Do you check Google ratings and reviews before you make a purchase? Of course you do. In the digital age, this is a common practice, and it’s exactly why bad reviews can be devastating to any business. In fact, the first one you read can feel like a punch to the gut. Instead of worrying about how negative reviews will destroy your business, you can get proactive. Today, you’re going to learn all about how to deal with a bad Google review.
As a business owner or operator, you don’t have unrestricted control over reviews. The point of the system is to allow genuine feedback, so the system does not show you how to delete Google reviews posted by others. In fact, that's not an option at all. That doesn’t mean you have to leave bad reviews sitting there to ruin your reputation. If you’re hit with the black mark of negative feedback, you have several options to make it all better.
It sounds simple enough. If someone is unhappy with your business, try addressing their complaints directly. If you handle the situation, you might be able to turn their negative experience into a positive one. That could lead to them rewriting or removing the review. If nothing else, people reading the review will see your attempts to remedy the situation, and that can lessen the negative impact of the bad review.
While the concept is simple, the practice isn’t always easy. A few best practices can help you avoid common mistakes:
These practices serve two functions. They help you avoid common response mistakes that sour an already bad relationship, and they represent you to other customers. When people read the exchange, you want them to see that you spared no effort to do right by your customers. If that’s not enough to flip a bad review, it still softens the blow. And, you can always move on to the next step.
We’ve covered how to frame what you say, but you might be wondering how to do this, mechanically speaking. The steps to access and respond to a review on Google are easy:
If your masterful response isn’t enough to convince the customer to take it down, you still have a few options left to try.
Before we get into this, it’s important to understand that flagging reviews serves a narrow scope. Google only intends this avenue to be used in the case of fraudulent or inappropriate views (you can see their guidelines here).
If you've ever wondered how to remove fake Google reviews, these steps are your answer:
Once a review is flagged, Google will take a look and see if it violates their guidelines. This is not instantaneous, and it can take a few business days. As an additional pro tip, Google will take flagging more seriously when multiple users mark something as inappropriate. If you think you have a strong case, you can ask others to flag the review as well. This increases the chances that a representative will delete your Google review.
If flagging doesn’t work or doesn’t seem like the right course of action, continue to the next option.
The review process for flagged comments is pretty streamlined. It won’t typically involve a deep look by Google employees. When you think a comment warrants closer scrutiny, you can contact Google Small Business Support. You can state your case and get a more detailed, in-depth response to your issue. Contacting Google support is also pretty easy:
Once you create a case, Google usually gets back to you within 24 hours (which can vary depending on the contact method). Once the dialogue with support begins, you get to state your case. The key to getting them to remove a review is to convince them that it violates their terms or guidelines. This is why you want to have your case prepared before you contact support. If you convince them, they’ll take down the review. If not, it will stay up, and you’ll have little recourse to contest the review again.
While we’re on the subject, you might find that you want to remove a review you left for another business. You’ll find that from this end of the story, the process is painless. Just follow the steps:
Now that you know how to delete a Google review, you still need a plan for when the review is left intact. The best way to handle a bad review is by drowning it in good reviews. This can only be accomplished by generating lots of positive feedback from all of your satisfied customers. In short, you need to aggressively seek out positive reviews. The easiest way to get those reviews is by enlisting the help of Digital Gator. Our specialty is helping businesses generate more review traffic. Contact us today to see how we can help you get control of your online reputation.