How to delete a Google review from Google Business Profile / Google My Business?

Google My Business allows business owners to promote their business. It is a free tool that gives the business owner an opportunity to appear on Google Maps. It is also usually the first source of knowledge for the client about your company.

Business profile on Google My Business

One of the elements of a Google business profile is ratings and reviews. After using the services of a given company, customers can share their experiences and impressions via a Google account. Reviews are displayed in a panel next to the company's profile in the search engine and in Google Maps. These reviews attract potential customers as they show how many consumers have already trusted your business.

The power of recommendation

Every entrepreneur wants favorable opinions about his company. The fact is, that positive reviews attract customers. Thanks to recommendations, the brand gains credibility and gains trust in the market. Positive reviews and ratings directly translate into the company's profit. Many customers use them as a reference in their final company selection. According to research, as many as 95-97% of people check the ratings of products or services before buying them. This is why it is so important that the reviews left in a tool such as Google My Business are as good as possible. 

The problem arises when negative comments occur. Their presence has a negative impact on the company's image and results. The question is how to deal with negative feedback. Can you remove Google reviews?

Negative Google reviews about your company

It is certain that entrepreneurs want to get the best possible ratings on their business in a Google Maps business profile. However, you have to be ready to face some criticism. It is up to you how you handle responding to negative feedback. One needs to remember that the sheer fact of negative feedback does not directly result in a comment removal. When a negative review appears, it would be a good idea to respond quickly. Otherwise, ignoring it will lead to an unfavorable look of the company, product, or service. It can damage your company's image.

How to remove negative review from Google business profile?

The first solution would be to remove the negative comment from your Google profile. However, in order to do so, certain conditions must be met. Some of the comments are automatically removed due to the violation of Google My Business rules. This refers to any spam or forbidden content. If comments do not automatically delete, please contact Google and flag the review. You can do it when the content of the comments: 

• is spam,
• is false,
• is unrelated to the topic, 
• is subject to restrictions,
• is illegal,
• is connected to terrorism,
• is of sexual nature,
• is offensive,
• is dangerous,
• is discriminatory,
• is misleading,
• leads to a conflict of interest.

All of the above are described in more detail in the content policy for Google users. After verification, Google will remove the reported reviews from the business profile. The question arises though, what to do with reviews that do not break the rules, cannot be removed, yet spoil the company's image. 

A quick and appropriate response may be better than trying to get rid of the review altogether. It is worth it to show the customer that the company is interested in what happens to their product or service after they make a sale. Thanks to this method, you will establish contact with the client and express your willingness to fix the relationship.

Another solution would be monitoring the comments posted on Google My Business on your own and responding on a regular basis. Choosing this option, the customer should be identified and the problem analyzed. The next step is to approach the customer and fix the error. Following that, you can ask the customer to edit the review that was previously posted. Be careful while using this method, so that the customer does not accuse the company of an attempt at manipulation. What's more, it is a process that requires analysis and continuous tracking of posted comments. 

Deal with negative feedback on Google

Reviews on Google My Business are obtained continuously, it is difficult to monitor all comments and reply to the customer reviews individually or try to remove them from the network. It would be good to create a system and solve the issue in the most automated way possible. The solution to this problem is proper online review management. 

Therefore, in this case, it is worth thinking about an online reputation management application that will help with after-sales communication. The Rating Captain application controls the reviews. You will be notified about each new review, allowing you to react quickly. As a bonus, the tool will analyze the comments in terms of the sentiment of the statement. Knowing the level of customer dissatisfaction and the reason for it, you can easily respond to a review.