Google Reviews are important to your business and your customers. Google Reviews are a great way for businesses to engage with customers and build loyalty online. A business with many reviews and conversations between the reviewer and the business has a leg up on the competition as many shoppers will read reviews prior to making a purchase for a product.
Handling Negative Google Reviews and Replying to Good Ones
Good Google Reviews
Good reviews let customers see that you have quality products and that your service is something to be trusted. in fact, when businesses reply to Google Reviews, they are perceived as being almost two times more trustworthy than businesses that do not.
When you receive a good review it is important to reply promptly. Let the world see that you are online watching and care about your customer’s experience.
Here are some examples of replies you can use on positive Google Reviews:
- “Thank you for your great review! We hope to see you again soon.”
- “Thanks for sharing your experience.”
- “Wow, thanks for the kind words.”
Bad Google Reviews
Addressing negative reviews is important if you are to fix that customer’s experience and show other potential customers that you care about the experience what happens with your products after they make a purchase. Negative Google Reviews can in fact be a chance for your business to identify weaknesses and address them for the future.
When responding to Google Reviews here are some tips:
- Respond Quickly. Customers appreciate a prompt response.
- Be professional and courteous. Always keep your tone professional and helpful.
- Be sympathetic. Try to understand where they are coming from. Acknowledge their disappointment.
- Try to fix this issue. Offer to call them to discuss the issue or their experience directly so you better understand their issues and how you can fix them. This is your opportunity for you to request they edit or remove their review after the issue is resolved.
Sometimes negative reviews posts are malicious, fake or in some other way violate the terms and conditions of leaving a Google Review. In this case you can request the review be removed by Google. This will sometimes work but not always.
To flag a review for removal follow these steps:
- Click “Flag as inappropriate,” using the flag icon on the bottom right of the review.
- Google will assess your request.
- If necessary, Google will remove the review from your listing.
Beware of Companies That Offer to Get Bad Reviews Removed
There are only 2 ways to have a review moved from Google. The first, is by having the reviewer edit or remove the negative review. The second is by flagging a review that violates the terms and conditions.
Some companies offer paid services to get reviews removed. Please be wary of this practice. They don’t have any resources that you don’t. There is no magic recipe that will work to get Google to remove valid complaints.
It’s Not How You Fall, It’s How You Get Up
From time to time all businesses have trials and tribulations with different customer experiences. This is a chance to put your best foot forward. When you get a negative review, take the right steps quickly. Let the customer and the world see you care and are accountable.
Do you need help with Google Reviews or Google My Business? Our experienced team will help you manage, create and monitor your reviews and Google My Business page.
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About David
As Digital Marketing Director I am responsible for all traditional marketing activities & for developing customer acquisition and product sales strategies for our clients by applying best practices in SEM, SEO, PPC, E-Newsletters, Web design and development.