How to Delete a Google Review in 5 Steps

Receiving a bad review as a small business can really kill the traffic visiting your business. In fact, Google reviews is the number one review site online. Not to mention that it is Google where people go to search for new stores and restaurants to shop at. 63 percent of consumers check Google reviews before visiting a location and of that percentage, 88 percent of people trust thone online reviews just as much as in person reviews. These figures mean that one bad review can knock down the success of your business dramatically. With that being said, there are ways to delete bad reviews from your sites Google review page. To learn about deleting Google reviews, and how you can delete a Google review in 5 steps, keep reading.

1. Respond

Responding to the customer is the best thing to do in situations where a customer has had a poor experience. By reaching out you are showing that you care about what the customer is feeling and the experiences they have had. When reaching out you can offer to try and rectify the issue that they had. If you fix their problem accordingly, follow up with your customer. You may be able to win over that customer by correcting the problem they had, and in doing so, they change their mind about how they feel about your business.

2. Ask Them to Change/Edit the Review

If a customer’s opinion on your business has changed once you fix the problem they had, they may be willing to change their review. Sometimes all you have to do is ask at that point. They can delete or edit the review by logging into their account and selecting maps. In maps there will be a widget in the top left hand corner. In that drop down menu under “your contributions”; in your contributions there will be a second section titled reviews. In reviews they can select a review and select the more icon followed by edit or delete.

3. Respond to, Then Report Fake Reviews

Despite the fact that some reviews are fake, they may still have an impact on your business. The best way to take on a fake review is to first respond. When responding to the fake reviews, it may be emotional or anger inciting. Don’t let the rage get the best of you. Addressing the concern with sincerity but firmly will be the best way to go about it. First mention that you take all accusations seriously, next voice that there is no record of their interaction, follow that up with a name and email of someone they can contact to discuss their “interaction” with further.

Flagging the review is the next thing to do. While there are measures Google takes to remove and present spam reviews, some fake reviews can slip past the first line of defence. In my business account on Google, you will be able to flag a review as inappropriate and that will increase your chances of having the review taken down.

4. Escalating the Issue

Sometimes waiting for Google support to delete a review can be exhausting, not to mention time consuming and frustrating, especially if the review is false. The next step that should be taken is to contact Google business support. In the My Business menu on Google, you will be able to request support via chat, email, or phone. The support menu is found under menu > support > contact us > need more help > customer > reviews and photos > manage customer reviews.

5. Amplify Positive Reviews

Soliciting reviews from your customers can be a great way to drown out the negative. Do so by linking your Google business on any customer emails. Mention it to customers when they express positive experiences, and respond to the positive reviews on your Google page as well.

If you have left a review that you would like to delete follow these steps to edit or delete your personal review:

Log into Google Maps
Click the menu icon in the top left hand corner
Select “Your Contributions” followed by “Reviews”
Identify the review you want to delete
Click on the three vertical dots or the “more” menu
Finally select whether you want to edit or delete your review

To summarize, negative and fake Google reviews have a major impact on businesses big and small, following steps above will help you address and fix any reviews that don’t reflect your business model. Now that you know how to delete a Google review, let us know which step worked best for you!