Have you noticed a fake or negative review of your business on Google?
Reviews can benefit your business by convincing people that your goods and services are high-quality. When you get bad reviews on Google, though, you might struggle to attract customers. Sometimes, these reviews aren’t even from real customers. Rather, they might come from a competitor or someone with an ulterior motive.
As such, knowing how to remove defamatory or fake reviews on Google is an important skill to cultivate. When you know how to remove bad Google reviews, you’ll ensure your customers only hear good and true things about your company. Keep reading to learn how to get rid of bad reviews!
Ask the Author to Remove the Bad Review
This won’t work in every circumstance, but it can serve as the most straightforward way to delete reviews on Google. If the reviewer is a real client who had a dissatisfactory experience, they might be writing because they want their voice heard.
As such, they might be open to letting your customer service team make it right. You should have a policy in place for your customer service. Ask them to reply to reviews within 24-48 hours of the comment getting posted.
If your team can make it right, the client might remove the comment on their own. You can also ask the author to remove the comment after you’ve finished helping them.
Helping dissatisfied clients can even improve your reputation! There’s always a chance the client will leave another review talking about how great your customer service is.
Report and Flag the Review
If you suspect the review isn’t from a client, you can report and flag it for Google to review. Google will then review and delete it if the comment violates Google’s Terms of Service.
The Terms of Service forbid people from posting the following types of fake Google reviews:
- Spam and not from real customers
- Not relevant to the business or its services
- Threatening, harassing, or derogatory
- Illegal or sexually explicit content
- Reviews written by people associated with the company or its competitors (this is a conflict of interest)
- People who are impersonating different businesses
Contact Google’s Business Support Team
If you’ve tried the tips listed above and haven’t had any success, contact Google’s support team. You can do so by phone or email. If you choose to email Google, they’ll reply within 24-48 hours.
To contact Google, log into your Google My Business account. In the menu, click on “Reviews.” Then, navigate to the support bar. Click on “Need More Help” and then “Customer Reviews and Photos.” Next, choose “Review Removal Issues” and “Contact Support.” You will then have the opportunity to contact Google.
Take a screenshot of the comment in question and send it to Google.
Ready to Remove Defamatory or Fake Reviews on Google?
Now that you’ve read this guide, you’re ready to remove defamatory or fake reviews on Google.
If you want more help, our team is ready to assist you. We’ve helped companies get rid of more than 5,000 negative reviews, improving their reputations and helping them attract new customers.
Want to learn more about how we can help? Schedule a demo today!
