What you should do if you get a bad Google review

The first time I hear from someone about their reviews is when they get a bad Google review. Most of the time, it’s in a panic, because they can’t remove it and they aren’t sure what to do. So I thought today I’d do a post on what to do when you get a bad review.

How do Google reviews work?

Google Reviews are a feature of Google My Business, a platform provided by Google that allows businesses to create and manage their online presence on Google. Google Reviews provide a way for customers and clients to leave feedback and reviews about their experiences with a particular business. Here’s how Google Reviews work:

1. Google My Business Listing: To receive Google Reviews, a business must first create and claim its Google My Business listing. This listing contains essential information about the business, such as its name, address, phone number, website, hours of operation, and more.
2. Customer Interaction: Customers who have interacted with the business, either by visiting its physical location or engaging with it online, have the opportunity to leave a review. They can do this through various methods:
3. Rating and Review: When a customer decides to leave a review, they typically provide a star rating (ranging from 1 to 5 stars), with 5 stars being the highest rating. In addition to the star rating, they can write a text review detailing their experience with the business. This text review is where customers can provide specific feedback, praise, or criticism.
4. Public Display: Once a review is submitted, it becomes part of the business’s Google My Business profile. It is publicly visible to anyone who searches for the business on Google or Google Maps.
5. Moderation and Management: Business owners and managers have the ability to monitor and manage their Google Reviews. They can respond to reviews, thank customers for positive feedback, address concerns or issues raised in negative reviews, and flag inappropriate or spammy reviews for removal.
6. Impact on Search Results: Google Reviews can influence a business’s search engine ranking and online reputation. Positive reviews can boost a business’s visibility in search results and attract more customers, while negative reviews may have the opposite effect.
7. Community Guidelines: Google has community guidelines in place to ensure that reviews are fair and constructive. This includes rules against fake reviews, hate speech, personal attacks, and other forms of inappropriate content. Reviews that violate these guidelines can be reported and removed.
8. Authenticity: Google encourages authentic reviews from real customers and discourages businesses from posting fake reviews or incentivizing customers to leave positive feedback.

Overall, Google Reviews play a significant role in helping customers make informed decisions about businesses and products, and they provide valuable feedback to businesses for improving their products and services. However, having a bad review can negatively affect your business too.

Can you delete a bad Google review?

I’m sorry to report that you probably can’t delete it. Google wants its reviews to be authentic, and they want them to represent real customer experiences. Unless the review has violated the Google guidelines, you will probably not be able to get the review removed.

However, if the review does violate Google’s content guidelines, you might have a chance. For example, if the review is fake, misinformation, inappropriate or explicit, etc. Then you have a shot at having the review removed.

How to ask for review removal

To report a review for removal, you can use Google Maps or Google Search. Removed reviews stop showing on both.

Flag a review in Google Maps

1. On your computer, open Google Maps.
2. Find your Business Profile.
3. Find the review you’d like to report.
4. Click More   Flag as inappropriate.

Flag a review in Google Search

1. On your computer, go to Google.
2. Find your Business Profile.
3. Click Google Reviews.
4. Find the review you’d like to report.
5. Click More   Report review. Select the type of violation you want to report.

Check out Google’s official guidance here.

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Keep in mind, that if the review doesn’t violate Google’s content guidelines, they probably won’t remove it. Which can be frustrating, but I have some tips on what to do and what not to do.

What not to do if you have a bad review

• DON’T argue with the customer.
• DON’T be defensive.
• DON’T not respond.
• DON’T minimize their experience.

It’s really hard for business owners not to take a bad review personally, and it’s often hard not to get defensive. The biggest take away I want everyone who reads this to understand is that your response to a bad review is NOT for the customer who left the review. Once the review is in, the person has made up their mind, and you will likely not undo it. That doesn’t mean they can’t change their mind later, but in most cases, if it gets to the point of a bad review, then the damage is done with that customer.

Your response to a bad review should be crafted for every other person who sees the bad review, and not for the person who wrote it. It needs to be thoughtful and showcase your business as one who cares about its customer’s experiences, even when their experience doesn’t show you in the best light.

How to respond well to a bad review

1. Always respond and address the reviewer. When people leave a negative review, it’s because they want to be heard, and they feel as though they haven’t been. Responding shows you care about your customers, even if they are unhappy. Ignoring bad reviews gives legitimacy to the review.
2. Take the time to thank them for leaving you feedback and apologize for their experience. This shows anyone reading the review, and the response, that you care about the customer’s experience.
3. Take the conversation offline. Don’t argue or go tit for tat in a review comment section. Simply offer the opportunity to discuss their experience offline. This allows you to take ownership of the situation, provide an opportunity to make it right, but avoids any sticky online discussions. And most of the time, the reviewer won’t take you up on the offer to talk offline anyway. And if they do, then you have the opportunity to smooth things over.
4. Ask for another chance to earn a good review. If you really want to right the perceived wrong, then you have to give the customer the opportunity to have a better experience. While Google won’t remove reviews unless they violate content guidelines, the person who posted the review CAN edit that review. A powerful review is one that was bad, and then edited to showcase that a wrong was righted.

Some response examples:

Example of a bad fake review for an HVAC business:

“The service person was an hour late to our house, and the bill ended up being twice as much as the estimate! Don’t use this company!”

A possible response:

“Thank you for letting us know about your experience. We are so sorry our repair tech was late to the job and the invoice was more than expected. Please call us at 584-555-1224 so we can make this right.”

This response works well because it takes ownership of the situation, offers to find a resolution without giving specific details, and acknowledges that the issue the customer had was valid. Someone reading this response will likely be satisfied that you addressed the situation head on and didn’t ignore it.

Example of a bad fake review for an restaurant:

“The service was slow and the restaurant was too loud. Will not go back.”

A possible response:

“We are so sorry that your experience at our restaurant was poor. Providing quality service and excellent food is our passion, and we are sorry that didn’t come through during your visit. We hope you’ll give us another chance to show you we can do better. If you are looking for a quieter dining experience, please request upstairs seating on your next visit, which is smaller and quieter than our main dining room.”

This response works well because it acknowledges their experience while also extending an offer to try again, while also offering a tip to anyone reading the review that there is a quieter environment if higher levels of noise is an issue.

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The best mitigation for bad reviews is good reviews

One bad review won’t kill your business, unless it’s the only review you have. It takes about six good reviews to undo a bad review, so the best defense is a strong offense. One thing to keep in mind is that most people won’t leave a review unless they’ve had an exceptionally good experience or an exceptionally bad experience. Having just a satisfactory experience often doesn’t inspire a review.

However, what we’ve found is that most customers are fairly happy to leave you a review if you ask them to do it. There are tons of ways to do this. We offer an online review service for businesses, which implements a systematic way to encourage your customers to leave you positive reviews on third-party platforms. Feel free to contact us for more information on how it works.

If you are a business that provides in-home service, one idea is having a business card with a QR code that goes straight to the Google review page. Upon leaving the home, hand the card to the customer and request they use the QR code to leave a review. It’s easy, not very expensive, and requests the review while the service experience is still fresh. It doesn’t have the follow up that the online review system has, but it also doesn’t require getting their email address for follow ups.