Google is the best of the three local review websites that are worthwhile joining. We are all aware that a company’s first impression on potential new consumers can be made or broken by both favorable and negative evaluations. A firm may struggle with unfavorable Google reviews and phony testimonials. These can harm your online reputation and make it challenging to draw in clients.
Even yet, it is impossible to only receive favorable feedback.
No matter how wonderful your average customer experience is, a dissatisfied customer will eventually sit down and spend the time to write a bad review of your company.
Again, let’s be clear.
It’s common to get bad Google reviews. A company that only displays favorable Google ratings can never be trusted.
Yet, there are situations when negative evaluations are unjustified, false, libelous, manufactured, or even worse—an overt attempt to harm your company.
If you’re unlucky enough to have seen inflated, inaccurate, or misleading reviews, you might be curious about whether a business can remove Google reviews and whether Google will look into defamatory claims. How is a Google review removed? Learn more about Google’s review guidelines, how to challenge a Google review, and how to solicit more reviews by reading on.
How to Delete Negative Google Reviews
You might be wondering whether unfavorable Google reviews and articles can be taken down. Although we don’t currently have any means of removing articles, flagging reviews on Google is the first step in the straightforward process of deleting them. Let’s talk about how to delete a Google review.
If you wish to get rid of bad evaluations from Google Local (Google Maps and Google Search), do the following:
- Activate the Google account that is linked to your business listing.
- Locate your company on Google Maps
- Dispatch the reviews page
- Locate the review that you wish to delete.
- In the top right corner, select “Flag as inappropriate” by clicking the three dots.
- Complete the form, then send it.
How Long Does Google Take To Delete Bad Reviews?
It may take some time to remove the review that was highlighted.
The type of violation implicated will largely determine how long it takes to erase reviews in response to violations. Google will usually get involved between 2 and 60 business days. However, it is fair to anticipate Google intervention in most cases within 2 to 4 weeks. To complete the process, though, you might need to do more than just click a few times on your Google My Business account.
You may occasionally get stuck in a cycle where Google requests additional justifications and proof for your assertions in order to have a review removed.
Google may still choose to disregard your assertion. This unpleasant case suggests that having a plan B for handling fraudulent reviews and negative reviews is preferable (we will see some strategies later in the article).
How to Speak with Customer Help for Google Small Businesses
When reporting a negative Google review, it may occasionally be simpler to communicate with a human than with an AI or automatic response system.
There are several ways to contact Google’s customer care. But keep your expectations in check. As Google has billions of users, they “select” which ones will get assistance from a staff member.
You can report a review if it contains slanderous statements about you or your company and is therefore prohibited. utilize the Content Removal Tool and respond to inquiries in the Google Business Profile Manager on your grievance. Again, you have a better chance of getting a Google review removed if it breaks slander laws.
Visit support.google.com/business to get in touch with Google Small Business support for any additional unfavorable Google reviews. The “contact us” button is located at the bottom. Choose a contact method by clicking it (phone, web chat, email.) I’ll be in touch with you in the next 24 hours. Tag @GoogleMyBiz on Twitter as an alternative if you don’t get a response. The official Google My Business account is that one.
From there, someone should get in touch with you so you can continue making your request to have a Google review deleted.
Can Google be used to remove negative reviews?
More than once a week, 78% of consumers use the internet to research local businesses, according to BrightLocal.
Identify the top mapping app with over 150 million monthly users.
Maps on Google.
In order to be found on Google Maps, managing your Google MyBusiness page is essential. Visitors will access Google Maps to read actual customer reviews in addition to directions to your company’s location. In order to hear from locals on reliable websites, users will click reviews in their search results. More brand recognition will result from having positive Google reviews in your neighborhood.
You might wonder if I can delete a Google review or if businesses can do so. Can Google reviews be removed from restaurants? Business owners can manage and remove negative Google Maps reviews using a Google My Business profile. Predictably, though, you CAN NOT delete Google business reviews with a single click.
Google does not give you full control over your Google company profile on THEIR platform, like the majority of high-tech businesses do. Yet, there are situations where you can request to have Google reviews removed from your business page since they want to maintain a trustworthy and clean platform.
That all comes down to Google’s review procedure. When may you ask Google to remove unfavorable reviews? Let’s find out.
What You Should Know About Google’s Review Guidelines
Google’s fundamental objective as a company is to give its users accurate, timely, and useful information.
Nonetheless, Google established guidelines and rules for its community (also known as Google users) to use Google platforms and services. Content cannot violate Google policies on any Google-owned platform, including the Google Maps app, photos, searches, YouTube, and the Google Play Store. All content types—including video, photos, messages, and, of course, fresh reviews—are covered by these rules.
If you’re wondering why a Google review of your company does not appear, it’s because Google routinely scans everything placed on its site and removes objectionable material. Artificial intelligence is used in the process, although it is still not ideal. As a result, content that violates its policies may go unnoticed.
Also, the methods used by individuals and automated programs that post negative reviews on Google are becoming increasingly complex. Google appreciates the initiative taken by business owners to report reviews that are in conflict with their guidelines.
The key infractions that can cause Google to remove content are as follows:
- Harassment, hate speech, harmful material, and private or sensitive data
- False engagement, false statements, inaccurate information, or misleading material
- Content that is offensive, shocking, sexually explicit, or violent
- Content that is restricted, risky, illegal, or terrorist-related that contravenes local laws
- Off-topic, commercial, and nonsense
You can request Google to remove a review if you believe it to be false or untrue and is directed at your company. This is the procedure.
How to Manage Alternative Review Sites
As a pastime, we like reading negative TripAdvisor reviews. But, as a business, you may need to know how to respond to negative TripAdvisor reviews. The idea is to give yourself some time to gather your thoughts before reacting. But, you must constantly acknowledge a negative reviewer within 24 hours, thank them for their input, and offer an apology. Remember that you can always take the system down to fix the problem.
Your company can profit from other local review websites in addition to Google reviews. Get visibility on more platforms by finding out how to get Yelp reviews. Can companies edit Yelp reviews? Like Google, Yelp will investigate submitted reviews and, if they violate Yelp content guidelines, may delete them.
If you wish to promote company evaluations on other websites, think about how SMS marketing and email marketing differ. By delivering surveys to customers for feedback, SMS marketing can increase sales and customer support. The cost and scalability of email marketing are taken into consideration. You will quickly have a large number of evaluations that will accurately portray your company.
Take the next step for your business with WiFi marketing now that you are aware of how to get rid of Google reviews and get more favorable than negative evaluations. All of the aforementioned tasks and more can be completed with Beambox, an all-in-one WiFi solution. Start your Beambox free trial today to speed up the growth of your company!
