Getting a negative review on Google can be a very stressful incident for any business owner, but it doesn’t have to be. A part of running any business for a prolonged period of time is that you will, at some point, get negative feedback posted online by your customers.

In an online world, it is far easier to be destructive with your words and say things that you wouldn’t say directly to someones faces. This means that a review can be somewhat out of context and quite rude, regardless of how the issue was handled

A bad review will probably hurt and offend you. Your first instinct will be to respond with a fiery remark, defending your business regardless of what has occurred. It is important that you don’t do this. You need to take some time and come back with a level head. The review will still be there waiting for you.

Before responding to the review, check your customer records or CRM to verify that the review is from a genuine customer. You can also follow up with your team and identify the timeline of events. This is a great opportunity to pause and reflect on what went wrong and how you can improve as a business

In this article, we will discuss what to do when you get a negative or defamatory review and how to respond to it.

Give it time before responding to a review

Never respond to a negative review in the heat of the moment; it only escalates the situation. Which is never good for your business. It is worth drafting your response first, waiting 24 hours to reflect on it, and then showing it to a trusted friend in business. So that they can also give you feedback about your response.

Respond privately

Some business owners may wish to reach out privately to the customer who has left a bad review. Sometimes the negative review was due to a staff member or to something outside the owner’s control. Touching base with the customer, apologising for the situation, and seeing how it can be rectified can be one of the best things you can do.

Responding publicly

It is a good idea to always respond to every review. Unless you work in the medical industry, in which case you can read more about the requirements around reviews under APHRA. Responding to negative reviews as a business owner gives you the opportunity to show that you care and wish to rectify the situation. This goes a long way toward building trust with customers reading through your reviews.

Below, we have included a mockup template for responding to a review in a professional and caring manner. Feel free to use it as a starting point, but personalise it too

Hi [Name],

Thank you for your feedback. We are disappointed to hear about your recent experience with our team, as we always aim to provide a high standard of customer service.

Your comments have been taken seriously and will be reviewed internally. We would welcome the opportunity to discuss this further and better understand your concerns.

Please contact us directly at [phone/email] so we can assist further.

Kind regards,

[Business Name]

Not every complaint can be resolved

There are times when the customers compliant cannot be resolved. Either because the customer is too worked up, or because the bad review was placed fraudulently. In this situation, it is better to just leave the review alone and move on to the next step, which is collecting more reviews

More reviews can restore your star rating and push down the negative review

In the stress of the moment, when you see the poor review come in and you go into a fight or flight response, remember this. The best thing you can do when a negative review comes in is start collecting more reviews. Start reaching out to your valued customers and asking for a review. Over time, the negative review will be pushed down, and you can even restore your rating to 5 stars.

How can I delete a negative from my Google Business Profile?

For the most part, you cannot have negative reviews removed from Google. Unless the review is in violation of Google’s content policy and falls under any of the following:

• Spam
• Fake
• Off-topic
• Illegal
• Sexually explicit
• Offensive
• Dangerous
• Derogatory
• Impersonation
• Terrorism
• Conflict of interest

In our experience, Google does not always remove the review unless it is blatantly obvious that it falls outside the guidelines. However, it can be nearly impossible for Google to know whether a review was created by a competitor or an upset customer. If the review does not comply with Google’s content policy, here are the steps on how you can request its removal.

1. Visit your Google Business Profile page
2. Click on your reviews
3. Find the review, which does ot comply with Google’s content policies
4. Select the 3 dots on the right side of the review and then click report review
5. Select the relevant reason as to why the review does not comply with Google’s policy