Watch: Joshua Albanese on how to hide bad reviews on Google
In this short, Joshua Albanese, founder of The Reputation.org, answers "How to hide bad reviews on Google": you can't hide one; outweigh it, reply well, or remove it if it breaks a rule. Delivered with AI-assisted narration. Every answer is written and verified by our reputation team.
Read the full guide: Is review gating against Google's rules? what's allowed and what isn't →
Video Transcript
Business owner: How to hide bad reviews on Google. Just the worst one.
Joshua: You can't. You can outweigh it yourself, or have a removal team take it down if it breaks a rule. Google's policy says businesses can't discourage negative reviews or ask only happy customers for positive ones. Ask every customer for a review, not just the ones who loved it. That's the simple version. Three things change what customers see. Only the third takes one down.
Business owner: Three things. Go.
Joshua: One. Volume and recency. Ask everyone, with a QR code on the table. Fresh reviews push the old one down.
Business owner: What about sending unhappy people to a private form?
Joshua: That's review gating, and Google bans it. So is buying reviews. Two. Your reply. Calm and specific, right under the complaint, where the next customer reads it. Three. Removal, if it breaks a rule. That means naming the exact policy, digging up proof, and one appeal with no explanation. That's why TheReputation.org exists. We do those steps every day, for you. On the review cases we take on, nearly 90% come down.
Business owner: So bury the fair ones. Fight the rest.
Joshua: If a bad review sits on top of your business, comment "REMOVAL." We'll check whether it can come down and handle it for you.