How to Remove Bad Reviews From Yelp?

Business owners with a rating drop on Yelp can also see a sales drop shortly after. 

Yelp is a popular online platform attracting many people to check out reviews and information about local businesses, salons, restaurants, etc. It provides a wide range of scope to budding business owners and offers tremendous growth opportunities.

A recent study showed that 97% of Yelp users successfully purchased from a business they found on Yelp. In another survey conducted in 2014, Yelpers posted around 26,380 reviews per minute on the platform. Companies that have experienced negative or fake reviews may wonder how to remove bad reviews from Yelp.

For any local business, it's evident that Yelp matters. In this article, we will discuss removing bad reviews from Yelp and boosting your rating.

How do you find out who wrote a Yelp review?

Some reputations suffer due to negative Yelp reviews on the platform, affecting the businesses' scores and ultimately boiling down to an overall loss. Customers and competitors sometimes leave fake reviews about other platforms to destroy their reputation and gain an edge.

It helps them steal the customers of competitors and make profits. Hence, it is imperative to remove bad Yelp reviews so that any underhanded competitor cannot get an undue advantage.

Click the reviewer's profile to find out who wrote a Yelp review. You can then see personal details about them, such as other companies they have reviewed, where they are located, and photos of the person. 

If you do not recognize the name or they are located far away from your local business, this may be a fraudulent review.

How to Spot Fake Yelp Reviews

Even with the Yelp filter on work, some fake and false reviews somehow slip through the cracks, deteriorating the business's image. However, one should know how to spot and report counterfeit reviews to keep themselves safe from competitors and such sleazy acts. 

The following are the red flags that can help one sniff fake reviews instantly:

Frustrated ex-employees

After employees are fired or mistreated at the workplace, they try to get back at the organization by leaving bad reviews with fake profiles. Disgruntled former employees are often found to be the source of misleading and fraudulent reports. They try to slander the business for the sake of taking revenge. One should look out for such signs and look into the job review sites to get to the depth of matter from one's end.

Competitors or rivals

The business competitors can also leave nasty reviews on Yelp to snatch the customers of the rival. It is also a common occurrence to slam the business of others and garner more potential customers. People often pay others to make fake profiles and leave negative reviews via made-up accounts.

Accidental posts

Customers can also make honest mistakes. An unsatisfied customer can get confused between the names or pages of two businesses and leave a negative review on the wrong business page. It can happen accidentally but still fulfill the purpose of sabotaging one's company.

How to Report Inappropriate Reviews on Yelp

Negative or inappropriate reviews can harm a business’s reputation. If a review violates Yelp’s content guidelines, you can report it for removal. Yelp’s content moderation team will evaluate the review and take action if it breaches their policies.

Follow these simple steps to flag a review for removal:

Step 1: Identify a Review That Violates Yelp’s Guidelines

Look for signs of inappropriate content, such as:

• Harassment or threats toward a business or individual.

• Hate speech or discriminatory remarks.

• Inaccurate reviews based on false claims.

• Conflict of interest, such as reviews from competitors or former employees.

• Bad actors posting misleading reviews to damage a business.

Step 2: Report the Review on Yelp

1. Go to the business’s Yelp page.

2. Find the review you want to report.

3. Click the three-dot menu (⋮) next to the review.

4. Select “Report review.”

5. Choose a reason that matches the issue, such as “Inappropriate content” or “Conflicts of interest.”

Step 3: Explain the Violation (Optional but Recommended)

For faster action, provide a short explanation:

• Example: “This review contains threats and does not reflect a real customer experience.”

• Example: “This review was posted by a competitor and violates Yelp’s review guidelines.”

Step 4: Track the Review Status

• Yelp’s content moderation team will review your report.

• If it violates Yelp’s review guidelines, they will remove it.

• You will receive an email update on the decision.

Step 5: Use a Reputation Management Solution

If you receive frequent negative reviews, consider reputation management services. These tools help businesses:

• Monitor reviews across platforms (Yelp, Google, Facebook).

• Respond professionally to feedback.

• Handle inaccurate or fake reviews effectively.

Pro Tip: Addressing legitimate negative reviews with excellent customer service can boost credibility and improve public perception.

Taking action against harmful reviews ensures fair, honest feedback and protects your business’s online reputation.

Does The Yelp Algorithm Remove Positive Reviews?

The review filter of Yelp hides irrelevant content on its own. Yelp is like other platforms that fetch reviews from people about businesses. It has also set some content guidelines that decide the kind of content that can flow on the platform, especially for words that would be filtered out. The Yelp algorithm analyzes the reviews coming from people and hides or removes those that violate the guidelines. 

Yelp claims they filter out hate speech, threats, obscenity, and bigotry to discourage the flow of harmful content on the platform. However, most of this content will get past the filter unless you report the review to their support. In the past, Yelp has been accused of extortion and making customers pay them to remove reviews on their business page. 

Recently, Yelp has added a section for “reviews that are not recommended”. This hides reviews from users that are not established reviewers, experiences that are not detailed, and reviews that Yelp finds not useful. There is no definitive proof that Yelp hides positive reviews in this section unless you have a paid sponsorship.

How to Delete Your Personal Yelp Review

If you posted a review on Yelp and want to remove it, follow these simple steps. Whether you’ve changed your mind, made an error, or no longer want your feedback visible, Yelp makes it easy to delete your review.

Step-by-Step Guide to Removing Your Yelp Review

1. Log into Yelp

   • Open the Yelp app or visit www.yelp.com.

   • Sign in to your account.

2. Find Your Review

   • Click on your profile picture (top right corner).

   • Select "Reviews" from the dropdown menu.

   • Scroll to locate the review you want to delete.

3. Click the Three Dots

   • Next to your review, click the three dots (⋮).

   • A menu will appear with different options.

4. Select "Remove Review"

   • Click on "Remove Review" to start the deletion process.

   • Yelp may ask for a reason for removal (optional).

5. Confirm Deletion

   • A pop-up will ask you to confirm. Click "Yes" to delete your review permanently.

Reporting a Yelp Review Instead?

If you're trying to report a Yelp review written by someone else, use the "Report" option instead of "Remove Review." Yelp will then review the complaint to determine if the review violates their policies.

Quick Tip: Once you remove a review, you cannot restore it. If you’re unsure, consider editing instead of deleting.

By following these steps, you can easily manage your Yelp reviews and keep your online presence accurate and professional.

How to Edit or Update a Review on Yelp

Customers often change their opinions based on new experiences with a business. Maybe your latest experience was better (or worse), or you noticed typos in your original review. Yelp makes it easy to edit a review or update a review to reflect your latest thoughts.

Step-by-Step Guide to Editing a Review on Yelp

1. Log into Your Yelp Account

   • Open Yelp.com or the Yelp app.

   • Sign in to your Yelp account.

2. Find Your Review

   • Click on your profile picture (top right corner).

   • Select “Reviews” from the drop-down menu.

   • Scroll to find the review you want to change.

3. Make Changes to Your Review

   • Click the “Edit” button below the review.

   • Adjust the text to correct typos, add details, or clarify your thoughts.

   • If your opinion has changed, update the content to reflect your latest experience.

4. Update the Star Rating (If Needed)

   • If the business improved or declined, adjust your new star rating accordingly.

5. Publish Your Updated Review

   • Once you're satisfied, click “Save” or “Publish” to make your changes live.

What Happens After Updating a Review?

• The business receives a company response notification.

• Your original review is replaced with the new one.

• Other customers can see the changes and your latest experience.

Updating reviews helps businesses and customers alike. It keeps information accurate and allows companies to improve their service.

Restoring Your Business on Yelp

A 2018 study showed that 84% of people trust online reviews just as much as personal recommendations, while 20% of online reviews are fake.

With 145 million monthly visitors, Yelp has earned many audiences. Unfortunately, repairing your rating on Yelp is not a piece of cake.

Also, no hard and fast rule identifies whether a review is authentic or fabricated. However, be it a small venture or a large organization, sliding profits is essential, and for that, one needs to sort out the difference between real and fake reviews.

Business owners need to develop a proactive review request strategy to get more positive reviews on Yelp. This can entail emailing customers who recently visited with a link to your Yelp business page, adding their review widget to your website or email, and asking happy customers to share their experiences. 

Without a review management strategy, you will leave your Yelp rating to chance. You leave your company to receive a review only when a customer has had a negative emotional experience. 

To learn more about managing Yelp reviews or speaking with a review specialist, call us today at 855-750-0583.

Managing Negative Reviews: Smart Alternatives for Businesses

Negative reviews can feel like a setback, but they don’t have to damage your business. Instead of focusing on removal, businesses should adopt customer feedback management strategies that turn criticism into growth opportunities. Responding professionally and using negative review response templates can help maintain credibility while addressing concerns.

One effective method is happy customer engagement. Encourage satisfied clients to leave positive reviews, which balances out occasional negative feedback. A solid review volume strategy ensures that a few bad reviews won’t dominate your online reputation.

Being proactive is key—use proactive review solicitation to request feedback from loyal customers before issues arise.

If competitors leave unfair reviews, review issues can be reported to Google. Meanwhile, businesses should implement defensive action strategies by responding transparently to fake or misleading reviews.

Instead of getting defensive, use impact-reduction techniques like highlighting positive testimonials on social media and improving customer interactions to strengthen trust.

A strong online reputation management plan includes monitoring reviews, engaging customers, and continuously improving service. Businesses that embrace feedback and handle criticism professionally build trust and long-term success.

How to Handle Negative Reviews?

Being on the receiving end of critical feedback is disappointing. However, one should handle the bad Yelp reviews by considering them a constructive improvement. It is crucial to respond to them with a calm mind and apologize for the customer's dissatisfaction. The response to bad reviews should end politely, ascertaining better customer service in the future.

It is natural to slip up sometimes. There can be many reasons, like customers over-expecting or cashiers making an honest mistake while billing and anything of that sort. Thus, criticism would boost profit and improve the business, leading to satisfied customers. In hindsight, a page crowded with positive reviews only would also appear to be suspicious and fake. Having a balance in reviews goes a long way. Remember, trust and reputation go hand in hand.

NewReputation has helped hundreds of brands build a better online reputation. Contact us today for a free proposal to remove a negative review from Yelp.