How to Delete Google Reviews (& What to Do If You Can’t)

Think about the last fourth dimension you traveled. After you arrived at your address and checked in at your hotel, what did you do next ? If you ‘re like me, you probably thought approximately where you were going to eat. But when you ‘re newfangled to an area, how do you find a beneficial spot ?
quite than asking the hotel clerk — who ‘s probably a local and has eaten at every place nearby — most of us take out our phones and do a agile Google search. Studies show that 82 % of customers wo n’t patronize a business until they ‘ve read the reviews. And, since Google is the preferable review locate for 64 % of consumers, that means fair one inadequate review could determine whether or not you choose to eat at a restaurant .
Every caller hopes to receive positive feedback, but the fact is that customers who have poor people experiences are more likely to write an on-line review. It ‘s your customer service team ‘s job to keep track of Google reviews and remove the negative comments that are harmful to your clientele .
In this post, we ‘ll break down what a Google review looks like, how to delete them, and what to do if you ca n’t.

What is a Google review?

Before we jump into how you can delete Google reviews, we should beginning clarify what a Google recapitulation is. other inspection sites can be confused with the Google review interface. Google ‘s review locate is unique because it ‘s integrated directly into the search engine deoxyadenosine monophosphate well as its apps and business tools .

To identify whether the review you ‘re looking at is a Google inspection or not, look for the play along elements :

• A hyperlink next to the star rating reads “Google reviews” or “# Reviews”. This link will take you to individual reviews that users have written.
• There are no other company names on the review.
• A rating scale numbered from one to five. This won’t always be visible, but it can help you recognize a Google review if you see one.

For example, take a attend at the Google follow-up foliate for HubSpot. You ‘ll notice each of the elements we listed above. This review appears in Google Maps, so it ‘s integrated into the Google interface which makes it more clear that it is a Google review .

Can you delete a Google review?

unfortunately, Google does n’t offer a simple “ erase ” choice for its reviews. rather, there are merely two ways that a review can be removed. The person who posted the review can delete it or your occupation can “ flag the recapitulation as inappropriate. ” Flagging the review alerts Google that the review is fudge or that it does n’t comply with Google ‘s inspection policies .
After that, you ‘ll be guided to the land page below where you ‘ll need to complete a brief report of the emergence and submit your electronic mail for follow-up communication .

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It ‘s crucial to note that Google has built-in spam checkers that mechanically analyze a inspection for inappropriate, irrelevant, or misleading contented. While this feature is pretty reliable, inaccurate reviews are sometimes overlook which can lead to negative perceptions of your commercial enterprise .
In this character, you ‘ll want to take matters into your own hands and report the review yourself. here ‘s how to do that .

How to Delete a Google Review

1. Open Google Maps and locate your business.
2. Find the review on the Google reviews page.
3. Click the three vertical dots to the right of the review.
4. Select the option Report Review.
5. Choose an option for the question: What’s wrong with this review?
6. Report the Google review.

1. Open Google Maps and locate your business.

2. Find the review on the Google reviews page.

3. Click the three vertical dots to the right of the review.

4. Select the option Report Review.

5. Choose an option for the question “What’s wrong with this review?”.

6. Report the review to Google.

When to Flag a Google Review

According to Google, the topics below are against its user terms and conditions. consequently, if you notice a review that falls under one of these categories, your team can request to remove that contented .

Irrelevant Comments

Google wants to make indisputable its users are getting accurate information about your commercial enterprise. sol, if you ‘re seeing comments that do n’t pertain to your arrangement or a customer ‘s feel, you should flag these reviews for Google to remove .

Illegal Content

Some businesses provide products or services that are illegal in certain locations. Google accounts for this by prohibiting users from posting reviews that contain links to websites or e-mail addresses that sell illegal products. This besides includes images that advertise products or special offers .

Inappropriate/Offensive/Explicit Content

Google will remove any message that it views as “ abhorrent, blasphemous, or nauseating. ” It will besides remove reviews that are threatening or contain derogative comments. If you come across any reviews like these, be indisputable to flag them immediately to protect your stigmatize ‘s picture .

Conflicts of Interest

Google wants its reviews to be american samoa indifferent as possible. consequently, you ca n’t post a review of a company that you own or solve for. You besides ca n’t post a review of your rival, as this would allow you to manipulate their rat in your privilege .

Impersonation

Google values the accuracy of its reviews as good. It does n’t want to misrepresent a business or provide deceptive message to its users. Because of this, all Google reviews must be published by the person writing the review. You ca n’t publish the review on person ‘s behalf or pretend to be person else when submitting your review .

Disadvantages of Reporting a Google Review

As you can imagine, this work is boring and does n’t guarantee that your review will be removed. And, even if Google does decide to remove it, there ‘s no telling when it will actually be taken down. In that clock time, your business could lose thousands of customers if you wait for Google to handle the issue .
The early major reverse is that Google wo n’t remove a review just because it ‘s negative. The point of Google review is to provide users with unbiased feedback from other customers ‘ experiences. If those experiences are poor, Google wants its users to be mindful of them. so, if you ‘re upset with a customer ‘s impression, the odds are n’t in your party favor for a removal .
rather, your customer service team needs to take natural process if you want to remove a negative Google review .

Ways to Handle Google Reviews

1. Respond to the customer’s review.

The most effective way to handle a negative customer review is to respond to it. If your team made a mistake that inspired a negative review, a genuine apology can go a long way in changing the percept a likely customer has of your brand. If it ‘s a incontrovertible review, an appreciative answer makes an impact, excessively. Remember, these reviews are populace for the customer a well as your clientele, and customers do n’t want to look like the villain when your team responds underneath with a civil message .

2. Ask the customer to delete it.

The customer may respond positively to your team ‘s remark but choose to leave the recapitulation up anyhow. They may think the matter is closed and that other users will see the inspection as an exemplar of your big customer military service. While we appreciate the opinion, you and I both know we ‘d preferably have the review removed indeed other customers lone see the cocksure experiences at your company .
In these cases, reach out to the customer to see if they will remove the review. If possible, message them on a private platform like e-mail, so the customer does n’t feel pressured by your request. Thank them for reading your answer and ask them if they will consider the removal of the review in light of their late experiences with your company. Be sure to remain patient and do n’t make any demands on the customer .

3. Solve the customer’s problem.

This one may seem obvious, but customers much leave negative reviews because their original indigence from your business was never fulfilled. For case, you may enjoy the customer service at a restaurant but hate the food they serve you. tied though your beef — pun intended — is n’t with the restaurant ‘s staff, your review still gets counted all the same .
It ‘s authoritative to recognize the problems that customers are reporting in your negative reviews and take military action to correct them. once you do, follow up with the customers who left poor reviews and see if they ‘re willing to try your product or service again. Make it clear that you have taken steps to correct your by mistakes and you however rate their kinship with your occupation. While you may not win every customer over, this promotes a customer-centric culture for your brand ‘s repute .

4. Follow up with customers.

One common statistic that customer serve experts like to point out is that 85 % of customers believe reviews older than three months are irrelevant. however, this stat neglects that these older reviews still count towards your business ‘s overall rat on Google. That military rank is extremely important because 52 % of customers will not buy from a business if it has less than a 4-star rat .
additionally, a lot can change with your occupation as you grow and develop over time. A Google recapitulation that was posted two years ago may not be as accurate nowadays. If the drug user is still active, try to contact them via the review and see if they would be uncoerced to edit their post. Or, offer them an bonus to try your merchandise or service again in exchange for an update review .

5. Authenticate the review.

Believe it or not, some people on the internet are ambidextrous. It gets worse. Some people will even write fake reviews to sabotage their competitors ‘ business .
If you ‘re doubtful of a review ‘s authenticity, attend for signs that would confirm it is a forge. Fake reviews often lack details and seem like they could apply to about any business. Check to see if the reviewer has left any other reviews and if they have a mental picture listed with their report. then respond to the review. If you do n’t get a reception, flag the post as inappropriate and wait for Google to review your report .

The Power of Google Reviews is in Your Hands

Waiting for Google to remove a follow-up from its search engine can be time-consuming and boring. however, the steps listed above should help your customer avail team cursorily address minus Google review and improve your relationship with new and existing customers .
Editor ‘s note : This post was primitively published in January 2020 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.