Google's review-reply guidelines, translated

Google's Prohibited and Restricted Content policy for reviews and replies runs to about 2,500 words. Most owners never read it, then wonder why a reply disappeared. This is the plain-English version — no legal advice, just the parts you'll bump into.

What Google will remove your reply for

• Personal information — the reviewer's full name (if they went by a first name only), address, phone number, email, or booking reference.
• Health information about a specific patient. This one catches clinics constantly.
• Threats, harassment, or accusing the reviewer of a crime (including 'this is a fake review from a competitor').
• Profanity, hate speech, or sexually explicit language.
• Off-topic content — using the reply to advertise something unrelated to the review.
• Impersonation — replying as a different business, a Google employee, or the reviewer themselves.

The clinic / salon rule you can't sidestep

If you run any healthcare-adjacent business, do not confirm in a public reply that the reviewer was a patient, client, or customer. This includes physiotherapy, dentistry, aesthetics, therapy, chiropractic, and most beauty treatments.

Instead of 'Thanks for choosing us for your Botox appointment', write 'Thank you for the kind words — we'd love to see you again'. The reviewer's own review is public; your reply doesn't need to reference the treatment to be warm.

What compliant looks like

The 'fake review' trap

You suspect a review is from a competitor. You reply 'this is clearly a fake review'. Google removes your reply and the review stays. Now you look defensive and you've lost your right to reply.

The correct sequence: flag the review inside Google Business Profile (Reviews → three-dot menu → Flag as inappropriate), then reply in a measured way that signals to real readers that you don't recognise the visit. See the last template in our 1-star templates piece for the shape.

Advertising in replies

Mentioning a follow-up service the reviewer might want is fine. Pasting your full menu, your discount code, or a link to a competitor product review is not. The reply should be about the review, not about your marketing calendar.

GDPR overlays (UK / EU)

Google's policy is the floor. In the UK and EU, replying to a review with information the reviewer didn't disclose themselves — even innocuously ('great to see you on Tuesday afternoon') — can be a data-protection issue for regulated sectors. When in doubt, mirror only what the reviewer wrote.

Two-minute compliance checklist

1. No last names, appointment times, treatments, or order numbers you're adding yourself.
2. No accusations, no 'fake', no 'competitor'.
3. No links or promo codes unless the reviewer asked how to reach you.
4. Read it out loud. If it sounds like a lawyer wrote it, rewrite it.