and Google setup included. Or pay £1,795 once and £49 a month with no minimum term.
Let’s get your phone ringing.
£299 setup, then £99 a month. Live in 3 working days. Tell us what your business does - we reply the same working day.