Think about the last time you traveled. Once you had gotten to where you were going and registered at the hotel, what did you do afterward? If you are similar to me, you have likely considered where you would like to eat. If you’ve just moved to a new place, how would you go about finding a nice place to go?
Rather than inquiring about the hotel receptionist — who is most likely a native and has eaten at each eatery in the vicinity — the majority of us take out our phones and carry out a rapid Google search. Research indicates that nearly four-fifths of people will not do business with a company until they have looked at customer reviews. Sixty-four percent of customers go to Google when searching for reviews and only one negative review can be enough to change their minds about a restaurant.
Every business desires to be given praise, yet the truth is that customers who are dissatisfied with their experience are more likely to comment on the web. The responsibility of your customer service staff is to monitor Google reviews and eliminate any bad reviews that could hurt your business.
In this article, we will discuss what a Google review is, the process of removing it, and what to do if you are unable to do so.
What is a Google review?
Before we get into the details of eliminating Google reviews, let’s first discuss what a Google review entails. Other review websites may be mistaken for the Google review system. Google is distinct from other review sites because it incorporates search engines, applications, and business utilities into its system.
To identify whether the review you’re looking at is a Google review or not, look for the following elements:
- A hyperlink next to the star rating reads “Google reviews” or “# Reviews”. This link will take you to individual reviews that users have written.
- There are no other company names on the review.
- A rating scale numbered from one to five. This won’t always be visible, but it can help you recognize a Google review if you see one.
Can you delete a Google review?
Unfortunately, Google does not have an easy way to get rid of a review. In other words, there are only two ways to take down a review. The individual who shared their opinion can opt to take it down or your business can identify the review as unsuitable. Notifying Google that the review is false or that it doesn’t meet Google’s guidelines for reviews will be triggered when it is flagged.
After that, you will be led to the landing page indicating where you need to provide a concise account of the issue and input your email address to be kept informed of additional developments.
It is worth highlighting that Google has integrated spam filters that assess a review to determine if it has any unsuitable, off-topic, or deceptive material. Despite the general dependability of this characteristic, sometimes assessments that are not accurate go unheeded, causing negative views of your organization.
In this situation, it is up to you to take action and lodge the report by yourself. Here’s how to do that.
How to Delete a Google Review
1. Open Google Maps and locate your business.
2. Find the review on the Google reviews page.
3. Click the three vertical dots to the right of the review.
4. Select the option Report Review.
5. Choose an option for the question “What’s wrong with this review?”.
6. Report the review to Google.
Here are the reasons why Google does not allow you to delete bad reviews
Preserve Integrity
Google prioritizes maintaining its respectability in the eyes of its customers above all else. They want to make certain they offer an accurate, true depiction of enterprises that take advantage of their Google My Business service. Through this process, customers can look at different options and make an informed selection with the assurance that any organization on Google must pass a strenuous evaluation.
Keep Businesses Real
Take this scenario as an example. You are considering two different companies that provide a similar item. There are 10 evaluations that all give top marks, but don’t say much about why. The second business has 56 reviews and an average of 4.5 stars due to a combination of brief and lengthy reviews that provide a detailed description of what one should anticipate. Which would you choose? If you’re in the majority, you’re likely to pick the business with a total of 56 reviews, even though its overall rating is slightly lower by half a star.
Maintain Transparency
Google is establishing an environment in which users should expect absolute honesty and openness by not allowing companies to censor unfavorable Google My Business reviews. Do your utmost to avoid gaining bad feedback, but a couple of them can make your company look more genuine to shoppers. Everybody slips up from time to time, and unhappy customer reviews can demonstrate that you’re not concealing any problems, which will likely give potential shoppers more faith in you.
When to Flag a Google Review
Google states that the topics listed below violate its user agreement. Thus, if your team notices a review that meets one of the criteria, they may ask for it to be deleted.
Irrelevant Comments
Google is desirous of ensuring its customers receive verifiable facts concerning your business. If you encounter reviews on your organization or customer’s page that are not relevant, it is best to report them to Google to get rid of them.
Illegal Content
Some companies offer goods or services that are prohibited in certain areas. Google does not allow people to post critiques that include links to sites or email addresses that carry illegal items. This encompasses visuals that advertise items or deals.
Inappropriate/Offensive/Explicit Content
Google will take down anything considered to be inappropriate, foul language, or distasteful. It will also delete reviews that contain menacing words or derogatory criticism. If you encounter any reviews such as these, ensure that you mark them straight away so as to protect your business’s reputation.
Conflicts of Interest
Google desires its reviews to be as impartial as can be. Thus, you are not allowed to post an opinion of a business that you own or are employed by. It is not permissible to write a review of your competitor since this might give you the chance to control their rating in your favor.
Impersonation
Google values the accuracy of its reviews as well. The goal is to not give a false impression of any business, or offer content that is misleading to the people utilizing it. All reviews about Google must be posted by the individual who composed the review. It is not permissible to post a review in someone else’s name or to feign being someone else when submitting your review.
Disadvantages of Reporting a Google Review
This work takes some time to complete and does not ensure that your review will be taken down. It is uncertain at what point Google will choose to take down the content, should they decide to do so. If you don’t address the problem right away, then your business could potentially lose thousands of customers during that period. Don’t wait around for Google to take care of it.
Google will not take down an unfavorable assessment regardless of its negativity. The purpose of Google reviews is to allow users to get an honest opinions from other people’s encounters. Google wants its users to be aware of their experiences are unsatisfactory. If you don’t like what a customer said about you, it is unlikely that you will be able to get the comment taken down.
Your customer service team needs to take action if you are seeking to eradicate a detrimental Google review.
How to Dispute a Google Review
If the approach you attempted did not produce the outcome you were hoping for, there exists an additional avenue to get your point across to Google. Reaching out to Google Small Business Support will make it possible to talk to a Google representative directly, and you can then explain why the review should be deleted.
To dispute a Google review:
- Log in to your Google My Business account and navigate to your dashboard.
- Select “Support.”
- When the Help pane appears, scroll down to “Need more help?” and click “Contact us.”
- Type “Dispute a review” in the box, and click “Next.”
- Choose your preferred contact method.
In a matter of a day or more (depending on how many requests there are), you will be contacted by someone from Google to hear why you want the review to be removed. It is essential that you are ready to support your position prior to receiving a response from Google. Be prepared with a picture of the review in question, be aware of what part of Google’s rules it is breaking, and come up with as many valid arguments as possible to make a stronger argument.
Depending on the intricacy of the examination, it may be elevated one step up to a professional who will finally conclude the result. If this occurs, you will need to be patient and await the last decision from the specialist.
Can You Turn off Google Reviews?
Regrettably, when a Google My Business account is established, it can be subject to reviews. You cannot turn off this capability for your listing. Although a negative review can be concerning, the advantages of having an accurate Google profile are worth it, so don’t allow a bad review to discourage you from setting up a listing. Though Google reviews cannot be shut off, you can still take steps to improve your listing completely, thus increasing your visibility and making the best of your listing.
What to Do When You Can’t Delete a Review
Coming to terms with the fact that not all customers will be fully content with the products or services being sold is a difficult task for a business proprietor. No matter how diligently you attempt to guarantee everything is ideal from beginning to end, occasionally, negative evaluations are inevitable. In spite of their potential of causing suffering, understanding how to respond accurately to negative reviews can be enormously advantageous.
Here’s how to properly respond to reviews on Google that you cannot delete:
Respond Promptly
If you don’t answer promptly, it may lead to the impression that you are unconcerned about your business, or attempting to conceal a negative assessment.
Gather the Details
It is important to remember that answering quickly is not the same as responding hastily, as that could lead to a careless or impulsive response. Take a moment to draw a deep breath, and then spend time reviewing with your staff or investigating what occurred.
In the majority of instances, criticism from someone is based on their belief that they are justified in their opinion. Carefully examining the problem enables one to react in a suitable and equal way to the examination. It could also lead to uncovering a problem with your services, which you can then repair to keep the difficulty from coming up again in the future.
Reply Publicly
Although it is not possible to erase an unwelcome Google evaluation, you are able to give an open reply to demonstrate that you look after your patrons’ requirements. Say sorry for the situation, understand how they feel, and give a straightforward explanation (only if possible, not to excuse the behavior).
Resolve the Issue
It is of utmost importance to inform the customer of the measures you are taking to tackle the problem and provide some kind of recompense so as to uphold their fidelity to your company. You should also provide them with a way to talk about the topic not online.
Create a consistent reaction pattern so that your feelings do not interfere. You should not simply copy and paste the exact same answer to any bad reviews you receive. Yet, you can construct a set of rules to aid in keeping you focused while responding in a professional manner. For example,
- Recognize the review.
- Sympathize with the customer.
- Explain (briefly) what happened.
- Offer compensation.
- Provide an offline contact.
Collect More Positive Reviews
What is the most effective way to deal with negative reviews that cannot be removed? More positive reviews. Increase the number of positive reviews on Google to maintain a high rating and a good reputation.
The Power of Google Reviews is in Your Hands
It can take a long time and be tedious to await for the Google search engine to take down a review. Despite that, the strategies noted above should assist your customer service personnel in quickly responding to unfavorable Google assessments and enhance your association with both new and existing customers.
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