How to Delete a Google Review
First, when dealing with a negative Google review, think about how you can handle it. Deletion shouldn’t be your first thought. In some circumstances, responding to a negative review can be a more effective and lucrative option for businesses. While ignoring all negative reviews might seem like a good idea, don’t! You can turn a bad situation into a positive one by addressing the concerns of a displeased reviewer with concern and courteousness.
In fact, responding to negative Google reviews can even help with SEO. Google actively promotes businesses that are engaged and who respond to customer criticism. Plus, potential consumers are more likely to develop a positive impression of businesses that address critical reviews rather than just ignore them.
However, there are situations where learning how to delete a Google review is the best option, especially when the review becomes abusive or reveals personal information. Google provides businesses with a few different avenues of action in case a negative review requires moderator assistance.
Flagging and Reporting Google Reviews
If you encounter a review that violates Google’s Terms of Service, there’s a simple way to flag and report it for a moderator to remove.
First, access the listing for your business via Google Maps. Once your listing is displayed, there’s an option to view all of the reviews posted about your business.
Each review contains three dots in the upper right-hand corner, which can be clicked to reveal a menu with a variety of different options. One of the review options displayed is “Flag as inappropriate.” Clicking this will take you to a policy violation form, where you can describe the issue with the review and submit it for a moderator to process.
Criteria for Removing Google Reviews
Unfortunately, you can’t just flag every review you don’t like. Google has specific criteria that must be met before a review is deleted. The most common type of deleted review is spam or advertising from bots attempting to take advantage of the public platform a review section provides.
Ok, you’ve flagged a review. Now what?
Well, unfortunately, Google does not answer every request for review deletion. Reviews will usually be deleted if they contain profanity or inappropriate language.
In a similar vein, if one person has made multiple negative reviews, this is considered spam and Google will take action. Reviews posted by competing businesses, fake or irrelevant reviews, or reviews by disgruntled former employees are all considered in violation of Google’s terms of service and can be subject to deletion.
Sometimes, a review can cross over into the territory of libel or slander under the law. When this happens, Google provides assistance for those affected in the form of the Google legal troubleshooter, which processes requests for illegal content to be removed from their platform.
Reviews have a huge impact on customers—they’re a vital part of the Zero Moment of Truth. Keeping abreast of your reviews is crucial for proper reputation management.
