If you're responsible for managing your customers' reputations, you need to know how to deal with negative Google reviews. A customer may come to you and ask, "How can you help me remove a negative Google review?" Now you want to know how to dispute a Google review.
Find out how to capitalize on a good review and minimize the damage of a negative review. Download these review response templates now.
Unfortunately, you can't just open oneCompany profile on Google, click some tabs and see the shiny delete button. It is not possible.
However, there are other ways to dispute and remove a Google review.
How to dispute a Google review
Google has standard guidelines for Google reviews. If you can demonstrate that someone posted an incorrect or inappropriate review in accordance with your policies, you have the option to remove the review.
One of the first steps to contesting a Google review is to involve Google employees. You need to ask them to review and remove the suspicious review. But there is no guarantee that they will.
You have to wait weeks for an answer. You may not get an answer at all.
However, to save a customer's reputation, it's worth trying.
Types of Google reviews eligible for an appeal
According to Google's comments policy, you can object to some of the types of comments listed below.
Fraudulent or false reviews:Google is likely to remove fraudulent or manipulative content that may appear repeatedly in multiple reviews.
Comments that are irrelevant -You can flag off-topic comments that contain irrelevant social, personal, or political comments. However, reviews that reflect an individual's genuine experience with a business will be considered valid.
Illegal or Sexually Explicit Content:You can request removal of Google reviews that contain illegal, locally restricted, or sexually explicit content. Offensive and dangerous content that annoys your customer or contains hate speech also falls under this criterion.
If the review in question meets one of these criteria, you can report it in the hope that Google will remove it.
How to report Google reviews
If you think competitors have tried to hurt your customer's business, please report fake reviews.
Is simple.
Google team members will review your reported Google review. They will remove it if they find it violates their policies.
You may receive an answer after a few days. It is better to ask the customer to book the review as well. In this way, it will help you get more attention.
To report a Google review, do the following:
- Sign in to your client company's Google Business Profile Manager
- Choose the correct location if there are several
- Look for "Comments" in the menu.
- Find the review you want to report and click the three-dot menu
- Then select "Report as inappropriate"
If you can't get Google's attention, there are other ways to remove a questionable Google review.
- Don't tweet Google
- Contact the Google Business Profile Helpdesk
- Ask dissatisfied customers to delete or change their reviews directly
How to contact Google Business Profile support
Notifying Google Business Profile (GBP) support of an unfair review is another tactic used to dispute a Google review and have it removed.
Before you do this, make sure you have the evidence to support your claim. The more organized and informative your email is, the better.
Take some screenshots of the review in question. Please include your contact information along with the screenshots to email GBP Support.
If you're lucky, you'll get a response within 48 hours. However, if you don't get a response from them, don't lose hope.
There is another way to reach them. You can tweet them. It takes a few minutes.
how to tweet to google
If you're still trying to figure out how to dispute a Google review, you can try posting a tweet. You must post this tweet from the official Twitter account of the business you want to remove the rating for.
Tweet (@GoogleMyBiz) and let the GBP team know about your issue. Explain the situation clearly in your tweet. Let them know how the suspicious review violates your policies. Also attach screenshots.
After tweeting you may get a response from the GBP team. You can follow the instructions to continue with this problem.
You can also try filing a legal takedown request to dispute a Google review.
How to submit a legal removal request
Another step you can take to challenge a Google review: If you can show that a customer or competitor is trying to undermine your customer's reputation, contact Google directly.
Simply fill out a form and send your complaint toGoogle Legal Help Center. Go there and click Create Request.
All of these strategies that we have outlined are designed to remove fake, biased, or manipulative Google reviews. But what if you have a legitimate review and it's bad?
Bad reviews can be frustrating for small or new businesses.
What should you do if your customer asks to remove a negative review from their Google Business Profile? We have solutions for that too.
Is it possible to remove a negative Google review?
It would be so much easier for you if you could just delete a bad review. Unfortunately, no simple strategy can help you here.
Only a reviewer can delete or edit a Google review. However, this gives you the opportunity to solve the problem directly and improve customer satisfaction.
How to ask customers to delete or change a review
Never force a customer's customers to change their reviews.Respond to negative commentsand collect your contact information. Try contacting them by phone to discuss the issue.
Talking to them and solving your problem over the phone is likely to produce positive results. Clarify the situation. Tell them why this might have happened and how sorry your customer is. Never make excuses or get defensive. Instead, own up to mistakes (even if you didn't make them).
If you can reassure the customer, politely ask them to remove or update the review. Also, never forget to thank the customer for their honest feedback. Show them that your customer values their opinion.
You won't be able to win hearts every time. But you should always try. If your attempts to remove a bad review fail, you can try promoting the good ones.
You can always bury some bad reviews forget more positive feedbackthe customers of your customers. If you get a lot of new positive comments from Google, online searchers might never find the old negative comments.
Always ask happy customers to leave a review on Google. Don't forget to help them find your client's Google Business Page. This will encourage customers to leave even more reviews.
How white label reputation management can help you get more reviews
Tracking, responding, and disputing reviews from multiple customers can be a daunting task. Your challenge can be broader than just how to contest a Google review. Many agencies and resellers invest inReputationsmanagement-Softwareand a white markRevision Management Serviceto improve the services they can offer their customers.
Benefits of White Label Reputation Management
- Make sure your customers get more reviews for social proof and local SEO
- Helps you monitor customer feedback and respond quickly
- This makes it easier to respond to both positive and negative reviews.
- Helps businesses deliver enhanced services to reach, convert and retain large numbers of customers
- Provides effective reports on revisions and initiatives to gain customer insights.
Providing effective review management services
Disputing, and in some cases removing, a Google review is only part of an effective review management strategy. Leverage the latest review management technology and white label services to improve your clients' online reputation in less time and at less cost than doing it manually in-house.