Trustpilot
Trustpilot Review Removal: The Complete Business Guide
Trustpilot's removal process is distinct from Google's. The dispute path, the escalation options, and the strategic alternatives when removal isn't achievable — all covered here.
How Trustpilot works (and why it's different from Google)
Understanding Trustpilot's architecture is essential before you try to remove anything. The platform operates differently from Google Reviews in several meaningful ways.
Open platform — no purchase required
Anyone can leave a Trustpilot review for any business, without proving they were ever a customer. This is a deliberate design choice — Trustpilot believes the openness creates a more comprehensive picture of a business. It also means abuse potential is higher than on verified-purchase platforms.
Automatic Content Integrity Systems (ACIS)
Trustpilot runs automated detection systems that scan for spam, fake reviews, and suspicious patterns. A meaningful portion of policy-violating reviews are removed proactively by ACIS before a business ever flags them. This is more sophisticated than Google's automated detection — but still imperfect.
Business flagging + proactive removal
Unlike Google, where removal is almost entirely reactive to business owner flags, Trustpilot proactively removes reviews through ACIS. Businesses can still flag reviews that slip through, but Trustpilot's first line of defense is its own automated systems, not yours.
Verified vs. open reviews
Businesses can "invite" customers to leave reviews through Trustpilot's official invitation system. These invited reviews are labeled "Verified" on the profile, signaling to readers that the reviewer was actually a customer. Invited reviews tend to be more positive and are treated slightly differently in Trustpilot's ranking algorithms. This creates a meaningful strategic lever for building review quality, not just volume.
Google integration via structured data
Trustpilot reviews render as star ratings in Google search results through structured data markup. Search for many businesses and you'll see Trustpilot stars appearing directly in the search snippet — sometimes even before the business's own website. This makes a poor Trustpilot rating a direct search visibility problem, not just a reputational one.
The key difference from Google: On Google, review removal is almost entirely in your hands — you flag, you escalate, you appeal. On Trustpilot, the platform itself is a more active participant in content moderation. Your role is still important, but you're working alongside an automated system rather than being the primary detection mechanism.
What Trustpilot will remove
Trustpilot's content guidelines define specific criteria for review removal. Familiarize yourself with these before filing any dispute — a well-matched violation argument succeeds significantly more often than a vague "this review is unfair" complaint.
- ✓Reviews that don't reflect a genuine service experience. If there is no plausible way the reviewer was ever a customer — wrong business type, physically impossible timing, account with no credible history — this is Trustpilot's primary removal grounds. You'll need to make this case specifically, not just assert it.
- ✓Harmful or illegal content. Threats, hate speech, slurs, incitement to violence, and content targeting protected characteristics all qualify. Trustpilot's tolerance for this category is low — these are typically removed quickly.
- ✓Personal information. Reviews containing phone numbers, email addresses, home addresses, financial information, or identification numbers violate Trustpilot's privacy policies. Flag these immediately — they're a data protection issue beyond reputation management.
- ✓References to active legal proceedings. Reviews that discuss the content of ongoing litigation, court cases, or legal disputes involving the business can be flagged for removal on this basis. Legal proceedings have their own venue — they don't belong in review platforms.
- ✓Reviews clearly meant for a different company. Mistaken identity cases — where a review is clearly intended for a similarly-named competitor — are removable when the mismatch is documentable. This is more common than many businesses realize, particularly for generic business names.
The formal dispute process
The Trustpilot dispute process is more structured than Google's. Following it correctly — particularly the explanation quality — significantly affects the outcome.
Claim and verify your Trustpilot business profile
Go to business.trustpilot.com. If your business already has a profile (created by a reviewer), you can claim it by verifying your domain. This gives you access to the business dashboard, where the dispute tools live. You cannot report reviews without a claimed profile.
Navigate to the review you want to flag
From your business dashboard, open the Reviews section. Find the specific review. Before flagging, screenshot it and the reviewer's profile for your documentation records — you may need these if the initial flag is denied.
Click "Report review" and select the violation type
Choose the category that most accurately describes the violation. Trustpilot's categories include "Not a genuine experience," "Contains harmful content," "References legal proceedings," and others. Pick the most accurate match — mismatched categories slow the review process.
Write a clear, evidence-backed explanation
This is the most important part of your dispute. Be specific and factual — emotional arguments are ineffective. Good examples:
Effective: "This review was posted on [date]. We have no record of a customer with this name in our system for the period the reviewer describes. The reviewer profile shows reviews across 4 different service categories in 3 cities within the same week, which is inconsistent with a genuine customer pattern." Ineffective: "This review is completely unfair and the person clearly never used our service. We would never treat a customer this way."
Wait for Trustpilot's content team review
Trustpilot's content team typically reviews flagged content within 72 hours for straightforward cases. Complex investigations may take longer. Trustpilot will notify you by email when a decision is made — check the business dashboard as well.
Escalate if denied
If the review is not removed, Trustpilot provides a reinvestigation path. You can also contact Trustpilot's business support team directly with additional evidence. If you believe the reviewer is a competitor or bad-faith actor with documentable evidence, a formal fraud report is another escalation route.
Using "Request a reviewer update"
Trustpilot has a built-in feature that Google lacks: the ability to send an official "reviewer update" request through the platform. This is a legitimate, policy-compliant way to ask a reviewer to reconsider their review — particularly useful when you've resolved the underlying complaint.
When to use it
- ✓The complaint that triggered the review has been genuinely resolved — refund issued, replacement sent, issue corrected
- ✓There was a clear misunderstanding that has now been clarified with the customer
- ✓The review reflects an experience at a specific point in time, and the situation has materially changed since then
How to write the request message
The message you send through Trustpilot's update request tool goes directly to the reviewer via email. Keep it brief, acknowledge the original experience, reference the resolution, and make the ask optional. Do not offer compensation.
"Hi [Name], thank you for taking the time to review [Business Name]. We want to follow up to let you know that [brief description of how the issue was resolved — one sentence]. We hope this made a difference. If you feel your experience has improved, we'd appreciate it if you had a chance to update your review on Trustpilot — but there's no obligation either way. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to make it right."
What happens next
The reviewer receives an email from Trustpilot with your message and options to update or delete their review. They are under no obligation to act. Response rates vary widely — a genuine resolution with a well-written message typically sees higher update rates than a form request.
Trustpilot limits how many update requests you can send per review. Use the feature once with a well-crafted message rather than sending multiple requests — repeated contact looks like harassment to both the reviewer and Trustpilot.
When Trustpilot says no
Trustpilot's content team denies a significant percentage of dispute requests, including some with legitimate policy violation arguments. When the initial dispute fails, you have four options.
Request reinvestigation with additional evidence
Trustpilot allows one formal reinvestigation request per review. If you have new evidence that wasn't included in the original report — customer records, documentation that the reviewer is a competitor, additional pattern evidence — submit a reinvestigation request through your business dashboard. Reference the original case and present the new evidence clearly.
File a formal fraud report if you have evidence of bad faith
If you have documentable evidence that the reviewer is a competitor, a disgruntled former employee operating under a false identity, or part of a coordinated review attack, Trustpilot has a fraud reporting channel separate from the standard review dispute process. This route is for serious, documented cases — not suspicion.
Respond professionally — Trustpilot responses are indexed by Google
Unlike Google review responses, which appear only on Google Maps and Search, Trustpilot responses are crawled and indexed by Google as part of your Trustpilot profile page. This means your response isn't just addressing the reviewer — it's public-facing content that appears in branded search results. Write responses as if they'll be read by every future customer who searches your business name, because many will be.
Build review volume with verified invitations
Trustpilot's official invitation program lets you send review requests to confirmed customers. These reviews are labeled "Verified" and tend to be more positive than open reviews. Building a high-volume base of verified reviews dilutes the impact of any individual review that can't be removed, and improves your average rating, your Trustpilot ranking, and your Google search star snippets simultaneously.
Trustpilot for B2B businesses
Trustpilot was built primarily with B2C in mind, but it's increasingly important for B2B companies — particularly in finance, SaaS, insurance, legal services, and professional services more broadly. B2B buyers behave differently than consumers, and Trustpilot's role in the B2B buying cycle deserves specific attention.
B2B buyers specifically look at Trustpilot
Procurement managers, finance controllers, and operations leads evaluating vendors frequently check Trustpilot as part of their due diligence. It's a third-party validation source that sits outside the vendor's own marketing. A weak Trustpilot profile — or no presence at all — can stall enterprise deals that are otherwise progressing.
TrustBox widgets for embedding on your site
Trustpilot provides embeddable TrustBox widgets that display your rating and recent reviews directly on your website. For B2B buyers who visit your site during evaluation, a live widget showing real reviews adds credibility that static testimonials cannot. Widgets update automatically as new reviews come in — they never go stale.
The compounding effect
For B2B businesses investing in Trustpilot, the trust signals compound: Trustpilot stars appearing in Google search results (via structured data) + TrustBox widgets on your site + a standalone Trustpilot profile that ranks for your brand name = multiple independent validation points that reinforce each other across the buyer's research journey. This is harder to achieve on Google alone.
If you're a B2B company and your Trustpilot profile is weak or non-existent, this is a high-leverage area to address. The combination of removal work (if you have policy-violating reviews dragging down your rating) and verified invitation campaigns can meaningfully shift how prospects evaluate you. Our review removal service covers Trustpilot alongside Google — reach out at team@reviews.shop for platform-specific guidance.
Frequently asked questions
Can anyone leave a Trustpilot review for my business?
Yes. Trustpilot is an open platform — anyone can leave a review without proving they're a customer. This differs from purchase-verified platforms. Trustpilot's defenses are primarily post-publication (ACIS automated detection) rather than pre-publication gates. This openness is a deliberate policy choice by Trustpilot, not a flaw they're trying to fix.
How long does Trustpilot take to investigate a flagged review?
Straightforward cases are typically reviewed within 72 hours. Complex investigations — particularly those requiring manual research into reviewer identity patterns or coordination — can take 1–2 weeks. Trustpilot will notify you by email when a decision is made. Check your business dashboard as well; decisions sometimes appear there before the email arrives.
Can I hide my Trustpilot profile?
No. Once a Trustpilot profile exists for your business, it cannot be hidden or deleted. The platform is designed for public access. Your option is to claim the profile and manage it actively. Ignoring it doesn't make it invisible — it just means you can't respond to reviews, dispute policy violations, or use the invitation tools to build a positive base.
What's a "verified review" on Trustpilot?
A verified review is one where Trustpilot confirmed the reviewer received an official invitation from the business through Trustpilot's invitation system. These reviews are labeled "Verified" on your profile. Businesses on paid Trustpilot plans can send bulk invitations to customer lists. Verified reviews tend to be more positive and are given slightly more weight in Trustpilot's ranking algorithms.
Can Trustpilot reviews affect my Google SEO?
Yes, in two ways. First, your Trustpilot profile page often ranks in Google for branded searches — meaning a low Trustpilot rating is visible to anyone who searches your business name. Second, businesses using Trustpilot's TrustBox widgets on their website can get star ratings to appear in Google search results as rich snippets via structured data. Both effects are significant for search presence.
Should I respond to every Trustpilot review?
Yes, especially negative ones. Trustpilot responses are indexed by Google, contributing to your search footprint. More importantly, potential customers researching your business will read your responses alongside reviews. A professional response to a negative review demonstrates accountability and often neutralizes its impact on future buyers. Businesses with high response rates also tend to receive more reviews overall — activity generates more activity.
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