Receiving negative feedback can be frustrating for a business owner. Word of mouth and online reviews from customers have an impact on whether someone will choose your business over competitors. However, negative feedback that is posted publicly, such as a Google review on your business profile can feel especially harsh. As a business owner, it may be tempting to want to remove negative feedback from past customers. However, most review platforms do not allow businesses to alter or remove reviews on their own.
Keep reading to learn more about why removing bad reviews may harm your business and what to do if you get a bad Google review. If you’re looking for professional marketing or reputation management services, Boston Web Marketing can help. Our team of marketing professionals has the knowledge and experience to help your business thrive online. Contact us today by calling (857) 598-8851.
Why Can’t a Business Owner Remove Reviews on Google?
If you own a business that is advertised on Google, you are subjecting your business to public feedback. Google reviews can have a significant impact on whether someone chooses your business over others. Customers value feedback from other customers. Not only this, but platforms like Google allow you to filter businesses by ranking, potentially impacting how you rank against local competitors.
Negative feedback is inevitable. No business is perfect, and sometimes a customer can seemingly find a negative experience even when there is truly nothing to complain about. Although negative reviews can be harmful, platforms like Google don’t want business owners to have the ability to falsely advertise their business and customer experience. Because of this, business owners cannot simply remove reviews that they don’t like or want shown on their profile. However, they can reply publicly to the review.
What to do if You Need to Remove a Review on Google Business?
If you’re scanning your business profile on Google and notice a post that doesn’t align with your business, seems inappropriate, or is spam, it is the business owner’s responsibility to notify Google. Google does not scan each review for policy violations before they are published. However, as a business owner, you do have the option to flag a review for removal by clicking the ‘!’ symbol in the top right corner of the review. This will allow you to select a reason that you believe the review should be removed.
How Long Does it Take Google to Remove a Review Flagged for Removal?
Google’s reporting feature on reviews does allow business owners to have some control over the reviews about their business online. However, reporting a review does not necessarily guarantee that the review will be removed after Google has reviewed it for policy violations. If you flag a review for removal, it can take anywhere from a day to a few weeks for Google to remove the review. Blatantly inappropriate content may be taken down faster than reviews that are in a gray area.
Contact Boston Web Marketing for Professional Marketing Services Today
If you run a business, negative feedback is unavoidable. If you’re a business owner who is looking to grow their online presence, Boston Web Marketing can help. We specialize in offering Seach Engine Optimization services to help your website perform better on search engine results pages like Google. To learn more about how Boston Web Marketing can help you, contact us today at (857) 598-8851.