Fake negative Google reviews can cause you serious monetary loss. Thankfully, you have recourse in the form of Google’s review removal process.
Spammy content, fake reviews, personal or political rants, and content designed to manipulate your star rating all violate Google’s review policy.
However, the removal process can be lengthy and frustrating.
1. Respond to the Review
Whether it’s fake or not, a negative Google review can damage your business. It can lead to lost sales, loss of potential customers and even a reduction in advertising deals.
The first step is to respond to the review and offer to make things right with the customer. This shows that you care and could potentially dissuade the customer from leaving a bad review altogether.
However, you must be careful with this approach. You don’t want to come across as accusatory or argumentative as this will only lead to a worse review and a potential loss of sales. You should also check that the review is legitimate by examining the author’s name and avatar, their location, their other reviews, and their overall reputation. If you can’t determine whether a review is fake, you should report it to Google.
2. Report the Review
Visit Is Legit or Scam can come from any source, from disgruntled former employees to sneaky competitors. Getting them removed as quickly as possible is the best way to protect your reputation.
The first step is to reach out to the reviewer if you can do so privately. See if there is any resolution or a reason to remove the review that can be reached before taking more drastic steps.
If a negative review is obviously fake, it’s important to report it to Google. This can be done by visiting your business profile and finding the review in question. To the right of the review, you’ll see three dots; click those and select “flag as inappropriate”.
3. Flag the Review
While it’s important to respond to a negative review and try to resolve the issue in a timely manner, you should also flag any reviews that seem suspicious. This will give Google a chance to take a closer look at the review and see if it violates their community guidelines.
If the review is clearly fake, or if the person leaving it doesn’t seem to be a genuine customer, have them contact you to provide further information. Make sure you have evidence of their claims such as screenshots and records from your own systems.
You should also flag any reviews that contain offensive language, spam, discrimination or hate speech, or personal information such as an email address or phone number. This will send it to a team of human reviewers who will evaluate the content for compliance with Google’s contribution guidelines.
4. Appeal the Decision
The review removal process can be time consuming, but it’s worth the effort if you think a fake negative Google review is tarnishing your reputation. Remember, you don’t have the ability to remove critical or low-rating reviews on your own; however, you can report reviews that violate Google Review policies as inappropriate.
If you suspect a review is fake, be sure to check the authenticity of that particular customer’s feedback by looking at their name and avatar. Also, examine the legitimacy of their account to determine if it’s been used for other review purposes or other questionable activities.
While it’s unfortunate that businesses have to deal with negative Google reviews, taking proactive steps can help protect your business reputation. When a bad review is bogus, don’t let it stand in the way of future customers.
5. Take Legal Action
When all else fails, it’s worth a shot to get in touch with Google’s small business support team to escalate the issue. Keep in mind that they can’t take action if you don’t have any evidence of the review being fake or violating Google’s terms of service, though, so be sure to keep a detailed log of all communication, reporting, and flagging.
Even if you successfully report a fake review, it could take a while for Google to process the request and remove it from your profile. In the meantime, focus on addressing negative reviews directly and encouraging happy customers to write positive reviews for your business. Consider also taking legal action as a last resort, but only after exhausting all other options. Defamation claims can be costly, but they may be the only way to force Google to work with you.
