So someone just left you a sub-par review and you are trying to figure out how to remove a bad review from Google.
You understand that now the whole world can see this review of your business and it may hurt your online reputation.
As the business owner, you don’t necessarily agree with what the person wrote or you know for a fact that the review is fake.
So what do you do? Take a deep breath. This happens more often than you think and there are proven ways to get a negative review taken down.
Determine Legitimacy
First, you need to determine if the review in question is real or fake. We will discuss what to do with a fake review in a moment. If the review is genuine there are a couple of things you can do to address it.
But first, you must realize people have the right to form an opinion about your business and share their customer experience. They must do so in a way that is compliant with Google’s review policies.
If you believe the review violates Google’s policy there is actions you can take to remove the review.
Respond To The Review
After you have determined if the review is real or fake, there are a couple of different routes to take:
Real Review
-
- Gather as much information about the situation as possible. Your customer shared their side of the story so begin preparing your side.
- The best thing to do is take this situation head-on by replying to the customer as soon as possible. Be professional in your response. This is an opportunity for people looking at your profile to see how you handle these situations.
- Address the complaint so they understand you recognize their opinion.
- Don’t make excuses but rather let them know you can see their point of view.
- Offer a solution to fix the problem and assure them it will not happen again.
- Contact the customer privately and ask them if they will change the bad google review to a good review or remove the review altogether.
Fake Review
- Don’t panic.
- Respond quickly.
- Comment under the review.
- Thank them for their feedback and write something like “after reviewing my customer database I can’t find evidence that I have worked with you.”
- Write that if they would like to discuss this situation further to contact you via email. Give them your email address in your comments.
- Move to the next step of flagging the review.
Flag As Inappropriate
If you believe a post violates Google’s review policy or if the review is fake you should flag the post so Google can take a look at it. Below are the steps:
Desktop
- Sign in to Google My Business.
- If you have multiple listings, open the location you’d like to manage.
- Click Reviews from the menu.
- Find the review you’d like to flag, click the three dot menu
, then click Flag as inappropriate.
Mobile
- Open the Google My Business app.
- Tap the menu
, then tap Reviews.
- Find the review you’d like to flag, tap the three dot menu
Email Google Support
If the above tactics fail then it is time to contact the good folks at Google. When communicating with Google do not react with your feelings but rather give them facts of the situation. Below are the steps you should take:
Desktop
- Sign in to Google My Business.
- If you have multiple listings, open the location you’d like to manage.
- Click Support in the bottom of the left-hand column.
- Click Customer reviews and photos.
- Click Manage customer reviews.
- Select the method you want to communicate with.
Mobile
- Open the Google My Business app.
- Tap the menu
- Tap Email at the bottom of the screen
- Fill out the contact form
Bury The Bad Review With Positive Reviews
If all else fails then your best strategy is to drown the negative reviews with positive ones. Make an effort to reach out to past and current clients encouraging them to leave you a review on your Google business page.
Make it easy for them. Give a direct link to your profile. Follow the steps below:
- On your computer, search for your business on Google.
- Find your business listing and click Write a review.
- Copy and paste the URL you see in your address bar.
Make an effort to go above and beyond for your customers or clients. Providing great customer service and offering a superior product or service is the best way to stay away from negative reviews!
