Every business owner knows how important online reviews are. A great and positive review from a genuine customer will always be more influential than anything a brand can say about itself. Unfortunately, fake or negative reviews can destroy a business’s credibility.
Managing your Facebook reviews is a cornerstone of online reputation management. Let’s take a look at the value of Facebook reviews and how to remove a bad review on Facebook, should you need to.
The Dark Side of Facebook Business
A one-star rating on Facebook can hurt you. The fake customer review industry has turned away many honest business owners from even trying to build a presence on this massive social media platform. The main risks associated with promoting your business on Facebook include:
- Fake Accounts – Anyone can create an account on Facebook. There’s no verification process, and Facebook pays little attention to fake accounts. It’s why the fake review industry heavily targets this social media network.
- No Vetting – Reviewers can write reviews on anything they want. There’s no way to tell whether they are a genuine customer. It’s also hard to judge if they even made a purchase from your business.
- Removing Reviews From Facebook is Tough – Facebook is extremely lenient towards all but the most abusive of reviewers. Due to this stance, you could receive a one-star review for any reason.
Even with these negatives, Facebook remains a cornerstone of building and marketing your business. For that reason alone, it’s impossible to say that businesses shouldn’t be on Facebook.
Related content on the Reputation blog: How to Respond to a Bad Review on Facebook
Tips for Spotting a Fake Facebook Review
If you find that your business’s page has some suspicious negative Facebook reviews, first make sure that they are legitimate. Review your records to verify transactions with that customer. Can you confirm that events occurred the way they described? Some of the ways to spot fake Facebook reviews include:
- Vague descriptions
- The reviewer is a former employee or is connected with a competitor
- The reviewer recommends a competitor as an alternative in their review
Will Facebook Remove Reviews?
The difficulty when it comes to how to delete a review on Facebook is proving that it’s fake. Here are some of the top signs that a customer review may be fake:
- Poor spelling/grammar
- Overuse of verbs
- No profile picture
- The sudden influx of positive/negative fake reviews
- Use of black and white reasoning
What To Do When You Can’t Delete Facebook Reviews
Knowing how to delete reviews on a Facebook Business page as a regular user is basically impossible. But the good news is you may not need to remove negative reviews. Automatically trying to get a review deleted on Facebook isn’t always your best option because not all negative reviews are necessarily a bad thing. Studies have shown that even potential customers who leave negative reviews can be turned around.
Related content on the Reputation blog: The Facebook Outage: How to Manage a Large Scale Crisis
Respond to a Negative Review
Before thinking about how to remove a 1-star rating on Facebook, consider why that customer left such a bad review in the first place. Responding to an angry customer in the right way isn’t just important for them but for anyone else who may be reading the exchange. We always recommend businesses approach negative reviews with grace and sensitivity. Here are some tips for how to respond to a negative review:
Even if the customer isn’t interested in giving you another chance, the fact that you reached out professionally could win you more business. They already left a bad review; the worst that can happen is the customer says no.
Report Reviews that Go Against Facebook Community Standards
The first option for how to remove a Facebook review is to check whether that review follows Facebook Community Standards. Facebook Community Standards were designed to provide a safe space for users and combat online bullying and harassment. Negative reviews that violate these standards will be removed without hesitation. Pertinent points include:
- No excessive cruelty
- No threats of violence
- No hate speech
- No fake reviews
- No harassment
If you receive a review that you believe violates any of Facebook’s guidelines, report it immediately. Facebook will usually get back to you within 24-72 hours, but it’s not uncommon to receive a response sooner. You’ll be notified of Facebook’s decision in your support inbox.
Related content on the Reputation blog: How to Add Multiple Locations to Your Facebook Business Page
Request that the Review Be Removed
If you believe that a review is fake, you also have the option of reporting it to Facebook. On your business page’s “Reviews” tab, click the three dots in the top right-hand corner of the review you want to report. Then choose “Report Post.”
Your choices will then be: “It has nothing to do with this Page” or “I think it shouldn’t be on Facebook.” Choose an option and then enter some more information before hitting “Submit.”
Unfortunately, , and there is no guarantee that fake reviews will be removed. If these continue to pile up and harm your business, you can also disable reviews entirely on your page. However, doing so can also weaken your online reputation and your ability to attract and convert customers on Facebook.
Conclusion
Understanding how to delete a review on Facebook and what to do if you can’t is crucial for defending your businesses and customer sentiment. If you’re struggling to get reviews or managing your online reputation, call in the experts. At Reputation, we specialize in supporting businesses large and small in building their brands online.
Take a look at Reputation’s Reviews and Review Booster solution to learn more about the impact of your reviews
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Can I remove bad reviews from my Facebook page?
Q: Can I remove a bad review on Facebook? A: As a business owner, you cannot directly remove a review left by someone else on your Facebook page. However, you have the option to report a review that violates Facebook's community standards.
Can I disable reviews on Facebook?
Open Facebook and go to your business page. Click the 'Settings' menu for your business page. Select 'Templates and Tabs' option. Toggle the blue 'Reviews' button off.
How do I remove negative comments on my Facebook page?
If you've decided that you want to take the necessary steps to remove a negative review on Facebook, follow these instructions:.
Step 1: Check your Facebook business profile for reviews. ... .
Step 2: Disable the ability for customers to leave reviews on your page. ... .
Step 3: Flag the review you want to have removed..
Is it possible to remove negative reviews?
Unfortunately, you can't delete Google reviews yourself. However, Google can remove it if it has violated their terms. If you believe your review was described above, you can flag it for deletion.