Google My Business reviews provide consumers with an opportunity to express their opinions and let others know what kind of experience they had with your company. Many people rely on these comments to make their own opinions on who they want to do business with.
Unfortunately, though, fake reviews will pop up from time to time and these reviews can have a seriously negative impact on your business. This is why it’s imperative that you report fake reviews immediately.
Follow these simple steps below to quickly report fake reviews and maintain the integrity of your business.
Decide if Deleting the Comment is the Best Step to Take
While negative statements can leave the wrong impression on potential clients, they also present an opportunity for you to show how you handle these types of situations. While the words are meant to harm your place of work, a proper response shows your stellar customer service skills.
However, if the comment does not reflect someone’s genuine experience with your business and was made solely to manipulate your company’s ranking, it’s time to flag the comment.
More: How To Respond To Bad Reviews
Determine If The Review Violates The Policies Of Google Business Reviews
False opinions must meet specific criteria determined by Google to be deleted. These policies are not too strict, but they do stop companies from erasing negative Google businesses reviews simply because they do not like them.
Here are some examples of reviews that Google will consider inappropriate,
- Sexually explicit
- Fake or spam
- Illegal
- Dangerous
- Derogatory
- Conflict of interest
Some examples of fake or spam content would be if someone logged into multiple accounts and left various different comments. All of the other examples are pretty straightforward and may automatically be deleted by Google. A great user experience is so essential that Google does its best to filter through reviews to ensure they’re authentic and useful.
Visit Google Help to see what exactly defines prohibited and restricted content for reviews.
How To Flag A Fake Google Business Review
- The first step is logging into your GMB account to flag the Google business reviews as inappropriate.
- Click on “Reviews” and once you locate the false comments, open the three-dot menu, and click the flag.
- After you flag the comment, choose the violation you want to report.
- Lastly, collect information to present to GMB support.
Once again, if the statement is true but you do not like it, contacting GMB support is a waste of time and should be plan B. First, give Google about 72 hours to fully process the report.
Contacting GMB Support
If your request was denied but was due to a possible misunderstanding, you can always contact GMB support. Here is a convenient link directly to the contact page for assistance with your business profile.
Once you’re on the contact page, type “report a fake review” into the text box.
You’ll then be asked to choose the best description of the issue. You’re given options such as, “Policy violation” or “Remove reviews”.
Choose “Remove reviews” and click the blue “next step” option. You will be offered recourses next but just keep moving to the next step which will be a section for your contact details. Enter all of your contact information and then you will be brought to the next section.
Lastly, comes the most time-consuming step of the process. You’ll be offered two textboxes with up to 1000 characters per text field to describe exactly why the review should be deleted. Be extremely detailed and specific. Include quoted examples from the review that directly violate policies for Google. Then simply submit it for review.
Require Assistance Managing Your GMB Listing?
Handling false reports of your place of work can be a nuisance. At Strategic Media, we specialize in boosting the online presence of companies in a variety of industries and know exactly how to respond to good, bad, and fake reviews.
We provide SEO, web design, and social media management for firms in retail, law, and more. Our experienced team designs and optimizes sites, ensuring they appeal to the needs of visitors while meeting your requests.
To learn more about our services, contact us at (727) 531-7622 or visit us online.