{"id":9641,"date":"2021-08-26T09:00:30","date_gmt":"2021-08-26T14:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rocketclicks.com\/?p=9641"},"modified":"2021-08-27T12:29:07","modified_gmt":"2021-08-27T17:29:07","slug":"guide-to-managing-google-business-reviews","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rocketclicks.com\/client-education\/guide-to-managing-google-business-reviews\/","title":{"rendered":"Managing & Responding to Google My Business (GMB) Reviews"},"content":{"rendered":"
Google My Business (GMB) is a free <\/span>digital marketing<\/span><\/a> platform that offers companies a chance to hold a two-way conversation with customers. The review and reply feature of GMBhas become a crucial <\/span>SEO<\/span><\/a> tool that helps:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n By leveraging GMB\u00a0 features and strategically responding to reviews, companies can help shape the image of their business in the eyes of both current and future customers (as well as Google itself). Owner responses act as a source of credibility and authority, which encourages customers to patron your business (for the first time or consistently).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Responding to Google reviews is pretty simple:<\/span><\/p>\n 1. Log in to your GMB account<\/span><\/a> and navigate to your listing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n 2. Click the \u201cReviews\u201d tab in the sidebar and it will show a list of all your business\u2019s reviews.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n 3. Find the review you would like to respond to and simply click the \u201cReply\u201d button. Google\u2019s sorting feature gives you the option to separate reviews you\u2019ve replied to from those you haven\u2019t replied to (yet).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Don’t<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Do<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n First off, take a breath.<\/p>\n Mistakes and bad reviews happen, but how you respond can help frame how other customers view your business. Before responding, take time to think through the potential issue Responding when frustrated or upset can make your reply come off as harsh, even if that\u2019s not your intention.<\/p>\n When beginning to tackle your response, start by taking the high ground and thanking the reviewer, whether you believe the criticism is warranted or not. Ultimately, the reviewer is giving you a point of view you may not have considered and this route just looks better to potential customers.<\/p>\n Next, address the issue head-on and try to take ownership of the complaint. If there is a solution to the reviewer\u2019s problem, let them know you are trying to rectify it. This not only resolves a potentially ugly customer engagement, but it also sends trust signals to future customers. Don\u2019t leave any loose ends for people wondering how issues were resolved.<\/p>\n If the issue does get resolved and the customer is happy with the results, feel free to ask them to edit or remove their review \u2013 and make sure to thank them if they do.<\/p>\n Dealing with negative reviews from people who weren\u2019t actual customers is frustrating – whether they\u2019re resentful ex-employees (see below for advice on these situations) or they mistook your business for another, you\u2019ll want to respond professionally before you flag the review for removal. The removal process can take a while, so responding to false reviews ensures potential customers understand the context of the situation.<\/p>\n Responding to false negative reviews on GMB requires you to be sympathetic, but stern in your reply. You\u2019ll want to express a certain level of empathy while also establishing the right context for your actual customers.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n In this situation, the business owner addressed the \u201ccustomer\u2019s\u201d concerns by first apologizing for the experience, then expressed that they had no record of business with this person. They then took further steps to reach out and resolve the situation. This displays to potential customers that the business is professional and cares about customer outreach while also providing the real circumstances for the fake review.<\/p>\n At the end of the day, bad reviews can (and will!) happen to anyone. The good news is, they give you an opportunity to identify areas of your business that you may have overlooked. Approaching negative Google reviews with humility will only make your business better as a result.<\/p>\n Flagging inappropriate reviews should only be an option when a review violates Google\u2019s policies on prohibited content<\/a>. This generally includes spam reviews, off-topic reviews, offensive language or material, conflicts of interest, hate speech, and personal information. For a full list visit Google\u2019s full Review Policies here<\/a>.<\/p>\n In order to flag a review, you must go into the reviews tab. Once there, click the three horizontal dots to the right of the review and select \u201cFlag as inappropriate.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n From there, you\u2019ll see a popup window with the following suggested reasons for flagging the review as inappropriate:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Don\u2019t expect inappropriate reviews to be removed immediately. Google Support faces high demand and is highly critical when looking at removal requests.<\/p>\n If after a few days the review hasn\u2019t been addressed, reach out to Google Support regarding taking the review down.<\/p>\n Under Google\u2019s conflict of interest policy, \u201cposting negative content about a current or former employment experience\u201d is now a violation. This means negative reviews by ex-employees can now be flagged as inappropriate.<\/p>\n After flagging the message and reaching out to Google My Business Support, it can be helpful to respond to the review publicly. While receiving a negative review from an ex-employee can be frustrating, it is important to remember to avoid getting personal or calling the reviewer out by name. If you choose to respond, make sure you do so in a fair and mature manner. You are still representing your business, even if someone posts a potentially unfair review of your organization, so keep it professional.<\/p>\n Again, it may take time to get a response from support, so be persistent and continue to reach out until the conflict of interest is resolved.<\/p>\n\n
How to Respond to a Review<\/h2>\n
Tips for Responding to a Google My Business Review<\/h2>\n
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How to Handle a Negative Review<\/h2>\n
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How to Respond to Fake<\/em> Negative Reviews<\/h2>\n
Response Example for Negative Review:<\/h3>\n
How to Flag Inappropriate Reviews<\/h2>\n
What to Do If a Previous Employee Left a Review<\/h2>\n