How To Deal With Fake Google Reviews
“1 Star review”
“Negative review in Google page”
If you are a business owner, there’s a high chance that your company’s Google Review has 1 star or negative comment review from people you don’t even know.
Yes, we’ve all been there…
It’s stressful to imagine how the potential leads would judge our service based on those fake reviews.
It is completely inevitable for businesses to avoid fake and negative reviews, regardless of your quality service.
Even one bad review can hamper your rankings.
Worried about what you should do next?
Wait, don’t panic! We have got some solutions for you. We will guide you through a few steps on how to clear fake Google reviews.
1. Evaluate the Reviews
Think before you act! The first thing for you to do is carefully evaluate the review. An investigation into the matter is crucial. If a person writes about why your company is awful and is persuading others not to use your company’s services, take a quick look at your past records. Compare the details of the reviews with your past records. You will ultimately find out whether the review is fake or real.
2. Respond Promptly
Whether it is a genuine or a fake review, a prompt reply is a must. It’s about showing how you respond and deal with customer dissatisfaction. However, it is important to let others know that you are committed to customer service.While replying to fake reviews, here are few points to be considered:
– Keep your response as brief as possible
– Don’t be defensive
– Apologise even if it wasn’t your fault
– Always ask to fix the problem
3. Flag Fake Reviews
One of the best options that Google provides is flagging fake reviews. You can notify Google regarding fake reviews by flagging specific reviews. Google will look at the review and decide if it’s fake and whether it should be removed or not.More the flags on the post, Google will be further convinced the review is fake. Therefore, get your team members to flag as well.
Wondering how you can flag a fake review? Follow these steps:Find the review that you want to flag.
Click on three vertical dots in the upper-right corner of the review and click Flag icon.
You will be taken to a Google violation page where you can report the review.
4. Contact Google
Has it been more than 24 hours since you requested to flag a review? Check out if the review has been removed or not. If not, call Google or report it to Google Small Business Support.You can get in touch with Google Small Business Support by:
– Contact to follow-up: Go to the review tab on My Business page in Google. Click on Support button, choose the medium of communication. You can also add a screenshot of the review for their attention.
– Tweet Small Business Support: You can send a tweet from your company to @GoogleSmallBiz.
– Legal Removal Request: If the review contains something that should be removed immediately, you can submit a removal request at support. Google.com/legal.
If you are looking to grow your business in the long term, Google reviews are of vital importance. One of the best ways to create a lesser impact on bad reviews is by covering them up with positive reviews.
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