Google Business review removal

Before buying your products or using your services, people read reviews about your business. They look at positive and negative reviews to help determine if theyll become your next customer.

But what do you do if you have reviews on Google you dont want?

On this page, well tell you how to remove Google reviews from your Google My Business profile. Plus, well provide steps you can take to remove bad reviews without removing them.

If you need help managing negative reviews, browse our review management services today!

How to remove Google reviews posted by others

When someone leaves a negative review on your Google My Business profile, your immediate reaction is to delete it. You dont want people to say bad things about your company because youre worried about how it will affect your reputation.

Unfortunately, removing Google reviews isnt as simple as going to your profile and deleting them.

Google doesnt give companies the option to delete negative reviews because all feedback, both positive and negative, helps maintain authenticity.

People rely on reviews when deciding whether to make a purchase.

Not surprisingly, 80% of people say online reviews have changed their minds about a purchase.

Reviews have a substantial impact on the buyers journey, so Google doesnt allow you to remove bad reviews from your Google local listing. The only time you may get a bad review removed is when its a fake review.

How to remove fake Google reviews

Google lets you remove fake Google reviews, but they must check the review first. To report a fake Google review, follow these steps:

1. Go into your Google My Business account
2. Choose Reviews from the left-hand menu
3. Select the fake review
4. Click on the three-dotted bar in the right corner
5. Click Flag as inappropriate

By following this process, youll get the reviewers feedback sent to Google. Google can then evaluate it to see if the review is fake.

If youre looking for a more direct way to remove fake Google reviews, contact Google directly.

Go to your Google My Business dashboard and find Support in the menu.

From that point, you can talk with Google via phone, chat, or email.

This option allows you to get in contact with Google faster to remove the review.

Google will not remove the review if it is authentic and a customers experience that occurred at your business. If its an authentic review that wasnt meant for your business, you can appeal to have it removed.

For genuine negative reviews, jump to the next section!

From 1-star to 4-stars: How to remove Google reviews without actually removing them

Removing negative Google reviews isnt as simple as deleting them. If the reviews are authentic, you have to take an alternative approach to remove those reviews. The best thing you can do is address the reviewer and try to fix the situation.

Lets take a look at five steps you can take to remove Google reviews posted by others.

1. Dont react negatively

When you first receive a negative review, your initial reaction may be to lash out at the person who left the review. Youre passionate about your business, so its easy to get upset when people say bad things about your company.

The first step in handling negative reviews, however, is not to react negatively.

If you react badly to someones review, it will only make your business look worse. People will see your business as unprofessional.

It also leaves people feeling skeptical about your company because you dont acknowledge problems with your products or services.

As you can see from this example, the owners response was passionate and angry. While it may have felt good for the owner, this response leaves a lasting negative impression on the customer and causes others to view that business negatively.

To prevent more negative Google reviews, dont react negatively to feedback from your clients.

Remember bad reviews arent the end of the world!

Its common to have negative and positive reviews.

People trust your profile more when you have positive and negative reviews because your profile appears more genuine.

If you only had five-star reviews, people would remain skeptical as to whether the comments were authentic.

People care about others negative experiences, but they care more about how you handle those negative experiences.

So, take a breath and get ready to address the negative feedback positively. Remember, there are best practices for responding to negative reviews.

2. Evaluate the review

If you want to know how to remove Google reviews, start by evaluating the review.

First, establish that the review is authentic.

Sometimes youll get fake reviews from competitors or people who never interacted with your business. You may even get reviews that arent for your company, like this example of someone leaving a review about a haircut on a florists Google profile!

For reviews that appear fake, follow the earlier steps above on reporting and flagging false reviews.

Even if you think the review is fake, you should compose a response.

It takes Google time to remove false reviews, ranging from five days to as many as 20 days.

In that time, you could have dozens of people viewing your profile who dont know that the review is fake.

Whether authentic or fake, check the reviews content. Try to verify that the person filing the complaint was an actual customer. You may have a record of their buyers journey that can help you evaluate their experience better.

Look at the situation described in the review.

Youll want to take notes on the details so you can compose a genuine response.

Once youve evaluated the negative Google review, youll write your response.

3. Compose a genuine and straightforward response

The next step to remove Google reviews posted by others involves composing an honest reply. You must make your customers feel heard. Keep your response brief, but ensure you acknowledge their problem.

Its also ideal that you respond to these reviews quickly.

Typically, youll want to respond to a negative review within 24 hours of its posting. A fast response shows dedication to providing the best customer service. Dont have the time to dedicate to responding to reviews?

Use review management services, which can help you stay on top of and respond to all your negative and positive reviews.

If you want to handle review management on your own, follow these steps for providing a genuine and straightforward response:

• Own up to the complaint

If you want to know how to remove Google reviews posted by others, start by owning the claim. Dont pretend like it didnt happen or that it isnt valid. If you dont take responsibility for the complaint, it will only make customers angrier with your company.

• Apologize

Even if its not your fault, apologize for the negative experience. Dont blame the reviewer or accuse them of lying. Apologizing for the faulty product or poor experience goes a long way in removing negative Google reviews and turning them into positive ones.

Remember sometimes, people want you to recognize their issue and feel heard. A simple apology goes a long way in showing these customers that you listen to them and recognize their negative experiences.

• Offer a solution

People want your company to take action when they have a negative experience. If you want to know how to remove Google reviews that share a bad experience, offer a solution to the persons problem.

Whether its a solution or reconciliation, you must attempt to fix the situation.

Dont leave a comment like, Were sorry this happened, and thats it.

Offer solutions or opportunities to fix the situation.

When you offer solutions, follow up with them.

Dont make empty promises and say youre going to take action and then do nothing. Follow through to help remove negative reviews from your profile.

You must offer fixes for your future customers to see.

They want to know how you handle a dissatisfied customer. If youre providing solutions and reconciliation, these prospective clients will feel more comfortable choosing your business.

4. Fix the situation

If you want to know how to remove Google reviews that negatively impact your business, fix the situation. This part is the hardest for companies because it often requires evaluating your process, products, or customer service to make changes.

Its hard to admit when a problem is your organizations fault, but if you keep getting negative reviews about the same issue, its time for change.

Lets say youre a coffee mug company and sell insulated travel mugs. People buy them and keep leaving reviews about how your coffee mugs are cheap because the lid never stays on, causing constant spills.

If multiple people have the same experience, you need to review and improve your products.

This approach saves you time in the long run, too.

In this case, improving your travel mug to have a secure lid leads to less negative reviews and, potentially, more sales.

Improving your process or products is well worth the investment because it leads to a more positive experience and a healthier bottom line.

The same process applies if you offer services. If people leave reviews and keep saying that they feel scammed about your pricing, you may need to alter how you present pricing on your website and to clients.

5. Stay vigilant with your reviews

If you want to know how to remove bad reviews from Google local, stay on top of your reviews. You cant remove Google reviews if you arent on top of them. Check your local listing often to see if youre getting new reviews.

When youre proactive about your reviews, you build a better reputation for your business.

People will see that you take the time to address issues and help solve problems.

This vigilance can encourage previously dissatisfied people to change their reviews, too, because youre on top of their concern and willing to solve it fast.

By staying alert and resolving issues fast, youll help remove Google reviews posted by others that highlight your business negatively. While this approach wont remove all negative reviews, it will help you turn unhappy customers into happier ones.

Need help managing your reviews on Google?

Now that you know how to remove Google reviews, you can start taking control of your Google My Business profile and you can work on further optimizing GMB to get better ratings. By managing negative reviews and offering solutions, you can turn negative reviews into positive ones for your company.

At WebFX, we can help you manage your review profile.

With our team of over 200 experts, well help you manage your reviews and respond to negative feedback.

With our review management services, youll get everything you need to help you stay on top of your reviews.

If youre ready to start getting the most out of your Google reviews, contact us online or call us today at 888-601-5359 to speak with a strategist!