How to Take Legal Action Against Negative Reviews

Anybody has the ability to write a bad Google review about your company without ever visiting your store. For most businesses, reviews are a peachy way to build a positive reputation. However, they can also exist a nightmare if an aroused customer has a bone to pick with you. That's manner it's so of import to know how to delete Google reviews.

Every bit a business possessor, information technology's non just customers that y'all have to sentry out for, either.

Shady competitors may also try to use online review platforms confronting you. If you don't carefully monitor reviews, competitors might deadfall your business page with tons of fake Google reviews. What's worse, most people tin't tell the difference between a real customer and a fake reviewer.

But don't worry. I'll help you lot spot the frauds and show you lot exactly how to delete a bad Google review in this footstep-by-step guide.

1. Treatment faux Google reviews

It'due south estimated that 91 pct of consumers read online reviews before they make a purchase.That's why it's imperative to stay on peak of feedback across all review platforms, including Google, Facebook, Yelp and Ripoff Report. Larger companies should monitor review sites daily, while a weekly check-in will usually suffice for pocket-size businesses. Hither are a few other posts that will assistance y'all find reviews:

• How to Google your business concern
• How to ready Google Alerts

If you observe a dreaded 1-star review, don't light your torches and form a mob. Instead, take a breath, calm down, and decide the actuality of the review.

A business may get a bad Google review for many reasons. But most of the time it happens because of a bad client experience with your company. For example, peradventure someone received a faulty product or experienced poor service.

Only sometimes complaints are just apparently fake. Disgruntled sometime employees, sneaky competitors and spammers may attempt to tarnish your reputation. Read criticism advisedly to figure out who may have written information technology, and why.

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Means to spot a fake Google review

Compare suspicious complaints with your sales records. Can you observe any matching transactions? Here's checklist to help you spot a fake review:

• The buyer isn't in your point of sale software system
• Purchased items and/or the transaction engagement doesn't friction match their complaint
• No customer service calls on record
• Lack of detail (e.g., they haven't named whatsoever specific employees)
• You lot noticed a surge of bad reviews in a short period of fourth dimension
• There's a connection betwixt the reviewer and a competitor
• The reviewer recommended a competitor in their complaint

The image below is a perfect example of a fake Google review that should be reported.

Here's another example of fraudulent reviews that were all written on the same day.

How to flag a fake Google review for removal

Ok, so y'all've institute the fraudsters and now you need to get rid of them. Google Maps is the easiest way to flag and written report a fake review, and here'due south how to do information technology.

Offset, find your business list on Google Maps, and click on reviews. Side by side, identify whatsoever false reviews using the tips we shared above. Finally, click the iii vertical dots on the right side of the Google business review and select "flag equally inappropriate." That's all at that place is to it.

Contact exterior organizations if necessary

If you tin show that a competitor left a fake Google review for your business, written report them to the Meliorate Business Bureau and your local Chamber of Commerce. Of class, you should as well inform the possessor of the competing business privately and politely that you're taking action. Informing them should put a finish to their unscrupulous activities.

In the adjacent section we'll walk you through the process for treatment negative Google reviews.

How to delete bad Google reviews

The short respond is, "yes." Just before you become as well excited, at that place are some of import restrictions to know nearly.

It's unremarkably possible to have a bad star rating removed if it violates Google'due south guidelines, such as faux, inaccurate or inappropriate content. For case, if a customer left a 1-star rating considering of a Trump poster in your store window, that's irrelevant, and it should be taken downwards.

Here are a few mutual types of negative Google reviews that you can dispute:

• Spam and fake content:Content must exist genuine. Google volition remove false information intended to boost rankings.
• Off-topic — Content must reflect an individual's feel at a location. Irrelevant social, personal or political commentary volition be removed.
• Prohibited content:Google volition delete illegal, locally restricted, sexually explicit, offensive, dangerous or derogatory content. This includes hate speech.
• Conflict of interest:You may not review your own business organisation, a current or former employer, or a competitor'south business organization.

If whatsoever Google business organisation reviews and complaints fit the above criteria, you lot have a few options to become rid of them. Below nosotros'll cover disputing the review, tweeting to Google, and taking legal activity.

Bad reviews injure your business We can remove bad reviews from the offset page of your search results.Talk to an skillful

Steps to dispute a Google business review

Google might not delete a flagged complaint as quickly as y'all'd like, if e'er. To speed things along, you can likewise personally contact Google and inquire them to take it downwardly. However, you tin can't just email Google support.

Follow these unproblematic steps to dispute a Google review:

1. Visit your Google My Business profile
2. Click on the "back up" option in the navigation panel
3. Select "Need more than help"
4. Click "Customer reviews and photos"
5. Select "Manage customer reviews"
6. And so click "Email support"

Ok, y'all've fabricated information technology this far. But earlier y'all fire off an angry email, you should go organized. The more data y'all can provide to support your case, the amend. When yous're ready, submit your telephone number or email address along with a screenshot of the suspicious review, and you should receive a response within 2 days.

In case your removal request was denied or you didn't hear back, here are a few other options that may work.

Tweet to Google

If your situation is peculiarly pressing or you still oasis't received an adequate response, try tweeting directly to @GoogleSmallBiz. Explicate your predicament and how the negative Google review violates their policy forth with any images yous have.

File a legal removal request

Finally, if you have bear witness that the complaint qualifies equally slander against your company, y'all tin fill out a Google form for a legal removal request.

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And then far we've addressed irrelevant and fake reviews. Merely if you've got legitimate i on your easily, you may need to get to the source to fix information technology.

three. Ask customers to delete Google reviews

When you're dealing with a truthful complaint, kindness may be the most effective (and just) method to get it removed. Google won't delete a bad review simply because yous don't like information technology. After you resolve the client'southward upshot, they may be willing to take down the complaint if yous ask nicely.

Most people leave scathing feedback because they feel trapped and powerless. They're angry that they've lost coin or dealt with a hassle. If y'all make them feel like they're in accuse from the get-go, they won't feel the need to lash out online. Follow this advice to respond to negative reviews and win customers over:

Contact the reviewer directly

Sometimes it's best to talk offline. If you can become people on the telephone, they'll see y'all as a homo and not a faceless business. This could give you lot an fifty-fifty meliorate shot at calming them downwardly and resolving the issue.

Take the proper tone

The right tone can turn a complaint into a positive review. Don't brand excuses. Don't get defensive. Keep things short and sugariness. Be professional and own up to any mistakes you may take fabricated. Swallow your pride and apologize, even if you're non the one at fault. Most importantly, thank the consumer for their valued feedback.

Offer to gear up the problem

If the reviewer has a valid complaint, piece of work with them to solve information technology. Address the employees involved, replace the faulty product, and make things right for the dissatisfied customer. But don't make empty promises. Instead, follow through with everything you lot guarantee. Most negative reviews can be flipped around if the client sees that you are willing to make things right.

Never threaten a lawsuit

Simply don't do it. Technically, yous tin can sue someone for online defamation in some cases, simply even if yous win, you'll probable lose in the long run. Lawsuits draw negative attending, and the media backlash from suing a consumer volition scare off other clientele.

If you've made information technology this far and then fixing or removing the complaint may exist a lost cause. And then nosotros'll requite you a few pointers on how to coffin it in Google search.

4. Delete reviews from Google

Even if you successfully get a Google review taken downwardly, it might remain your search results for a while. Therefor, we recommend you lot submit a asking to remove outdated content. Nevertheless, this just works if the review has indeed been deleted or modified. You tin can read more about how to remove search results hither.

v. Bury negative reviews in Google search results

Unfortunately, sometimes you can't get a Google review removed. Only, that doesn't mean yous're out of options. You tin even so bury negative search results so potential customers don't find them. Here are a few online reputation management strategies you can apply.

Inquire happy customers for reviews

The best way to overshadow a nasty comment is to drown it out with praise. Ask your customers what you lot're doing right and what y'all could improve. Then, let them know how to find your Google My Business page to get out a review. Here are some helpful tips to get more Google reviews.

Annotation: Never purchase or fabricate feedback, and don't bribe your customers for positive reviews. Those deportment will only increase your reputational run a risk.

Optimize your social media profiles

Establish and optimize your social media profiles and keep them regularly updated with fresh content. Add together descriptions of your business, contact data, and your address. Don't worry well-nigh posting every day, but you should make an effort to go on the lights on.

Earn and amplify positive news

Are y'all helping your community or giving to charities? Connect with local media outlets and convince them to write most your good deeds. Yous tin can as well pitch stories and provide expert quotes to online publications. These positive mentions will assist push button whatsoever bad reviews off page 1 of your search results.

Allow u.s.a. aid

Burying negative content in your search results is no minor task. If you'd rather ReputationManagement.com do the piece of work for yous, contact our team. Or, cheque out our article well-nigh the best (and worst) reputation management companies.

Cheque other online review platforms

Bad reviews aren't limited to Google. If yous've got problems on one review platform, you may have problems elsewhere also. Fortunately, we've written extensively about removing negative reviews on all the well-nigh popular platforms.

Facebook

Whether yous've created an official Facebook page or not, your customers could exist talking about you at that place. What'southward worse, you may have started a folio years ago and never gone back to address reviews that could be piling up. Bank check out this post to learn how to remove reviews from Facebook.

Yelp

If an inappropriate review hasn't already been filtered out by Yelp's algorithm, yous can report it. Moderators will determine whether the review breaches their content guidelines human activity accordingly. However, faux reviews often slip through the filters. Read our full article most how to remove yelp reviews to acquire more.

Ripoff Report

Information technology'due south much trickier to get rid of Ripoff Report reviews. The only mode to remove a Ripoff Report is to pay them an exorbitant amount of coin. Otherwise, the platform refuses to take down complaints because they believe comments should exist preserved to expose patterns of bad concern practices. That ways you'll have to resort to reputation management services to push these results down. Learn more about Ripoff Written report removal here.

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