Short answer
A insurance agency can get a Google or Yelp review taken down when the review breaks that platform's published content policy. Reputation Medics files the case for $397 per Google review and $697 per Yelp review. Pay upfront. If the specific item is not removed within 30 days, the removal fee is automatically refunded.
Yes, when the review breaks a published platform policy. A truthful account from a real customer stays up, however harsh it reads. Google, Yelp, and the sites we file with make the final removal decision. What we guarantee is the automatic refund of the removal fee if the item stays up past 30 days.
$397 per Google review, $697 per Yelp review, and $497 per harmful link on another site. One price per item, no retainer. Pay upfront. If the specific item is not removed within 30 days, the removal fee is automatically refunded.
Reviews that map to a published policy: a reviewer who was never a customer, a competitor or former employee, off-topic content, private details about staff, prohibited language, or specific factual claims your records contradict.
Filing happens after payment and onboarding details are received. The 30-day window in the refund term is the clock that matters: if the specific item is still up after 30 days, that removal fee comes back automatically. Google, Yelp, and the sites we file with make the final removal decision. What we guarantee is the automatic refund of the removal fee if the item stays up past 30 days.
On the advisory client, per year job type, a $2,000 job at a 100% gross margin is $2,000 of gross profit. That is the arithmetic on a single job, using the cited benchmarks below.
The start form takes a few minutes if you have these four things in front of you. Nothing else is required to open the case. The full list is below.
Gross profit is the job value multiplied by the gross margin in the same row. Nothing is projected. Every job value, close rate, and margin below is cited in the sources at the end of this page.
| Job type | Average job value | Close rate | Gross margin | Gross profit per job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Advisory client, per yearAverage client assets at the published fee for accounts under $1 million. | $2,000 | 30% | 100% | $2,000 |
| Itemized tax returnMidpoint of the published $300–$600 fee for a Form 1040 with Schedule A. | $450 | 30% | 100% | $450 |
| Corporate returnMidpoint of the published $750–$1,250 fee for a Form 1120. | $1,000 | 30% | 100% | $1,000 |
| Funded mortgage loanAverage company profit per loan in 2024. | $443 | 30% | 100% | $443 |
Run your own numbers on the Insurance Agencies revenue calculator.
Every case cites a documented policy violation. If the review maps to none of these, we say so before you pay.
Not a real customer
The reviewer never bought from you. Wrong business, a competitor, or someone repeating a story they were told.
Conflict of interest
A competitor, a former employee, or anyone with a stake in making the rating drop.
Off-topic content
A complaint about something other than the work you did, or a rant about an unrelated dispute.
Personal information
Names of staff, phone numbers, addresses, or other private details the platforms prohibit.
Hate speech, threats, profanity
Language that breaks the platform's prohibited-content rules regardless of whether the visit happened.
Defamatory or provably false claims
Specific factual assertions about the job that your records contradict.
A client choosing an insurance agency is choosing who to trust with money. They read reviews to find a reason not to, and a single accusation of dishonesty outweighs any amount of praise.
The trust check
Before a first meeting, prospects search your name and read the newest reviews on Google and Zillow, SmartAsset and NerdWallet. A one-star that uses the word "scam" or "hidden fees" ends the research, whether or not the reviewer was ever a client.
The regulator read
Sophisticated clients look for complaints alongside reviews. A complaint-site page or a review that references a regulatory issue, accurate or invented, is the item they screenshot and send to their spouse.
The rate-shopper review
Mortgage and insurance prospects who did not get the rate or approval they wanted leave reviews about it. They were never clients, and the review is about a decision rather than a service, which is why the off-topic ones are worth reporting.
Nothing here is a promise of removal, because that decision belongs to the platform. This is the sequence and the timing the platforms themselves publish, plus the day the fee refunds if the item is still up.
Day 0 · Free scan and eligibility read
We pull the live review or page from Google and Zillow and SmartAsset, quote it verbatim, and say which policy it breaks. If nothing breaks a rule we say so and take no fee.
Days 1-3 · Filing without account detail
Application status, balances and account facts stay out of the report. What goes in is the policy ground: no client relationship, off-topic complaint, competitor authorship or an unsupported accusation.
Days 3-10 · Platform moderation
Yelp says reported content goes to its moderators and that evaluation may take several days, with an email when it is finished. Google evaluates the report against its prohibited and restricted content policy. Most decisions land inside this window.
Days 10-21 · Appeal where the first report is declined
A declined report is not the end. Google provides an appeal route for reviews it decides to keep, and a second filing that cites a different policy ground and better evidence is often what moves it.
Day 30 · Automatic refund
If the item is still live 30 days after payment, the fee refunds automatically, without a request, a form or a phone call. $397 Google, $697 Yelp, $497 harmful link.
The start form takes a few minutes if you have these four things in front of you. Nothing else is required to open the case.
Rule 206(4)-1
Testimonial rules limit what an adviser can publish or invite
The SEC marketing rule attaches disclosure, oversight and recordkeeping conditions to testimonials and endorsements used by registered advisers. Soliciting reviews to outweigh a false one is the option most tightly constrained for an insurance agency, which leaves the policy report.
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, 2021 — Investment Adviser Marketing Rule, Rule 206(4)-1
Declined applications
A review about a decision, not a service, is often off topic by policy
Complaints about being declined for credit, coverage or an account describe an outcome rather than an experience of the service. Google's policy treats content that is not about the customer experience as off topic and eligible for removal.
Google Maps Help — Prohibited and restricted content policy for Maps user contributions
16 CFR Part 465
Buying reviews to bury a bad one is a federal violation, not a shortcut
Since October 21, 2024 the FTC rule on consumer reviews bans fake reviews, insider reviews presented as customer reviews, and paying for positive or negative reviews, with civil penalties available per violation. For an insurance agency that leaves two lawful moves: earn real reviews, and report the ones that break platform policy.
U.S. Federal Trade Commission, 2024 — Rule on the Use of Consumer Reviews and Testimonials (16 CFR Part 465)
Policy grounds only
Google removes reviews that break a policy, not reviews you dislike
Google's own help documentation says any review can be reported but only content that violates its policies is eligible for removal. That is why a case starts by matching the wording to a named policy: fake engagement, off topic, impersonation, harassment, personal information or conflict of interest.
Google Business Profile Help — Report inappropriate reviews on your Business Profile
You pay the removal fee upfront so we can begin work. If the specific item is not removed within 30 days, we automatically refund that removal fee to your original payment method. Google, Yelp, and other third-party sites make the final removal decision.
Google, Yelp, and the sites we file with make the final removal decision. What we guarantee is the automatic refund of the removal fee if the item stays up past 30 days.
Often, yes. A review about not being approved describes a decision rather than a customer experience, and platforms treat many of these as off-topic. We describe the situation in the report without disclosing any application or financial information.
Most firms can post a short neutral reply that does not confirm the person was a client or discuss their account. Check with your compliance officer for your specific rules. Removal takes the false statement off the profile, which a reply never does.
An unsupported accusation of a crime against a business or a named individual is reportable as defamation and harassment on Google and Yelp. We quote the exact language in the report. The platform decides, and if it is still live at day 30 the fee refunds automatically.
Investment Adviser Industry Snapshot 2025
Investment Adviser Association · 2025
Average assets of about $200,000 per non-high-net-worth client. Annual revenue per client on this page is that figure at the 1.00% fee Kitces reports for accounts under $1 million, which is arithmetic over two cited inputs. Limitation: IAA data covers SEC-registered advisers only, excluding smaller state-registered firms.
How financial advisors actually charge for their services
Kitces Research · 2024
AUM fees of roughly 1.00%–1.20% under $1 million, falling to 0.50%–0.75% above $5 million, from a survey of 621 advisors. Limitation: self-selected respondents skewed toward fee-only RIAs.
2024 Profit and Practice Report
National Society of Accountants · 2024
Average fee of $300–$600 for an itemized Form 1040 and $750–$1,250 for a Form 1120. Limitation: 183 respondents, weighted toward solo and small practices.
2024 Annual Mortgage Bankers Performance Report
Mortgage Bankers Association (reported by MortgagePoint) · 2025
Average profit of $443 per loan in 2024, against a loss of $1,056 per loan in 2023, with 68% of companies profitable. Limitation: company-level production and servicing profit for MBA's benchmarking panel, not an individual broker's commission.
Missing data note for financial, insurance, and brokerage firms
Reputation Medics editorial note · 2026
No trade body publishes a close rate for financial advisors, mortgage brokers, insurance agents, or CPA firms, and no verified margin benchmark exists for advisory firms, brokerages, or property managers. NARPM's benchmark guide and AICPA's MAP survey are member-only, and the '0.4%–1.2% real estate lead conversion' figure circulating online is not traceable to any NAR release. Close rates here are the cross-industry default, and fees are treated as revenue.
2024 Local Consumer Review Survey
BrightLocal · 2024
Star rating and review sentiment vs. click-through from search and maps. Used for the click-through drag curve.
Reviews, Reputation, and Revenue
Harvard Business School · Michael Luca
Peer-reviewed link between review sentiment and revenue. Used for the sentiment drag curve.
Investment Adviser Marketing Rule, Rule 206(4)-1
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission · 2021
Testimonials and endorsements used by registered advisers carry disclosure, oversight and recordkeeping conditions, which is why advisers cannot simply solicit or answer reviews the way a retailer can.
Prohibited and restricted content policy for Maps user contributions
Google Maps Help
The policy list a removal report has to cite: fake engagement, off-topic content, impersonation, harassment, personal information and conflicts of interest.
Rule on the Use of Consumer Reviews and Testimonials (16 CFR Part 465)
U.S. Federal Trade Commission · 2024
Federal rule effective October 21, 2024. Bans fake or AI-generated reviews, reviews by insiders presented as customers, and buying positive or negative reviews. This is why removal has to be argued on policy grounds instead of countered with bought reviews.
Report inappropriate reviews on your Business Profile
Google Business Profile Help
Google's own documentation of the report route: any review can be reported, only reviews that break a content policy are eligible for removal, and the decision is Google's.
Yelp for Business Support Center
Yelp states that reported content is evaluated by its moderators and that the evaluation may take several days, with an email sent when it is done.
Paste the review, tell us which platform, and pay the removal fee for that item. If it is still up after 30 days the fee comes back automatically.
Starting with financial services. Google, BBB, WalletHub, Zillow (for mortgage) and Yelp.
Financial Services
Fiduciary trust is built, and destroyed, one review at a time.
Explore Financial Services →Mortgage Brokers
Independent mortgage brokers and mortgage-lender branches: reputation protection for a rate-competitive, high-anxiety consumer-finance segment.
Explore Mortgage Brokers →Financial Advisors
Independent RIAs, wealth-management practices, and fiduciary financial advisors: reputation protection for a fiduciary, trust-first segment.
Explore Financial Advisors →CPA Firms
CPA, tax, and accounting firms: reputation protection for a referral-and-fiduciary-driven professional-services segment.
Explore CPA Firms →Healthcare
Protect provider ratings across Google, Healthgrades, WebMD, and Zocdoc.
Explore Healthcare →Plastic Surgeons
Elective-care buyers scrutinize every star. Protect your before-and-after story.
Explore Plastic Surgeons →Dental Practices
Every new-patient acquisition starts with a Google review. Own that moment.
Explore Dental Practices →Chiropractors
Wellness-buyers filter by rating first. Keep your practice above the cutoff.
Explore Chiropractors →Veterinary
Pet parents research obsessively. Your reviews decide who they trust with family.
Explore Veterinary →