How to Remove Bad Reviews on Google: A Comprehensive Guide

2 weeks ago

~ 24 minutes to read

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If you’re a business owner or an individual entrepreneur in the digital age, you know about the importance of a strong online presence. And if you do, you are well aware of the power of bad reviews on the Internet: they drive away clients, sow doubts in partners, and put a spoke in your business’ wheel in general. Combating negativity on the Web, therefore, is essential for ensuring that the company thrives and prospers, making your clients and yourself happy. So, how do you do it?

How Can You Delete Bad Reviews on Google by Yourself?

You are ready to take the matters into your own hands. Before beginning, it’s necessary to remember: there is not a magic button to push and have negative feedback eliminated. However, there are a plethora of measures that can be put in place. From DIY approaches to outsourcing everything to experts, here they are:

Write a Direct Response

The most straightforward way of taking on a bad review is composing a direct response to it on Google. It’s crucial to do it in a proper manner, though: not resort to defense or attacks, not make excuses, and be polite and respectful. Attentively inspect feedback and ask yourself: what is the essence of the complaint? How justified is it? Are there ways to improve?

Upon making certain of the review’s authenticity, thank the customer for sharing their experience, empathize with their discontent, and sincerely apologize. Then offer an explanation or solution to the issue and suggest taking the conversation offline if the situation calls for it. This will show that you’re someone willing to provide the best service possible and striving to continuously outdo yourself.

You can leave everything as is, or you can take it a step further and ask the client to edit or delete the review. Keep in mind that they might ignore the request or refuse to do it and don’t pressure or nag them. While it would be preferable for you to have evidence of negative experiences with your business erased from the Web, it remaining may prove useful in the long run: paint you as a great communicator and an excellent problem-solver.

Submit a Complaint to Google

Supposing a client shares their opinion in a way that is not simply frustrating and unpleasant but downright rude and inappropriate. If so, you can report it in accordance with the Google Reviews Policy: the company removes feedback that violates it. You can use Google Search or Google Maps to flag indefensible comments and, if found to have breached regulations, they will no longer show on both services. Here’s the detailed instruction on how to flag a review using Business Profile Manager:

To flag a review on Google Search or Google Maps, go to Google and log in to the account connected to your Business Profile. To do that, go to Google’s search engine and type in the name of your business or simply “my business” in the search bar, after which click “View profile” on the suggested tab. This will lead to your Business Profile management dashboard appearing.

delete review in google — Image source: Arramton.com. Example of Google Business Profile

Among a number of small blue icons, there is a “Read reviews” one, in the first row. Click on it and find the review you would like to flag. In the upper right corner of the review, opposite of the user’s name, there is a small exclamation mark, mousing over which you will see “Report review”.

Report review in Google — Image source: Google Maps. How to complain about a review

Upon clicking on it, you will see a list of reasons to justify your review reporting, which include spam, bullying or harassment, profanity and so on. Choose the one that fits the specific review and hit “Send report”.

List of reasons to complain about a review in Google — Image source: Arramton.com. Reasons for deleting a review

A notification confirming that the review has been reported will pop up. It will inform you that as soon as the request is processed, you will receive an e-mail regarding that and that the process might take up to three business days.

Search for Help on the Internet

Sometimes users are able to resolve issues by turning to Google’s sources and various social media pages. For one, it won’t hurt to try and look for answers in Google’s Support Center, Google’s Product Experts initiative or Google Help community; however, these might not be of much help when dealing with challenging questions. You also shouldn’t forget that Google’s social network pages may contain valuable information on most common types of difficulties and that referring to channels like Twitter, YouTube, and Reddit can turn out effective.

In addition to that, you might attempt to reach Google representatives directly, for example, via Live Chat. It’s Google’s official help center that provides support live 24/7, to get access to which you need to log in to your Workspace or Google One account. Tried-and-tested methods such as contacting Google via e-mail or calling the company wouldn’t go amiss as well, though they are unlikely to earn you a swift response or a satisfactory clarification.

Consider Contacting Professionals

In exceptional cases, it is reasonable to appeal to legislation: for instance, if someone defames you or your brand, which is against the law in the United States. Google lets users formally request the removal of illegal content, – via Business Profile Manager, as with complaints – but is very serious about it, asks a number of questions and requests as much background information as possible. Moreover, it may follow up with additional questions and inquiries of clarification as such reports imply wrongdoing on the review’s author’s part, which is why Google has to be careful in rendering verdict.

Then there is the final option, one that allows you to save time, energy and emotional resources all at once: outsourcing the work to us. We at Reputation America are a team of professionals specializing in helping businesses and individuals eliminate the impact of negative content on their reputation. Our pride and joy is the most advanced and effective information deleting technology on the market, invented and developed by us – the Removing technology. However, it’s crucial to understand the importance of addressing the causes of bad reviews and not simply smoothening their consequences. That is why our clients are offered comprehensive solutions that are designed to have a lasting effect. We are ready to take on the most complex and confusing matters, and our team of experts is always available to answer any arising questions.

How Does Negative Feedback on Google Affect Your Business?

Business Reputation is Damaged

Negativity on the Internet regarding your company, whether substantiated or not, reduces the number of clients. If people see bad feedback about your products and services, they are dramatically less likely to visit your accounts and study your range. Studies inform that more than 90% of consumers steer clear of businesses that have complaints about them online.

Search Engine Optimization is Harmed

Good profile prompts Google to push your Internet pages up in the search engine as it means that you are well-liked and provide amazing customer experience. As a result, positive references upend your relevance and are conducive to the development of the business.

Negative Reviews Undermine Brand Trust

Google is the most trusted search engine in the world. Users believe when Google tells them that something is worth exploring or shouldn’t be bothered with, consequently, they pay attention to reviews about your company. A recent report states that almost half of shoppers consider reviews on the Web on par with personal recommendations when making a buying decision.

Google Reviews As a Platform

What Are The Rules?

Google Customer Reviews is a platform that allows clients to rate their experiences with businesses and, in turn, lets businesses collect customer feedback. The feedback is compiled as follows: customers are asked to agree to receive a survey reviewing their experience upon order finalization at a business’ web page. After that, Google sends the survey on the day of the delivery or shortly after, encouraging shoppers to rate their entire experience with the company. The survey features a 1 to 5 star evaluation system and includes space for clients to leave additional comments. Google combines all the assessments to comprise a business star rating, which is featured in Organic and Paid Search Results. The feedback gathered also shows up in the Merchant Centre so you can analyze it and come back to as needed.

What Motivates People to Leave Reviews?

Google is one of the most popular websites in the world and the first place an Internet user will go to to gather information, consider options and make a decision. With that in mind, Google makes it easy for anyone to share their opinion about a product or service on the platform and see what other customers think. Moreover, if a business has made an impression – whether good or bad – its clients will likely wish to talk about it and ensure everyone else might expect the same treatment.

How Does the Review Complaint Process Work?

Google doesn’t delete reviews simply due to their negative contents or someone not liking them for one reason or another. However, if feedback regarding your business is unfounded or inappropriate, you can flag it to be removed: Google will comply if there is an offense of its guidelines. Sign in to your Business Profile, choose the review for consideration, click “Report review”, and have plenty of patience: its evaluation may take several days.

Which Reviews Are Easily Removed By Reporting?

In accordance with the Google Review Policy, here are the key points of what isn’t tolerated:

Fake Engagement and Impersonation

Content that is attributed to someone else or might mislead in terms of its authorship.

Spam and Off-Topic

Content that doesn’t concern a specific product or service and touches on unrelated topics.

Conflict of Interest

Content that deals with self-promotion, experiences of past or current employees, or the point of view of business competitors.

Harassment and Hate Speech

Content posted with the intent to harass, bully, or doxx individuals, groups of people, or businesses

Personal information

Content containing personal information posted without consent or personally identifiable information.

Restricted Content

Content promoting products or services subject to legal regulation: alcohol, tobacco, gambling, arms, as well as health, adult, and financial services.

Dangerous Content

Content encouraging serious physical harm to oneself, others, animals or the environment.

Sexually Explicit Content

Content that depicts, advocates for, or glorifies simulated or veritable sexual acts and sexually explicit behavior.

Illegal Content

Content that is connected to illegal activity, such as infringement on anyone’s legal rights, sexual abuse and children presented in a sexual manner, illegal products and services, violence promotion, and terrorism activity.

Which Reviews Are Difficult to Remove?

Those Written While Avoiding Violations

Sometimes you might come across an offensive review but upon careful checking realize that it doesn’t violate any policy outright. In these instances, it’s worth flagging it still and elaborate on why you consider such feedback inappropriate. You might want to send a separate request regarding this situation as well for better chances of verdict in your favor.

Reviews With No Text

Google refuses to delete reviews with no text in them. If a business owner argues that a one-star assessment with not even a basic comment is useless and asks to remove it, it’s declined. Since no particular regulations are breached, nothing can be done.

Old Reviews

The older the content, the tougher it is to meddle with, in Google’s case. It leads to new owners suffering from negativity about their newly-acquired company on the Internet, but alas. Apparently, there are limitations with deleting power when it comes to links and pages above a certain age.

Old negative review in Google — Image source: Google Maps. An old negative review can harm a company’s rating because it’s more difficult to remove

How to Protect Yourself from Negative Reviews?

Good Service

The best way to beat negativity is to compensate for it with positivity. And for the latter to substantially outweigh the former, you have to focus on the quality of the service. Make sure to understand consumer needs and provide personalized service: business demonstrating a genuine interest in each client helps turn them into a loyal client. Maintain your knowledge of the product sharp: keep up to speed with trends and specialties and help shoppers get the most out of their purchase. And don’t forget to concentrate efforts on great customer support: timely and professional assistance can smooth out the impression even from sub-par experience.

Working on Mistakes

Mistakes are a part of everyday life: people make them and so do businesses. Most customers are understanding of issues arising with products or services every now and then. However, what one might not be as understanding of is mistakes not fixed or acknowledged. Demonstrate accountability by recognizing a slip-up, apologizing for it and offering an explanation or suggesting a solution. No one likes to admit to being wrong, but it will go a long way with earning you customers’ respect and devotion.

Considering Customer Suggestions and Complaints

You don’t actually know your client until you actively listen to them. The way people felt yesterday is not necessarily how they feel today, and you need to tune in and pay attention. What are they saying in customer service surveys, discussions on the Internet, conversations with your representatives? Moreover, encourage shoppers to share their impressions in general and specifically voice their discontent, if there is any. Appreciate all kinds of feedback, but focus on what progress can be made. Make dealing with major troubles your top priority, address specific complaints as well, and consider client suggestions as potential ways to upgrade your business. This is conducive to becoming better with each passing day and providing brilliant customer service 24/7.

Alternatives to Removal

The second best thing after the removal of uncomplimentary content from the Web is having your response to it do the work of demonstrating your professional competence. You’re lucky if an unsatisfied client edits a review or follows up with a comment explaining how the matter at hand was ameliorated by the company – unfortunately, it doesn’t happen too often. This means that you have to abide by the rules of replying to negativity and count on it earning you customer respect and trust.

How to Respond to Negativity?

First of all: never leave a bad review unanswered! Respond timely and professionally, recognize and name the problem, and present apologies. Deliver an explanation or offer a solution and demonstrate your determination to address the challenge as soon as possible. It seems as if it’s a given that going an extra mile in terms of dealing with customer dissatisfaction makes a difference, but it might turn out a surprise how much it actually matters.

Company response to negative review — Image source: Google Maps. Response of company representatives to negative feedback from a client

A business promotion service CEO shared their analysis of statistics regarding replying to negative feedback. One enterprise responded to negativity with something along the lines of: “Thank you for your feedback. We promise to do better. Hope to see you again.” Another company put more effort, personalized their responses, apologized, and presented a discount for the next purchase. The results were impressive, to say the least: properly addressing negativity allowed the second business to earn extra hundreds of thousands of dollars compared to their competitors. Statistics corroborate that this is to be expected: around two thirds of customers would come back to an organization if the issue was fixed, and the same amount would edit a bad review or a low rating in the case of a successful resolution.

The first company’s approach is a reflection of general trends as well. According to researchers, the sentiment analysis when business owners replied to reviews showed the following: a negative tone prevailed in responses to low-rated reviews, while a friendlier manner dominated in comments on higher-rated ones. Perhaps this approach to negativity is robbing companies of far more revenue than they realize.

Responding During Crises

One more specific thing to point out is dealing with bad reviews during tough times. Experts advise to always have a crisis strategy in stock: around 60% of businesses face slumps, but only half are ready when they happen. This unpreparedness can cost organizations up to a quarter of its company if client outcries make it to the first page on Google search. Therefore, putting time and energy towards replying to customer complaints, no matter how many, is vital.

A chief officer of a translation agency told about how their inability to pay employees timely during the recession resulted in increasing negative feedback online. He took control: when aware of the situation, the chief officer was composing a substantive reply to the review as soon as possible. When unaware, he was requesting a copy of the correspondence from colleagues and made it known on the record that the problem was being addressed. The overbearing majority of dissatisfactions were able to be resolved. After the recession, the reputation of this translation agency was repaired and enhanced tenfold.

How to Build a Strong Base of Positive Reviews?

As it’s already been established, to rack up positive reviews and not let negativity online profoundly affect your business, do your best to be an exceptional service-provider. Prioritize your clients, stick to a personalized approach, and strive to help proactively. Fix your mistakes, think of ways to always be better, and invest in top-notch customer support. And, of course, remember about the significance of reviews. Monitor feedback constantly, respond to it regardless of whether it’s good or bad, and encourage your clients to share their positive experience pertaining to your business.

Dealing with Negativity on the Internet: A Conclusion

In summation, removing bad reviews on Google is possible, and there is a number of ways to do that, all of which could work. However, when it comes to mending your business profile online, it’s not the most reliable line of action: you have to grit your teeth and respond – but do it correctly. Use bad reviews as an opportunity to locate areas of improvement and show yourself off as a responsible and caring business owner.

Well-calibrated responding to negativity online boosts your chances of keeping an unhappy client by your side, as well as gaining people’s trust and enhancing your business profile on the Internet. And if you need a helping hand to ameliorate your reputation and protect your image, Reputation Earth is one click away. Let’s get down to business!

FAQ

Can you remove negativity on Google on your own?

Yes and no. You can request its removal from Google itself, but it will only comply if this negativity violates its review guidelines. Otherwise, you will have to roll up your sleeves and begin a dialog with an unsatisfied customer, after which you can succeed in convincing them to delete an unpleasant comment.

Who can help you deal with uncomplimentary feedback?

If it crosses the line, Google takes reins and deletes it in accordance with their policies. If it doesn’t but you still wish to counteract it, you might want to turn to experts in neutralizing backlash online – like us at Reputation America!

Why are reviews that important?

They are one of the first things a person sees upon searching a company on the Web. Reviews are inspected and taken into account by people, which influences their buying decisions and directly contributes to the prosperity of your organization.

What damage can be done by a bad review?

Your entire business reputation might collapse under the weight of negativity online: potential clients will be deterred, current ones will become alarmed, and partners will start wondering whether they’ve made a mistake by collaborating with you. As a result, engagement will go down, revenues will decrease, and a company might fall from grace completely.

How to ensure positive reviews outweigh negative ones?

Make it your priority to deliver exceptional customer service and aspire to continuously progress – and great reviews won’t be long in coming. In addition to that, always encourage your clients to share their shopping experience and provide them with an option to do that.