Want to get rid of a bad review on Google? Let’s see if you qualify!

In an ever-expanding digital landscape, consumers have more access to information and digital tools from which to purchase. With competition to attract consumers on the rise, brands must adapt to generate deep and meaningful customer interactions on every step of their consumer’s journey. Using these interactions and improved access, customers are looking for information on everything regarding their future purchases.

“The customer is always right” is an old saying, but it is more relevant than most people think. Companies know how much power a review or rating holds in consumer decision making. Research made by Deloitte stated that more than 80% of consumers read customer reviews. This means at least one in every two people will read reviews or pay attention to a product’s ratings.

Potential buyers will look into the tiny details of a review. They will be interested in knowing about how other customers’ experiences went. Did the product work as expected? Do they recommend it? There is no better way to learn about a product than by asking someone who’s already purchased it.

Ratings and Reviews on Google

Google is one of the most trusted review sites in the world, with billions of daily users searching for products and services. If there’s a bad review or rating on Google, customers will think twice about buying. It doesn’t matter how brands crafted their landing page or how optimized their Google My Business profile is.

Many people would choose not to have reviews about their products or services listed on Google, but that will backfire horribly. If you don’t have any reviews, customers are less likely to purchase your products. As stated in Deloitte’s research:

“35% of people are less likely to buy from you, and an extra 32% will hold on to their choice until they research more information.”

Bad reviews and how to remove them

There can be instances where a single inaccurate review will sink a brand’s name into the mud—emphasis on “inaccurate”.

All reviews in Google are processed to identify inappropriate content, fake news, spam, etc. This allows brands who have dealt with dishonest reviews of their products or services to flag them and have them removed. Is this a magic tool to remove all negative reviews and keep your ratings high? No. Google has strict metrics and restrictions on Google Maps (where most of Google My Business reviews can be accessed) to represent a location accurately. This includes photos, videos, posts, and of course, reviews.

Now, let us check if you apply to have a bad review removed.

Do you qualify to have a review removed?

As previously mentioned, Google analyzes all flagged reviews to determine if they violate their policies or not. Let’s take a look at their restrictive policies to see if you qualify to have a review removed.

Important note: All of these policies apply to both good and bad reviews.

Spam and Fake Content

“Your content should reflect your genuine experience at the location and should not be posted just to manipulate a place’s ratings. Don’t post fake content, don’t post the same content multiple times, and don’t post content for the same place from multiple accounts.”

If someone were to add a bad review that illustrated a fake experience or add the same experience multiple times, it could be removed.

Let’s look at an example for this one:

This is a review published on a Google My Business page. As you can see, the person’s review does not illustrate a genuine experience given that she “did not require any of his services”. Therefore, it is violating policy.

Off-topic

“Only post content based on your experience or questions about experiences at the specific location. Maps is not meant to be a forum for general political, social commentary, or personal rants. Content that does not meet this standard will be removed.” If a person were to add a review that consisted of something unrelated to the location, off-topic commentary and irrelevant content, it violates policy.

For example, suppose a client writes about having a bad time at your coffee shop that stemmed from fighting with their significant other earlier in the morning. The review is off-topic and violates policy, allowing for its removal.

Restricted Content

“For some products or services subject to controls and local regulations, you must follow certain guidelines when posting content. The content you upload may not feature calls to action or offers for the sale of products or services that are subject to local legal regulations.”

This includes but is not limited to:

• Alcohol
• Tobacco
• Firearms
• Health-related devices
• Pharmaceuticals
• Adult services
• Financial services

It is important to note that incidental depictions are not subject to this policy. For example, there could be an image with an alcoholic beverage on it, but it is not the main focus:

If this stock image were used to promote fall festivities for an event-organizing firm, then Google would allow the image. It does show an alcoholic beverage, but it’s not the main focus on it.

Illegal Content & Terrorist Content

“We don’t accept content that is illegal or depicts illegal activity.”

There’s not much to explain on this one. Reviews that include content that infringes on anyone else’s rights, depicts sexual abuse, dangerous or illegal acts, illegal products or services, promotes violence, and content produced by terrorist groups. If it screams “shady”, it’s probably well on its way to being taken down.

Offensive Content

No need to be offensive, even on the internet. A customer has every right to write their review. However, if they opted to include obscene, profane or offensive language, that’s a different story.

Dangerous and Derogatory Content

Promoting content that threatens others, promotes self-harm, harasses or intimidates others, incites hatred or discrimination against individuals or groups.

Impersonation

If a reviewer is not who they claim to be or tries to deceive or mislead with their review, they’re violating policy and are up for removal.

Conflict of Interest

Honest and unbiased content will always be welcomed on Google. However, reviewing your own business or posting on a competitor’s profile to affect their ratings is unwelcome.

Do you qualify? Mrkt360 is here for you!

If there is an inaccurately placed contribution on the map or your business profile, Google can reject it. However, the process may take weeks or even months to complete. We also understand that some people may get lost while navigating Google’s dashboard. Mrkt360 offers to handle the process and speed it up for you. We are a certified Google Premier Partner, which allows us to have better access to support features. We handle and manage communications and follow-ups, ensuring your process is dealt with efficiently. Contact us now to begin the process to get rid of a qualified bad review!