QWill Google remove a review meant for a different business?

Sometimes, but less often than you'd expect. A review meant for another business on Google usually reads like a real customer's real experience, so Google's reviewers often leave it up. The two things that get it moved are a report that shows exactly why it isn't about you, and a polite message to the reviewer asking them to delete it.

I went through the Google Business Profile Help Community threads where roofers, solar installers and cleaning companies asked for exactly this. The removals were denied far more often than granted.

Why Google leaves a review meant for another business up

Look at it from Google's side. A homeowner wrote an angry, detailed review about a real job. Google can't see which company actually did the job. Unless the review itself makes the mistake obvious, it looks like a normal unhappy customer.

The clearest case I found was in a Help Community thread from a solar installer given a 1-star meant for a similarly named company. A homeowner confused a Massachusetts solar company with an installer in another state that had a similar name. She later posted a near-identical review on the right company's profile. The one on the wrong profile stayed.

Roofers describe the same thing in a thread about a roofing review meant for a different roofer, with removal denied. And cleaning companies get a version of it that doesn't involve a similar name at all. In a thread about an Airbnb guest who 1-starred the cleaning company, the review praised the property and the host, then gave the cleaning company one star. It survived an appeal.

What to do about a misdirected Google review

1. Find the detail that proves it isn't you. A state you don't work in, a product you don't install, a staff name you don't have, a date before you opened. Screenshot the review. That detail is your whole case.
2. Look for the same review elsewhere. Search for the company the reviewer probably meant and check its reviews. If the same text or the same reviewer appears there, screenshot it. That is the strongest evidence you'll get.
3. Reply publicly and politely. Say who you are and where you work, and that the details don't match your business: "We're a roofing company based in [your town] and we don't offer the service described. It sounds like this may have been meant for another company." No blame. The reply is for the next customer reading, not for Google.
4. Report it as off-topic. Flag the review, choose the category for content that isn't about this business, and point to the detail from step one. My guide on the fake review policy Google enforces explains why naming the clause matters.
5. Ask the reviewer to delete it. If you can work out who they are, send one short, friendly message saying they seem to have reviewed the wrong company and asking them to remove it. In the solar case, she found the right company on her own and still didn't delete the first review. Nobody asked her to.
6. If Google says no, appeal once with the evidence from step two. After that, your reply does the work.

Where the mix-ups come from, by industry

• Solar installers often share words in their names (sun, solar, energy, power), and homeowners deal with several companies during a sale: the installer, the finance company, a sales agent. A review aimed at the finance side can land on the installer. Reply by saying clearly what you did and didn't handle. It is one of the first things I explain in solar company SEO.
• Roofers get confused with storm crews and subcontractors who worked on the same street. If a review names a date, check your job records for that address before replying, because sometimes it is your subcontractor. That's a fair review and needs a different answer. More on that in roofing SEO.
• Cleaning companies that service short-term rentals get reviewed by guests who never booked them. The review is about the stay. That's the purest off-topic case, and still worth reporting, but your reply matters more. I cover the reply side in cleaning business SEO work.

How to stop it happening again

If people keep mixing you up with a similarly named company, make the difference obvious where they look. Put your town and service area in your profile description, use your logo as your profile photo, and make sure your business name on Google is exactly your registered name. For advice on the reply itself, see how to reply to a negative review without sounding defensive.

If misdirected reviews are part of a bigger mix-up, such as a duplicate or merged listing, that's work for our Google Business Profile management team.

• Roofing
• Solar
• Cleaning
• Google Business Profile