How to handle negative Google reviews: Remove, respond, recover

“No one answered the phone. Sure, it was after business hours, but that’s still no excuse! One star!”

Ever received a review like this on your Google Business Profile – a review so unreasonable that all you can do is hang your head and wonder what’s wrong with certain people?

Don’t worry.

Every business owner has received a negative Google review at some point or another – many of which are spam, fake, or completely unreasonable.

As any business owner knows, Google reviews are vital to a business’s success.

Positive reviews lead to more customers and a foundation of trust, whereas negative reviews communicate one thing to potential new customers: Stay away.

For this reason, it’s crucial to monitor your Google Business Profile and learn how to respond to – or remove – negative reviews.

That’s the exact purpose of this guide.

In this guide, you’ll learn how to navigate the process of:

• Deleting negative reviews on Google.
• Responding to the authors of these reviews.
• Recovering from the aftermath of the entire ordeal.

I call these fundamental steps the Three Rs:

• Remove. 
• Respond. 
• Recover.

The impact of negative Google reviews

Before we discuss the three Rs in detail, it’s crucial to know why and how negative Google reviews harm your business.

Erodes customer trust

For starters, these reviews can alter the perception of potential new customers.

Consider a scenario in which a business owner opens a restaurant. During the restaurant’s first week, a member of the waiting staff delivers the wrong dish to a customer. Instead of the lobster, the customer gets the shrimp fettuccine. 

The waiter quickly realizes their mistake and brings out the proper dish. All is well.

Not to the customer. After devouring their dish and licking the plate clean, they furiously drive home and leave a one-star review.

One star? Even though you ate every bite?

In this example, the customer has left an unreasonable Google review that does not accurately portray the restaurant or their experience.

They don’t mention the fantastic food, the fact that it’s the business’s first week open or the fact that the server quickly corrected their mistake. 

They only mention the mistake. Unfair, right?

Completely. In this case, it’s only the third review of this business’s Google Business Profile.

Now, other potential customers will see the review and notice its impact on the overall restaurant’s Google rating. Instead of going to that restaurant, they’ll go somewhere else.

Affects search engine visibility

Negative Google reviews can also impact your business’s visibility on Google’s search engine.

Building on the last point, these reviews erode customer trust, which means lower click-through rates from customers. Because search engines’ algorithms factor in user engagement metrics, decreased trust can correlate to decreased search engine visibility.

Long-term consequences

With trust levels dwindling and SEO metrics taking a hit, your business will suffer long-term – especially if the negative reviews pile up.

Your business’s Google rating will take a substantial hit, word of mouth will spread, and customers will stop flowing in. Before you know it, your restaurant faces closure after less than a year open. All because one poor review started a snowball effect. 

That’s why dealing with these reviews is of paramount importance. Let’s discuss how to remove negative Google reviews – the first of the three Rs. 

How to remove negative Google reviews

You can remove negative Google reviews in certain instances. 

The first is when a review is fake, spam, or misleading. In these cases, you are dealing with fraudulent content that in no way reflects your business. Perhaps you’re even the target of review bombing from a competitor.

The second instance occurs when a review clearly violates the Google review guidelines. For example, Google monitors the following:

• Spam and fake content.
• Misleading information.
• Off-topic content.
• Restricted content.
• Illegal content.

If a review has overstepped any of these boundaries, you are well within your right to have it removed. Here’s how to go about that process:

• Flag the review: The first step to remove a negative Google review is to flag the review and report it directly to Google. Also, identify the reason behind why you want the review removed (i.e., misleading content, spam, etc.).
• Contact Google Help: Sometimes flagging the review won’t work. The next step is to contact Google Help directly. Google’s support team often works swiftly and can address all your concerns regarding removing negative Google reviews.
• Discuss legal options: In more serious instances, one might consider legal options. For instance, is a review libelous or defamatory? Is it threatening? Does it mention potential violence? In such cases, you have the right to take legal action.

Alternatively, you can contact the reviewer directly and ask them to remove their review. This approach leads to the second of our three Rs: Responding.

Dig deeper: 9 strategies for removing negative content from the web

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How to respond to negative Google reviews

Negative Google reviews can hamper how potential customers perceive your business. They see these reviews before deciding whether to get involved with your organization.

Know what else these potential customers see?

Your response to negative reviews.

Responding to negative reviews is critical. It builds back the trust you might’ve lost from that harmful review.

New clientele see that you’re a caring business owner – one willing to address the concerns of your customers. In essence, you’re turning a negative into a positive.

Below is a step-by-step guide that details how to respond to negative reviews on Google.

Acknowledge the issue

The key here is to communicate a level of empathy with your customer. Show that you understand their complaint and that you’re willing to listen. 

Apologize

I know. Apologies are hard. But as a business owner, you must learn to take the high road. If your organization was at fault, offer a sincere apology and vow to do better in the future.

Provide a solution

Now comes the most important part: offering to fix the problem. Perhaps this comes in the form of a future discount or a free product. Perhaps it’s as simple as replacing a malfunctioning product at no cost. Whatever the solution is, ensure it satisfies the customer’s initial complaint.

Broach taking the conversation offline

To finish, encourage the customer who left the negative review to take the conversation offline. This way, you can discuss the next steps in private.

One last thing. There are a few essential “no-nos” when it comes to responding to negative reviews on Google. 

First, never act defensive. Doing so will only escalate the situation, and potential customers will view your behavior as childish. 

Second, do not ignore the review! New clientele want to see a business owner who portrays empathy, dedication, and a willingness to go the extra mile.

Dig deeper: How to respond to negative reviews harming your company’s reputation

Recovering from a negative Google review

Okay. You’ve removed or responded to that negative Google review. Now comes the often neglected part: Recovering. You must learn from the entire ordeal so your company can grow more capable in the future.

Going forward, implement the following techniques to build your business back up to what it was before the review.

Strengthen customer relations

Engage with satisfied customers. Did they enjoy your product? Did they have an incredible time at your restaurant?

Then, ask them to leave your business a favorable review online. Don’t be pushy, but mention how much you’d appreciate it.

And don’t be scared to implement any feedback you receive. Constructive criticism is the backbone of the recovery process.

Enhance your online presence

Going forward, use the entire experience as a way to enhance your business’s online persona. For instance, working with a reputation management firm can help you prop up your business, improve your SEO, and establish more positive reviews. 

Such companies can also help you monitor and remove negative Google reviews if the issue ever arises again.

Handling negative Google reviews professionally

Negative Google reviews are no laughing matter.

They often cause immense anxiety in a business owner.

If negative reviews are left unaddressed, consequences can quickly spiral. 

For that reason, it’s critical to implement the three Rs when tacking negative Google reviews:

• Remove.
• Respond.
• Recover.

With the above techniques at your disposal, handling negative Google reviews professionally becomes far easier.