Is it Worth? I How to Delete as an Individual? I How to Delete as a Business? I Fake Reviews I How to expedite? I Get more Reviews I
Due to the significance of negative Google reviews and the harm they can do for a business, a commonly asked question is: ‘how do you delete Google reviews?’
This is especially true of those companies with a Google My Business listing, as many of them are all too aware of the damage negative reviews can do.
Is it Worth Deleting a Google Review?
The main reason you’d want to delete a negative Google review left on your business page is to preserve your company’s reputation in consumers’ eyes.
Since Google receives more traffic than any other website and is the top-rated site for online reviews, the thought of deleting negative reviews can be very tempting. This is especially true in light of these facts:
- Google is the top website for online reviews, beating out titans such as Facebook, Yelp, and Tripadvisor. One of the main reasons for this is that most people already own a Google account for other purposes, so leaving a review is a simple process.
- Many consumers agree that Google reviews are what they first turn to when searching for local business information.
How to Delete a Google Review As an Individual
Provided you have a Google account, you are free to post reviews on any company or business, and these reviews will show up under your name on Google Maps as well as the business’ listing.
If, for whatever reason, you have a change of opinion regarding the business and its services, then you can edit or remove the review so long as you’re signed in to your Google account.
Here’s a simple 3-step process to delete a review you’ve posted:
- First, open up the Google Maps app or go to the web page.
- In the top left corner, you’ll notice a button that says ‘Menu,’ click on this and go to ‘Your Contributions’ and then select the ‘Reviews’ tab.
- Finally, locate the review in question and click ‘More.’ Now, you can choose whether you want to edit or delete it, and you simply have to follow the instructions provided.
How to Delete a Google Review As a Business
It’s entirely possible that you might want to remove a negative review left on your page as a business. The process for removing a review isn’t straightforward, though, so you’ll have to bear with us as we go through the various methods of doing so.
Convince the Customer to Change Their Review
If you want to make a negative review disappear, one of the best things you can do as a business is respond to the customer’s complaint. If they have taken issue with some aspect of your company, you’d do well to listen and react accordingly.
Reply to Reviews
The first option you have is to respond to negative reviews and to do so promptly. If consumers can see that you’re willing to engage with issues brought up by previous customers, then they’ll look upon you more favorably.
Make a point of addressing the specific issues that the reviewer in question has raised, and resolve to work them out. It’s always important to thank the reviewer, too, since the feedback they provide can be invaluable information for your business’s growth.
By replying to negative reviews, you also show prospective customers that they are dealing with a business that knows how to treat its customers well and with the respect that they deserve.
Want to master the perfect review response every time? Check out our guide here!>>
Reach Out
Another approach you can take is to reach out to the reviewer who left the negative feedback and simply ask them if they still feel the same way.
The personal contact from your company will likely be seen as a good gesture by the customer, and it’s a lot harder to say bad things about a company that will go to such lengths to keep its consumers happy.
Request a Change
If you feel like simply making the customers aware of how they can change or remove their reviews will make a difference, then, by all means, familiarize yourself with the process. Sometimes all it takes is some helpful guidance to inspire customers to take action.
To edit or remove a google review, you simply need to follow the process we outlined above in the section ‘For Individuals.’ You can use this step-by-step process to help a customer understand how to edit or delete a review they left.
Dealing with Fake Reviews
If you’re confident that you’re dealing with fake Google reviews, then the good news is that you can rely on Google to lend a helping hand.
Fake reviews are an unfortunate fact of life, and they can be a result of anything from bitter ex-employees to rival companies seeking to get an edge.
Needless to say, if you suspect that someone has left a fake review on your business page, it’s important to flag it and take action. There are several ways you can go about this, and we’ll go through each now.s
Flag the Fake Review
The first and most obvious thing you can do in the face of a fake review is flag it as soon as you notice it. Once you’ve made sure that it violates Google’s review policy, then you should feel confident taking this action.
To flag a review:
- Log into your Google business (GMB) page
- Select the ‘Reviews’ option
- Once you’ve located the review in question, click on the three dots and then ‘Flag as inappropriate.’
There are many categories of fake review in the eyes of Google, and they are as follows:
- Spam or Duplicate Content: If the review in question does not reflect the customer’s actual experience dealing with the company, and it’s clear that it is solely intended to affect the company’s reputation, then it can be removed. Alternatively, if it’s a duplicate review, then it can also be removed.
- Conflict of Interest: If one of your employees or you leave a review on your own company page or a competitor, that can land you in hot water with Google.
- Off-Topic: If a review is deemed unrelated to the customer’s experience with the company, it can be removed by Google.
- Illegal Content: If the content posted in a review is at all associated with illegal activity, then it can be deleted.
- Dangerous or Derogatory Content: This last category encapsulates everything from sexually explicit content to offensive content, and Google can remove anything along these lines.
Reply to the Reviews
Yes, while it may seem odd to respond to a fake review, this can demonstrate to other customers that you take all feedback seriously. This can be a good PR move for your business, especially if there is some form of legitimate complaint buried within the content of the fake review.
Your response to negative reviews is almost as important as the reviews themselves, so you can see them as an excellent opportunity to learn and improve as a company.
To respond in a way that garners positive favor among consumers, it’s always a good idea to apologize to the reviewer no matter how negative it seems. You should address the issue/s they raise and tell them how you intend to resolve it/them.
Expedite the Process
As well as flagging the fake review with your GMB account, you can also speed up the process of having it removed by requesting a chat with Google, requesting a callback, or simply emailing its Business support.
To take any of these courses of action, there’s a simple three-step process:
- Go to your GMB page, click on ‘Menu,’ and then scroll down until you find ‘Support.’
- When you’ve clicked on ‘Support,’ you should be presented with a popup in which you should select ‘Contact Us’ and then ‘Need More Help’.
- Finally, choose the option ‘Customer Reviews and Photos’ and then ‘Manage Customer Reviews’. Now you should be presented with the three contact options we mentioned.
Get More Positive Reviews
While you can scour all of your reviews looking for the few potentially harmful needles in the haystack, sometimes it’s better to go on the offense.
Instead of spending all of your time trawling through existing reviews to identify and remove or change negative or fake reviews, you can perhaps spend that time more wisely by trying to get more positive reviews.
If you have enough glowing five-star reviews, it will be a lot easier for a new customer to see that your company has a good reputation for delivering what it promises.
Here are a few ways you can go about getting more reviews that reflect well on your business:
Reach Out to Customers
By far, one of the easiest ways to get more positive reviews is to harness the power of email marketing.
Through email, you can easily get in touch with existing customers and give them an incentive to leave a review about their experience with your business.
Many people lead busy lives, which means that even if they had an outstanding experience with your company, they still might not have left a review.
Sending a short email that includes a review link is a great way to prompt them to act and leave the positive review they always intended to.
Make a Google Review Link
Another great way to get more reviews from customers is to create a unique review link, as this can be used in emails and social media posts to direct them to a page on which they can leave a review.
For a more detailed look at getting more reviews, check out our article!>>
Final Thoughts
If you know exactly what to do when you first find a negative review on Google, then you’ll be in a greater position to steer your company’s reputation in the right direction.
While it may be true that you can’t just have a review removed with the click of a button, there are many positive ways to respond that can lead to good things for your business in the long term.
If you find all your efforts failing at removing an unwanted review from your business, with the help of Trustindex you are able to filter, tag and manually select the reviews you’d like to display in your widgets.
When you feel like you’re prepared for collecting and managing your reviews like a pro, start using Trustindex today!>>