Nowadays, a single click can have a decisive impact on a company’s reputation. Customer reviews play a crucial role in this, especially when it comes to your online presence. Personal experiences in the form of reviews on the world’s largest search engine have become an important source of information for potential customers to get an idea of your company. But what happens if there are negative reviews among the ratings? What are the potential risks involved and what opportunities can arise? What do Google’s guidelines say and how can companies best deal with negative Google reviews? Let’s start with the basic knowledge you need to classify negative reviews.
In this blog post, we’ll answer the above questions and provide you with a few ready-made sample responses.
Which Google reviews can be challenged?
Critical reviews are generally allowed and are the main purpose of having a review feature. However, negative reviews can be challenged if they violate Google’s guidelines or applicable law. We’ll go into Google’s guidelines in more detail in the next section of this post. Examples of contestable reviews include false factual claims, defamatory remarks, data protection breaches, and content that is criminally relevant.
What do Google's guidelines say about this?
As long as Google reviews represent free, authentic and objective expressions of opinion, they are protected by freedom of speech. But what if a review crosses the boundaries of freedom of speech and violates applicable law or Google’s guidelines? Google has established guidelines for this. We have outlined the most important points below to help you determine when a Google review is objectionable.
- Incorrect information: If a review contains false statements, fabricated interactions, or even identity theft, and the rating is based on inaccurate details, it can be challenged.
- Personal attacks and insults: Google does not permit reviews that contain inappropriate content such as harassment, hate speech, offensive content, personal data or profanity. In such cases, you are entitled to report the review and request that it be reviewed or removed.
Instructions for requesting the removal of a negative Google review
Google recommends requesting the deletion of a negative Google review via the ‘Manage your business reviews on Google’ workflow.
To do this, proceed as follows:
- First, open your web browser and visit the Google website.
- Search for ‘Manage your business reviews on Google’ and click on it to open the page.
- Check the email address displayed and make sure it is linked to your business profile.
- If not, click on ‘Switch accounts’ and enter the correct email address.
- Then select ‘Confirm’.
- Choose ‘your business’ from the list and then ‘Report new review for removal’.
- Click ‘Report’ for each critical review. A new tab will open where you can select a category for the review.
- Select the appropriate category and click ‘Submit’ to complete the report.
Lodge an objection if a negative review is not removed
If you have reported a review but it does not violate Google’s guidelines, you have the option to appeal.
- Search again for ‘Manage business reviews on Google’ and make sure that the email address displayed matches your business profile. Select your business and check the status of the reported review.
- Click on ‘Appeal reviews’ and select up to ten relevant reviews.
- After clicking on ‘Continue’ and then on ‘Appeal’, you can fill out the form in the new tab and submit it. You will then receive an email with the decision.
- If the review violates the guidelines, it will be removed. Otherwise, it will remain visible and the status in the tool will be: ‘Escalated – check your emails for new messages.’ If you disagree with the decision, you may have further legal remedies available to you.
Negative reviews can also bring opportunities
Although negative reviews may seem daunting at first glance, they can also present opportunities for growth and improvement for your business.
In the next section of our blog article, we’ll take a closer look at how you can use negative Google reviews to your advantage.
Criticism as an opportunity for reflection and improvement
Criticism is an opportunity for reflection and improvement. Constructive feedback in negative reviews gives you insight into your company’s potential weaknesses. This feedback is key to optimising products, services and the overall customer experience.
By responding to negative reviews and offering transparent solutions, you not only show that you take customer opinions seriously, but also build trust. Customers appreciate companies that are aware of their weaknesses and actively work to address them. In the long term, this can strengthen customer loyalty and have a positive impact on brand image.
Responding to negative reviews is crucial
As the well-known saying goes: It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it! And that also applies in the digital world of the web!
The internet is a place where every voice can be heard – immediately. That’s why it’s essential to respond appropriately to negative reviews. We’ve summarised the most important points for you in a nutshell.
Show empathy and do not take negative reviews personally
Negative reviews can be discouraging, especially when you have invested a lot of time and effort into your business. However, if you put yourself in the customer’s shoes, you can often better understand the reasons for their dissatisfaction. Empathy means not only recognising customers’ emotions, but also actively listening and offering constructive solutions to their concerns.
Respond promptly and publicly to negative reviews.
Responding quickly and publicly to negative reviews is crucial. Why publicly? Because it shows that all customers are taken seriously and that the company operates transparently. Potential customers who read the reviews will see that the company is willing to respond to feedback and strives to keep its customers happy.
What should definitely be included in a response to a negative review?
A response to a negative review should express gratitude and appreciation for the feedback, contain a sincere apology, address the points of criticism specifically, and offer a clear solution or redress. When formulating your response, please pay attention to the form of address, your company values, and overall corporate behaviour.
Sample texts for responses to negative reviews
We have three sample responses that can help you respond professionally to different types of criticism. However, don’t just use pre-written responses; ideally, you should also include individual responses to your reviews.
- ‘Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback with us. We’re very sorry to hear that your experience did not meet your expectations. We’d like to understand exactly what happened so we can find a solution. Please contact us directly at [contact information] so we can work together to achieve a satisfactory outcome. Your feedback helps us to continuously improve our service.’
- ‘We’re very sorry that you were not satisfied with our service. This falls short of our standards for quality and customer satisfaction. We take your feedback seriously and will investigate internally how this situation occurred. We’d like the chance to show you that we can do better – please contact us at [contact information] so we can resolve the issue and regain your trust.’
- ‘We are sorry to hear you had a negative experience. We understand how important a smooth process is for our customers and regret that we did not meet your expectations. Thank you for bringing this to our attention – your feedback is extremely valuable to us. We would love the opportunity to make things right. Please feel free to contact us at [contact information].’
Did you know that your company can be rated on more than just Google?
Keep an eye on your online reputation with our tools – in real time!
We at advangers have an innovative and easy-to-use tool for you that not only enables comprehensive management and monitoring of all reviews, but also generates a host of other benefits for your business. We have recently integrated the innovative AI review response feature. This technology makes it possible to respond automatically to customer reviews by analysing the content of the reviews and generating appropriate responses. This saves you time and ensures that all customer reviews are answered consistently and promptly.
Over a virtual coffee, we can discuss how you can use our tools for your own company’s review management or even offer them as a white label product for your agency clients, chain stores or franchisees!
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