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Not every removal request lands. But review platforms are often sympathetic under specific conditions, and it helps to k...
10/14/2026

Not every removal request lands. But review platforms are often sympathetic under specific conditions, and it helps to know what they are before you write your message.

Here's what tends to work in your favor:

When the review was created by a fake account, especially one that was just set up to post that negative review and the other ones you found. Point that pattern out.

When the review uses profanity. Platforms don't love hosting that.

When it's clearly being used as negative marketing, meaning it's there to promote someone else's product or service, probably the reviewer's own.

And when it uses personal information. That one is a complete deal breaker for the platform.

If the review has none of that going on, or if you're dealing with negative press published on a news website, removal usually isn't happening. That's not a dead end though. That's just the signal to put on your SEO hat.

So before you give up: read the review closely, screenshot it, and check it against those conditions. Then make your case in plain language.

Next up, what to do when removal fails.

Here's the first move, and it's the one most people skip.Before you spend a single hour building out profiles and conten...
10/13/2026

Here's the first move, and it's the one most people skip.

Before you spend a single hour building out profiles and content, try to get the negative review removed. Cut the head off the snake.

It sounds obvious, but the order matters. Removal is faster and cheaper than an SEO campaign, so you always try it first.

So how do you actually do it?

First, identify where the negative reviews are. Not just the one that stung. All of them. Search your name, search your business name, and note every platform where something negative is sitting.

Next, figure out whether that reviewer left one review or multiple reviews across different platforms. This comes in handy later, so keep a simple list.

Then you contact those review sites directly and ask.

That's it. No tricks, no magic. You identify, you document, and you ask.

And if the review is published somewhere that isn't a review platform at all, like a news website, removal usually isn't the path. That's when we switch gears, and that's what the next post is about.

For now: find every negative result, note the platform, and make the ask.

Let's talk about the thing home service owners dread most.You wake up, you Google your own business name, and right ther...
10/12/2026

Let's talk about the thing home service owners dread most.

You wake up, you Google your own business name, and right there at the top is a piece of negative press. Maybe it's a review. Maybe it's a news site. Either way, it's the first thing every new customer sees before they ever call you.

That is the exact problem online reputation management, or ORM, was built to solve. And here's the part that matters for you: ORM is really just SEO pointed at your own name instead of at a keyword.

Think about it. A politician or an influencer with negative press sitting at the top of Google would pay just about whatever it takes to get it off page one. You don't have to be famous to have the same problem. You just have to be searchable.

The good news is that page one is not permanent. It's a set of slots, and slots can be filled with better things.

Over the next few posts I'm walking you through how this actually works, step by step, in plain owner-to-owner language. First we try to remove the problem. Then, if that doesn't work, we bury it.

Start by doing one thing today: search your business name and write down every negative result you see. You can't fix a page you haven't read.

Last layer, and this is where I would spend the most time: your business information.Start with your description. During...
10/09/2026

Last layer, and this is where I would spend the most time: your business information.

Start with your description. During setup you maybe put one line or two. Now take up as much character space as possible. It is a great place to introduce yourself and your business, build trust, and work in SEO keywords naturally. Not dumping them or spamming them, because remember, users are reading this and AI bots are reading this, and they are trying to connect your business and your expertise with what people are typing in. There is an AI option that can suggest a description. Just make sure it sounds human. Humans buy from humans.

Next, your website URL. This is so important. Make sure the correct URL is in there, and use your primary URL. View your website on the front end, copy the URL, come back, and paste it in.

Then location and areas. If you have a brick and mortar, make sure your correct address is in there. If you are a service area business, add your service areas, and choose them intentionally. Adding every single one within a huge radius is going to look spammy. Pick the suburbs and towns you actually want to be associated with.

Then business hours, if you have them. If you do not have typical hours, that is fine, it is not missing information.

And finally, go through the identity attributes and select everything that makes sense for you.

If I had to break down how to optimize your profile in one sentence, it would be: fill out the profile as completely as you can.

So here is your move. Open your Google Business Profile, pick one section from this series, and make that single update today.

Next up is the trust and connection layer.Let us talk reviews. Reviews play a very big role in where you show up in rank...
10/08/2026

Next up is the trust and connection layer.

Let us talk reviews. Reviews play a very big role in where you show up in rankings. It is a trust building factor. AI cares about it, Google cares about it. But it is not really something you can optimize a lot, and it is not something you can check off a list. The practical move is this: click get more reviews, grab that review link, and get in the habit of sharing it with previous customers and clients. There are creative ways to share it, but the habit is the whole point.

Then there are posts. Adding a post to your profile is a bit like the old days of posting updates on a page to let your audience know about offers, promotions, and events. You can do exactly that on your Google Business Profile. It keeps your profile active and gives people something current to see.

And then link your social profiles. This one is so important. People can find your profile and maybe they are not ready to book you yet, but they want to follow you on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or LinkedIn. So come in and link them. Use the full web address, not the handle or username. This also helps AI connect your business, your profile, your website, and your socials together so it understands it is the same brand.

Some edits go through a pending process, and that is normal. It does not mean you did anything wrong.

Let us start with the visual layer, because this is the first thing people notice.First, your logo. If you see a little ...
10/07/2026

Let us start with the visual layer, because this is the first thing people notice.

First, your logo. If you see a little generic placeholder person instead of your logo, that needs fixing. It matters for brand visibility and brand recognition. Here is the part people miss: do not just click the general add photos button. Click the specific add a logo link instead, upload your logo, make sure it is cropped correctly, and save. Then it will probably look like it did not upload at all. Close out, refresh the page, and you should see it right away. If you do not like the crop, you can go back into photos and change your logo.

Next, add a cover photo. Think of it as a welcome mat that welcomes people into your profile.

Then add the other photos. When people look at a profile, they are looking for photos that represent the business. If you have a physical location, show your front door, the building, the inside of your office or studio. Imagine somebody has no idea what they are walking into. You want them to feel familiar with your space just from the photos. If you are a service area business without a storefront, use this space for previous client projects and a professional photo of you. People buy from people, and a brand photo does wonders at humanizing your business.

One more thing: come back and refresh your photos about once a quarter. That keeps your profile updated from a visual standpoint.

So you signed up for your Google Business Profile and you got it verified. That part is behind you.And now you are sitti...
10/05/2026

So you signed up for your Google Business Profile and you got it verified. That part is behind you.

And now you are sitting there wondering, okay, how do I actually get the most out of this thing? What am I supposed to pay attention to now?

If that is where you are, you are in exactly the right place. This is the question worth asking, and it is the one most local service business owners never get around to answering.

Over the next few posts I am walking you through the foundational things to optimize on a profile that is already up and running. No weird internet hacks. No renaming your business to stuff in a keyword. Just the practical stuff that makes your profile work harder for you.

Here is the thing to hold onto today: the setup steps got you a profile. They did not get you an optimized one. Those are two different jobs, and the second one is where the good stuff lives.

So before we dive in, take a peek at your own profile. Does it look finished to you, or does it look like something you filled out once and forgot about?

Step four is your last shot at removal. If your appeal was denied, head over to the Google Business Profile community su...
10/02/2026

Step four is your last shot at removal. If your appeal was denied, head over to the Google Business Profile community support forum and raise a new ticket. Be sure to include the case ID number you received by email when you appealed. Hopefully one of the moderators can escalate your case to Google and help get that negative review taken down. And be gentle with the moderators, they are doing this for free and they do not work for Google.

Now, what if everything fails? Here is what you can do to lessen the impact.

First, it is not the end of the world. A few negative reviews can actually make your business look more real. Nobody is perfect. Just make sure you respond to them in a calm and professional way.

Second, focus on getting more positive reviews to bury the bad one in the mix.

Third, whenever you ask clients for reviews, encourage them to add pictures. Reviews with images usually get pushed to the top of the list and stick around longer, which helps push those negative ones further down.

So here is your move today. Open your Google Business Profile, reply politely to any negative review still sitting there, and start asking recent clients for reviews with photos. Steady review management is the long game, and you are already playing it.

If flagging did not do the trick, step two is the Google review removal tool. Google introduced this tool to make it eas...
10/01/2026

If flagging did not do the trick, step two is the Google review removal tool. Google introduced this tool to make it easier for business owners to report reviews for policy violations, and even better, to check the status of the ones they have already flagged.

Open the tool while logged in with the Google account connected to your business profile, select your profile, and click continue. From there you have two options: check the status of already reported reviews, or report new ones. To report a new review, click report a new review for removal, find the review, click report, and choose your reason.

When you check status, you will see one of three things. Decision pending means Google is still processing your request. Report reviewed no policy violation means Google decided the review does not violate their policies and will not remove it. Escalated means your appeal has been escalated and you will get a decision by email.

If the review you flagged is not listed at all, that usually means Google removed it. If you see report reviewed no policy violation, that is your cue for step three: appeal the decision.

Go back into the tool, choose the option to check the status of a review you already reported and your appeal options, select the appeal eligible review, pick the review, and click submit an appeal. That opens a form where you can explain your case in more detail and give context on why the review should go. After you submit, Google support emails you a case ID number. Write that number down, because you will want it for the next step.

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