Can Businesses Legally Delete Google Reviews in Australia?

Online reviews can have a huge impact on your reputation. For many Australian businesses, a single one-star rating on Google can feel devastating, especially if it’s unfair or inaccurate.

So it’s natural to ask: can a business delete a Google review? And if not, what are your legal options to deal with fake, misleading or harmful feedback without risking a breach of Australian law?

This guide explains what you can and can’t do under Google’s rules and the Australian Consumer Law (ACL), how to escalate reviews that break platform policies, when defamation law may apply, and practical steps to protect your brand. It’s general information, not legal advice-but it will help you make confident, compliant decisions about managing Google reviews in Australia.

Can A Business Delete A Google Review?

Short answer: no. Businesses can’t directly delete reviews left by customers or the public. Google controls review removal. If a review breaches Google’s content policies or Australian law, you can report it and request removal-but you can’t press a “delete” button yourself.

This applies whether you’re a sole trader, partnership, company or franchise. You also can’t edit or hide individual reviews. Your options are to respond publicly, report the review to Google, and keep your Google Business Profile up to date.

What about deleting your Google Business Profile?

Deleting or unclaiming your profile won’t “wipe” the slate. Reviews can remain visible in search or Google Maps, often attached to a closed or unverified listing. You’ll also lose the ability to manage your listing or respond publicly. In most cases, staying engaged and managing your profile is far better for trust and local SEO.

Is It Illegal To Remove Or Manipulate Reviews In Australia?

It’s not illegal to dislike a bad review-but trying to manipulate how your reviews appear can cause serious problems under both Google’s rules and Australian law.

• Posting or procuring fake reviews (positive or negative) is misleading or deceptive conduct under the Australian Consumer Law. This can lead to ACCC enforcement and penalties.
• Filtering out negative feedback or selectively publishing only positive reviews may create a false overall impression, risking a breach of the ACL’s general prohibition on misleading conduct.
• Pressuring, threatening or otherwise coercing customers to remove honest reviews can also be problematic and may be viewed as misleading or unconscionable conduct.

Two key ACL concepts apply here. The general rule against misleading or deceptive conduct is set out in section 18, which bans conduct that misleads or is likely to mislead, including how you handle customer feedback. For claims or representations in reviews (or about your reviews), section 29 also prohibits false or misleading representations about services, testimonials and approval.

It’s important to design your review practices with compliance in mind. For a deeper dive into these principles, it’s worth revisiting section 18 of the ACL and the elements of misleading or deceptive conduct.

Bottom line: you can’t delete reviews yourself, and you shouldn’t try to “game” your ratings. Stick to transparent, lawful practices and use Google’s reporting tools where a review clearly breaks the rules.

How To Ask Google To Remove Fake Or Policy‑Breaching Reviews

If a review is clearly fake, irrelevant, offensive, or otherwise breaks Google’s content policies, you can and should request removal. Here’s a practical approach.

Step 1: Check The Review Against Google’s Policies

Look for obvious policy breaches, such as:

• Hate speech, harassment or personal threats
• Disclosure of personal information (yours or others’)
• Conflict of interest (e.g. a competitor “reviewing” you)
• Spam, off-topic content or promotional material
• Impersonation or reviews with no connection to your business

If it ticks one or more of these boxes, you have grounds to flag it.

Step 2: Flag The Review From Your Business Profile

Sign in to your Google Business Profile, navigate to the review, and select “Flag as inappropriate.” Choose the most accurate reason and include a short, factual explanation (for example, “Reviewer has never been a customer and content is promotional”). Clear, specific notes help moderators assess quickly.

Step 3: Monitor And Escalate If Needed

Google’s response times vary. If you don’t see action and the review is clearly in breach, raise a support ticket through your Business Profile Help options. If there’s a pattern (e.g. review bombing or coordinated spam), be sure to explain that and reference affected dates and review examples.

Step 4: Keep Records

Save screenshots, timelines and any evidence supporting your position (for instance, proof the reviewer has never transacted with you). Good records help if you need further escalation-or legal advice-later.

If you’re weighing up the best strategy for a tricky review matter, many businesses find it useful to compare legal options for fake Google reviews with broader, practical steps from a Google review disputes guide.

When Does Defamation Law Apply To Google Reviews?

Sometimes a review goes beyond harsh opinion and makes false allegations that damage your reputation-for example, claims of criminal conduct, dishonesty or dangerous practices. In these cases, defamation law may be relevant-but there are important limits for businesses.

Who can sue?

In Australia, most corporations cannot sue for defamation. An exception exists for an “excluded corporation,” which generally means a business with fewer than 10 employees that is not related to another corporation, or certain not-for-profit entities. If you fall into this category, defamation may be available.

The serious harm threshold

Recent reforms introduced a “serious harm” element. In practice, an eligible small corporation must show that the publication has caused, or is likely to cause, serious harm to its reputation. This often involves demonstrating serious financial loss or the likelihood of it, depending on the facts.

How defamation claims usually start

Defamation is complex and should be a last resort. The usual pathway starts with a formal concerns notice to the reviewer (and sometimes to the platform), which gives them an opportunity to remove or correct the publication. Litigation may follow if the matter isn’t resolved.

Because defamation litigation is costly, time-consuming and public, many businesses first pursue platform removal based on policy breaches and craft a careful public response. If a review is extremely damaging (and you are eligible to sue), get tailored legal advice early to assess your options and strategy.

Practical Tips For Responding To Negative Reviews

Most reviews won’t reach the threshold for removal or defamation. In those cases, professional, measured responses can turn a tough situation into a positive impression.

Be Calm, Courteous And Short

Thank the reviewer for their feedback, acknowledge what you can, and outline steps you’ll take to investigate or improve. Avoid defensiveness or arguments-future customers are reading your tone as much as your words.

Move The Conversation Offline

Invite the reviewer to contact a named team member directly via email or phone so you can address the issue personally. This signals you care and keeps back-and-forth out of the public thread.

Don’t Escalate

Never threaten, harass or “dox” reviewers. Don’t reveal private customer information in your public response. Stick to neutral, factual language.

Use The Report Function Where Appropriate

If a review includes abuse, personal information, irrelevant content or an obvious conflict, report it. Otherwise, resist the urge to report every negative comment-overusing the tool can slow down genuine takedowns.

Put The Right Policies And Terms In Place

Good internal processes help you prevent disputes and handle complaints early-often before they turn into poor reviews. It also helps to publish clear terms for customers so expectations are set from the start.

• Customer Contract: Sets out service scope, timeframes, warranties, complaints pathways and how you’ll handle issues.
• Website Terms & Conditions: Covers user conduct on your site and how you moderate user-generated content hosted on your platform.
• Privacy Policy: Explains how you collect and use customer information-important if you invite feedback or run follow-up surveys.

Clear policies won’t let you “silence” honest criticism, but they do reduce misunderstandings and show prospective customers you operate fairly and transparently.

Avoid Risky Shortcuts

• Don’t pay for reviews or offer incentives in exchange for positive feedback or removal of negative feedback.
• Don’t “gate” reviews by only asking happy customers to post publicly while steering others to private channels to suppress negatives.
• Don’t publish reviews you know (or ought to know) are fake. That conduct risks breaching the ACL and platform rules.

Key Takeaways

• Businesses in Australia cannot directly delete Google reviews. Only Google can remove content that breaches platform policies or the law.
• Manipulating reviews-by posting fakes, filtering out negatives, or coercing customers-risks penalties under the Australian Consumer Law.
• Use Google’s reporting tools for reviews that are fake, abusive, off-topic or involve conflicts of interest, and keep clear records to support removal requests.
• Defamation law is limited for companies. Only certain “excluded corporations” (generally fewer than 10 employees) can sue, and they must establish serious harm-often serious financial loss.
• Professional, succinct responses, a clear complaints process, and strong customer-facing terms (such as a Customer Contract, Website Terms & Conditions and a Privacy Policy) are your best long-term reputation tools.
• When in doubt-especially with potentially defamatory content-get tailored legal advice before escalating.

If you would like a consultation on legally managing your business’s Google reviews and online reputation, you can reach us at 1800 730 617 or team@sprintlaw.com.au for a free, no-obligations chat.