Bad reviews in Google Local Business Center, Yahoo! Local, MSN Live Maps, Yelp or any other online destination are a serious matter to the business and to potential customers who read them. There are many things you can do to reduce the amount of bad reviews you get and a few things you can do to remove bad reviews in Google (or elsewhere). However, the best action you can take to minimize the impact of a bad review is to simply acquire numerous positive reviews.
This tutorial will show you how to manage bad reviews and obtain positive reviews. If you do receive a bad review and for good reason, we recommend working with your colleagues to minimize future similar reviews by any means possible.
How to Remove Bad Reviews in Google Local
The Google Local Business Center (GLBC) and Google Maps channels offer searchers an alternative to traditional and online Yellow Pages. Because the search engines offer the ability for users to critique businesses via reviews, it puts non-internet savvy business owners at a disadvantage against malicious competitors and unintentionally dissatisfied customers.
If you find your listing victimized by these perpetrators, the first thing to do is to not panic. Here are some ways you can help eliminate these reviews from the search results:
- If your negative review comes from a 3rd party website, such as TouchLocal.com, Yelp.com or CitySearch.com, you can contest the review at the source.
- If the review comes directly from a Google user, you can incentivize the patron to remove the listing with a discount coupon or complimentary service. These types of customers will typically change their review to positive if the service was better the second time around.
- You can ask new customers to post positive reviews if they were happy with your service, and tactfully select “No” next to the question “Was this review helpful?” if they disagree with the negative review.
Below is a snapshot of a negative review in Google Local Business Center. We’ve circled the “No” to have happy customers help you remove the negative review.
How to Get Positive Reviews in Google
These techniques to get more positive reviews in Google also work for Yahoo! Local, CitySearch.com and other business review websites and is very easy. Try one or all to get better reviews to bury those negative ones that never seem to go away.
- Have a takeaway postcard with a discount coupon good on the next visit for customers you know had a good experience.
- Capture your customers’ email addresses and send out periodic discounts and offers. Mention on the offer to please give positive reviews by clicking a link that takes them directly to the page to leave a review.
- Give free workshops and hold customer appreciation events. Have a computer on site and ask patrons if they wouldn’t mind doing a video testimonial and/or give a quick review of the business on one destination (such as Google Local Business Center).
- Hold or participate in charity events and capture emails of those people who used a service or purchased a product, then follow up with a coupon and link to the review pages of choice.
Removing and burying bad reviews from Google can be extremely frustrating. Remember not to panic, do your best to contest the review or incentivize the reviewer, and focus as much as possible on getting every satisfied customer to post a positive review.
Great tips like these are always available through your Local Splash local SEO services Account Manager. Call us today to learn more about extended SEO services.
I’m helping a friend get a malicious bad review from their Google Business Listing. I found this article and video during my search. Great advice, and thanks!
T’m trying to find a way to remove bad reviews in business listing. Can you help me?
Thanks!
beauty at the towers review has one bad review i want to remove…how can i remove…
I would like to create a facebook for our business but would like to moniter all comments that are posted to prevent anything negetive from being posted. How do I do that? Thank you for your time and help..
Here’s what you do: quit doing bad business. The beauty of information on the internet is that it is easily available. Usually it is negatively biased because more often there is no other way to deal with the frustration of bad business than to voice about it in a review. Unfortunately, less often do people rave about good service. People have to keep this in mind when the search through reviews. It’s just the way it is.
It’s clear that you do not have a business. Few customers, even the happy ones, take the time to write a review. But you can be sure that your closest competitors, fired employees and even a jealous neighbor will take plenty of time to carefully write a damaging review that will last forever. Reviews is a good tool, but should not be anonymous and the reviewers should take responsibility for them.
I think that Google allowing anyone to do a review can be a bad thing. People act out of emotion. The latest customer that added a bad review, never even consulted management (myself) and made me aware of the problem. I learned of it by reading the Google reviews myself a time later.
The public should not be allowed to trash small business over any little disappointment they feel they had and it just stay up forever for everyone to see, even as there is new management and so on! It is a fundamentally dangerous move by google and hurt small business. I guess I will promote my business elsewhere!
It should be up to the business whether or not they would like Google to have a review option on their website.
I made a bad decision , after arguing with the owner where I work , I gave an innaccurate and bad review , ( I know , childish) I want to remove it , though Ive gone back and gave a good review now , the old stupid one still remains, can someone please help me , before I get fired ??
Jason,
I’m not sure where you left the bad review but most review sites (like Yelp) allow you to edit or delete your review as long as you are the one who posted it. Just make sure you are signed in using the same login information you did when you first wrote the review then edit or delete it.
Sarah Carter
Marketing Communications Specialist
Local Splash