Although we’d like to think our customers enjoyed every part of their journey with us, that is not always the case.
Mistakes happen and issues are not always resolved in the privacy of internal emails and phone calls.
Instead, some customers take to Google to leave a public review of their less than stellar experience.
We also know that their commentary can be exaggerated and not an actual portrayal of what happened – but our prospective customers don’t know that.
For this reason, many brands look to remove a Google review so as not to scare off new business. In this blog post, we’ll share tips for how to delete a Google review and what to do if Google denies your request.
Impact of Google Reviews for Business
Google My Business acts as a free marketing tool for organizations everywhere. When shown in a positive light, customer reviews give major credibility without spending a dime.
Here are a few statistics that showcase the importance of a positive online brand reputation:
- 72% of customers say they use Google reviews to find businesses (FindStack)
- Nine out of ten customers read reviews before buying a product (TrustPilot)
- Businesses with a minimum of 200 reviews generate twice as much revenue (FindStack)
- 83% of customers say reviews must be relevant and recent to be trustworthy (Podium)
In addition to free testimonials, increasing Google reviews also helps with better ranking for local SEO, increasing brand reputation, and helping smaller businesses level the playing field with large corporations.
💡 The Key Takeaway: Online reviews hold a lot of weight when it comes to winning new business and ranking high on Google. Therefore, organizations often try to remove a Google review if it is not an accurate representation of how they treat their customers.
Recommended Reading: What is the Impact of Positive Online Reviews? | ORM Company
Can You Delete Google Reviews?
Did you know, customers are 21% more likely to leave a review after a negative experience? And with 94% of customers saying they’ve avoided a business due to negative reviews that action can be detrimental.
So, why not just remove a Google review? Unfortunately, it’s not quite that simple.
You can contact Google reviews support with the hope that they approve your request.
If the review does not comply with Google’s review policy such as posting spam, illegal, sexual, or offensive content then they will delete the rating for you.
To report harmful or fake Google reviews, follow these steps:
- Log into Google My Business
- Select the business to review (if you have multiple locations)
- In the menu, select “Reviews”
- Click the three-dot menu, then select “Flag as inappropriate”
It can take many days before your request is accepted or denied. In the meantime, it can be beneficial to respond to the negative comment with empath and a plan to resolve the issue.
💡 The Key Takeaway: It is not possible to remove the rating on your own – and in most instances, Google will deny your request. Even if the review is full of lies, as long as it does not include explicit comments then it will stay live on your Google My Business page.
What to Do When You Can’t Remove a Google Review
Google denies your request to remove a rating – now what? Don’t lose all hope just yet.
While you can’t erase it from the internet, you can mask or delegitimize the review by gaining a plethora of fresh and consistent positive ratings.
Studies have shown that 72% of people asked to leave a review will do so.
Okay – that’s promising! But wait. It’s so time-consuming to compile a list of customer names and emails and reach out to them to ask for an online review.
Plus, how can you be 100% sure they were satisfied enough to post a 5-star rating?
There is a better way: conduct a short customer survey and redirect satisfied customers to your Google Reviews for Business account.
Our market research company specializes in both customer satisfaction surveys and online reputation management (ORM). We’ve quickly realized they are a match made in heaven.
To show how the ORM process works, we’ll use an example of an online retailer.
- An e-commerce store sends a thank you email to customers who have made a purchase in the past month.
- The email invites customers to answer a short survey where they can provide their feedback.
- If their experience is rated positively, the survey platform automatically redirects them to share a Google review.
- If their experience is rated negatively, the customer remains in the survey platform to answer additional questions about their experience with the e-commerce site.
- The negative feedback is immediately sent to the e-commerce brand to review the case and take any necessary action.
- You can add the option for customers to be directed to leave a review on Google, or end the survey as-is.
There’s a reason why customer satisfaction surveys are a vital part of ORM.
When you run one of these surveys, customers will share what they like and dislike about your business. Through this, you’ll be able to a.) improve upon positive feedback or b.), adjust your services based on negative feedback.
Once you eliminate what caused the negative feedback, customers are much more likely to leave a positive review when directed to Google.
For more information on reputation management, watch this brief video.
💡 The Key Takeaway: Conducting a brief customer survey with an online reputation management company is the easiest way to increase Google reviews. It is a foolproof way to assure only happy customers are asked to share their feedback. As a result, any negative comments will be irrelevant in comparison. Customer surveys give businesses the chance to correct negative aspects of their company and promote the positives.
Conduct Reputation Management with Drive Research
While removing a Google review is close to impossible, there is an alternative solution to masking a negative rating.
Creating a streamlined process for brand reputation management increases the likelihood of satisfied customers leaving a 5-star review of your company, products, and services.
Earn more positive Google reviews for your business with Drive Research.
To learn more about our process for surveying customers and ORM, read Why You Should Use a Market Research Firm for Online Reputation Management (ORM).
Ready to get started? Contact our market research company for a quote.
- Message us on our website
- Email us at [email protected]
- Call us at 888-725-DATA
- Text us at 315-303-2040
Emily Carroll
A SUNY Cortland graduate, Emily has taken her passion for social and content marketing to Drive Research as the Marketing Manager. She has earned certificates for both Google Analytics and Google AdWords.
Learn more about Emily, here.
