Receiving negative reviews on Google has the potential to make or break your business, no matter the size of your company. According to research, over 84% of people trust online reviews as much as they trust a personal recommendation.
If you have a negative Google review that you feel is unjust or unreasonable, knowing how to get a negative review removed from Google may help to save your business from a lot of missed sales.
Unfortunately, there is no easy “delete” button for removing bad Google reviews. If there was, the integrity and honesty of businesses would not be accurate.
The only problem is, knowing how to delete a Google review properly and with integrity. If you feel the review does not accurately reflect the customer’s experience, how can you remove it so that it will not affect your business?
Thankfully, we’ve created this guide to teach you how to get a negative review removed from google. Keep on reading to learn more.
First, Don’t Panic!
Seeing a negative review from an angry customer can make you feel like you have done something wrong or that someone is trying to attack you. The first thing you need to do is take a step back and analyze this from an outside perspective. Did the client possibly have an honest poor experience?
Poor reviews may not be as bad as you think, according to a study done by the Harvard Business Review, negative reviews can also spike your business as they can increase brand awareness. Of course, good Google reviews are optimal but try not to worry about every review that is less than 5-stars.
A review is based on someone’s personal experience, which reflects on their perceptions and unmet expectations. Even some of the most reputable businesses have experienced negative customer reviews, You can do your best to avoid it, but bad reviews are inevitable and you should learn how to handle them instead of just trying to delete them.
Respond Vs React
A poor review may make you want to react and lash back to that customer, telling them that they are wrong. Doing this will only hurt your business more, as this is a display of poor customer service.
So before you respond, take some time to conduct a well-articulated and compassionate response. This will show your potential customers that you care about your customers and their experiences. You cannot control what others write about your business, but you can control how you choose to respond, which is a clear display of your integrity.
Most of the time, people who leave bad reviews have a need to be heard and acknowledged. So you need to do exactly that, listen to their pains, and acknowledge their experience with a sincere apology.
Along with your apology, decide on how you can mend their experience with an offer. This could be either offering their money back or setting up an appointment with a coupon for their next visit. When you set an appointment, you can know exactly when they are at your business, so that you can ensure they are having a much better experience.
Depending on the type of review, you can also notify this customer in your response that you are looking into the issue and will solve this problem internally.
Ask Questions to Filter Out False Reviews
Unfortunately, some reviews are completely false and the person who wrote it may never have encountered your business in the first place. This may make you feel like a victim of a fraudulent review and is a scary thought to think that potential customers may believe their lies. The best action to take for this circumstance is to ask the reviewer a lot of questions to filter out their lies.
For example, if you own a restaurant, ask them who their server was, what they ordered, and even where they sat. If you run a hotel, ask the reviewer which room they stayed in and who the front desk clerk was.
Curate your questions to bring light to their lies, and at the same time, make it seem that you are asking these questions for more clarification to help resolve the issue. Follow up your question with a sincere apology, so they do not clue into your intention for asking questions.
If you are having a difficult time crafting up a response, you may want to consider hiring a content marketing agency that specialized in handling reviews and online reputation management.
How to Get a Negative Review Removed From Google
There may be some reviews that are too vulgar, spammy, or dishonest that you need to have them removed from Google. There is a list of ten review violations that if notified, Google will help you remove without a problem.
- Dishonest, or biased reviews
- Spam reviews used to manipulate ratings
- Illegal or depict illegal activity, such as copyrighted content, or content that promotes illegal activity
- Promotional offers for restricted goods and services including alcohol, gambling, adult services, etc.
- Impersonating others
- Off-topic or general statements not related to your business
- Terrorist recruitment content
- Intimidating, harassment, or reviews that incite hatred
- Sexually explicit, or in any way exploits children
- Profane language, offensive, or obscene reviews
If you feel that the review falls under any of the above categories, you can click the three-dot menu beside the review and “flag as inappropriate” and report a policy violation for Google to review and remove.
If possible, ask other people, such as staff members to flag the review as inappropriate as well. This will help you in case you need to contact Google Small Business Support for a dispute.
Learn More About How to Get a Negative Review Removed From Google
Now that you know how to handle a negative review, and how to get a negative review removed from Google, it is time to start focusing on getting more positive reviews.
Getting good Google reviews can take a lot of work, yet it is essential for your local SEO growth. At VujaDay, we are highly experienced in getting our customers more 5-star reviews.
To learn more about our services and how we can help you grow your local SEO, contact us to learn more!
