If I Delete My Google Business Listing Will the Reviews Be Deleted

Think about the concluding time yous traveled. After y'all arrived at your destination and checked in at your hotel, what did you do next? If you're like me, you probably thought about where you were going to eat. Simply when you're new to an area, how practise you notice a skillful spot?

Rather than asking the hotel clerk — who's probably a local and has eaten at every place nearby — most of the states take out our phones and do a quick Google search. Studies show that 82% of customers won't patronize a business until they've read the reviews. And, since Google is the preferred review site for 64% of consumers, that means just one poor review could determine whether or not you cull to eat at a restaurant.

Every company hopes to receive positive feedback, but the fact is that customers who have poor experiences are more probable to write an online 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 business.

In this post, we'll break down what a Google review looks like, how to delete them, and what to practice if you lot tin can't.

What is a Google review?

Before we leap into how you tin delete Google reviews, we should first clarify what a Google review is. Other review sites can exist confused with the Google review interface. Google'south review site is unique because it's integrated directly into the search engine as well as its apps and business concern tools.

To identify whether the review you lot're looking at is a Google review or not, look for the following elements:

• A hyperlink adjacent to the star rating reads "Google reviews" or "# Reviews". This link will take you to individual reviews that users take written.
• There are no other company names on the review.
• A rating scale numbered from i to five. This won't always be visible, but information technology tin assistance yous recognize a Google review if y'all run into one.

For case, accept a look at the Google review folio for HubSpot. You'll find 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.

Tin you delete a Google review?

Unfortunately, Google doesn't offer a simple "delete" option for its reviews. Instead, there are only two ways that a review can be removed. The person who posted the review can delete information technology or your business can "flag the review as inappropriate." Flagging the review alerts Google that the review is fake or that it doesn't comply with Google's review policies.

After that, you'll be guided to the landing page below where y'all'll need to complete a cursory report of the issue and submit your electronic mail for follow-upward communication.

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It'due south important to note that Google has built-in spam checkers that automatically analyze a review for inappropriate, irrelevant, or misleading content. While this feature is pretty reliable, inaccurate reviews are sometimes overlooked which can lead to negative perceptions of your business.

In this case, y'all'll want to take matters into your ain hands and written 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. Discover the review on the Google reviews page.
3. Click the iii 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.

i. Open Google Maps and locate your business.

2. Find the review on the Google reviews folio.

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

four. Select the pick Report Review.

5. Choose an selection for the question "What's wrong with this review?".

half dozen. Report the review to Google.

When to Flag a Google Review

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

Irrelevant Comments

Google wants to make sure its users are getting accurate information about your business. So, if y'all're seeing comments that don't pertain to your organization or a customer's experience, 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 past prohibiting users from posting reviews that incorporate links to websites or email addresses that sell illegal products. This likewise includes images that promote products or special offers.

Inappropriate/Offensive/Explicit Content

Google will remove any content that it views as "obscene, profane, or offensive." It will as well remove reviews that are threatening or contain derogatory comments. If yous come up across any reviews like these, be sure to flag them immediately to protect your make'southward image.

Conflicts of Interest

Google wants its reviews to exist equally unbiased as possible. Therefore, you tin can't post a review of a company that you lot own or piece of work for. You also tin't post a review of your competitor, as this would allow you to manipulate their rating in your favor.

Impersonation

Google values the accuracy of its reviews too. Information technology doesn't want to misrepresent a business organization or provide deceptive content to its users. Because of this, all Google reviews must be published past the person writing the review. Y'all can't publish the review on someone's behalf or pretend to be someone else when submitting your review.

Disadvantages of Reporting a Google Review

As you tin can imagine, this process is slow and doesn't guarantee that your review volition be removed. And, even if Google does decide to remove it, there's no telling when it volition actually be taken down. In that time, your business organisation could lose thousands of customers if yous wait for Google to handle the issue.

The other major setback is that Google won't remove a review just because information technology's negative. The point of Google reviews is to provide users with unbiased feedback from other customers' experiences. If those experiences are poor, Google wants its users to be aware of them. So, if you're upset with a customer's stance, the odds aren't in your favor for a removal.

Instead, your client service team needs to take action if yous 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 answer to it. If your team made a fault that inspired a negative review, a genuine amends can go a long manner in irresolute the perception a potential customer has of your brand. If it's a positive review, an beholden response makes an touch on, too. Think, these reviews are public for the customer also as your business, and customers don't want to look similar the villain when your team responds underneath with a polite bulletin.

ii. Ask the client to delete it.

The customer may answer positively to your team'southward comment simply cull to leave the review up anyway. They may think the matter is closed and that other users will see the review every bit an example of your bang-up customer service. While nosotros appreciate the sentiment, you and I both know we'd rather have the review removed so other customers simply meet the positive experiences at your company.

In these cases, achieve out to the client to see if they will remove the review. If possible, message them on a private platform similar electronic mail, so the customer doesn't feel pressured by your request. Thank them for reading your reply and ask them if they volition consider the removal of the review in light of their contempo experiences with your company. Exist sure to remain patient and don't make any demands on the customer.

3. Solve the customer's problem.

This one may seem obvious, but customers oftentimes leave negative reviews because their original need from your business was never fulfilled. For example, you may savour the customer service at a restaurant merely hate the nutrient they serve yous. Even though your beef — pun intended — isn't with the eatery'southward staff, your review nevertheless gets counted yet.

Information technology'due south important to recognize the problems that customers are reporting in your negative reviews and take action to correct them. In one case yous practise, follow up with the customers who left poor reviews and encounter if they're willing to try your product or service again. Brand it articulate that you have taken steps to correct your past mistakes and you still value their relationship with your business. While you lot may non win every customer over, this promotes a customer-centric culture for your brand'due south reputation.

iv. Follow up with customers.

1 common statistic that customer service 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 withal count towards your concern's overall rating on Google. That rating is extremely of import because 52% of customers will non buy from a business concern if it has less than a 4-star rating.

Additionally, a lot tin alter with your business every bit you grow and develop over time. A Google review that was posted two years agone may not exist as accurate today. If the user is still active, endeavour to contact them via the review and run into if they would be willing to edit their post. Or, offering them an incentive to effort your production or service again in substitution for an updated review.

5. Cosign the review.

Believe it or not, some people on the internet are deceitful. It gets worse. Some people will even write faux reviews to sabotage their competitors' business organisation.

If you lot're dubious of a review'due south actuality, expect for signs that would confirm it is a faux. Fake reviews often lack details and seem like they could apply to almost any business. Cheque to see if the reviewer has left any other reviews and if they have a flick listed with their account. And then respond to the review. If you don't become a response, 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 review from its search engine tin can be time-consuming and deadening. All the same, the steps listed to a higher place should aid your client service team quickly address negative Google reviews and amend your human relationship with new and existing customers.

Editor's note: This post was originally published in January 2020 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

Originally published Sep 21, 2021 two:45:00 PM, updated November 12 2021

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Source: https://blog.hubspot.com/service/delete-google-reviews

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