The vocabulary of review removal, in plain language

A second submission after a platform refuses a report, restating the case against the specific policy clause. Most businesses stop after the first rejection; a well-cited appeal is a different submission entirely.

A review posted by someone with a stake in the business's success or failure — a competitor, a current or former employee, or a person in a dispute with the owner. A recognised ground on Google, Yelp and Tripadvisor.

A public warning Yelp places on a business page when it detects compensated or solicited reviews. More damaging than the reviews it replaces.

Google's term for reviews from accounts with no genuine interaction with the business, including purchased reviews and coordinated networks.

Asking customers about their experience first and only inviting satisfied ones to post publicly. Prohibited by Google and by consumer protection regulators.

A review describing something that happened to someone else. Explicitly outside Tripadvisor's posting guidelines.

A review given in exchange for a discount, prize entry or any other benefit. Breaches Google's and Trustpilot's policies and, in many markets, advertising law.

A review that is not about a customer experience with the business — a complaint about a delivery platform, a political statement, or a review of a different branch.

Proof drawn from a reviewer's behaviour rather than your records: identical text across listings, bursts in a single day, accounts with no local history.

Yelp's automated filter that decides which reviews count towards the rating. Filtered reviews remain visible but are excluded; businesses cannot appeal the filtering.

A formal report submitted through a platform's official channel, citing the policy breached and attaching supporting evidence.

A threat to post a negative review unless a refund, upgrade or other concession is given. Recognised by Tripadvisor and Google, and evidenced by the correspondence you keep.

How fast new reviews arrive. Sudden spikes trigger platform filters — which is why compliant invitation programmes pace the volume.

How much a single review moves your average. A profile with 30 reviews moves noticeably; one with 3,000 barely shifts, which changes whether removal or generation is the right fix.

Trustpilot's rating, which weighs recency and volume alongside the average — so removals alone rarely move it much.

Trustpilot's mechanism for asking a reviewer to document that their experience happened. Unsubstantiated reviews can be removed.