TL:DR Key Takeaway
In short, no. A small proportion of poor Google Reviews looks natural and reflects real human behaviour. Deal with them appropriately by replying calmly and professionally, and reach out directly to the customer in private to try and resolve their complaint.
The backstory to this post:
So i was asked this today. A client (an interior design consultant) phoned me sounding distraught. They had a taken on a customer, agreed the spec in writing, completed the work to the best of their knowldege and ability. The customer had asked for amends as they felt there was one element out of spec – my client made the amends. The customer asked for further amends, these were completed. The project was signed off as completed. The invoice was sent and paid. End of story?
Of course not. The customer pops up a few months later and says they would like a refund. They have decided that it didn’t meet the specification afterall. So my client (who has many, many satisfied clients) said no. Customer says they will see them in court and will leave a negtive review. My client said (to me) they will offer the refund to avoid the negative review.
My opinion on a bad Google review
One bad review nestled in amongst a whole load of glowing one looks like normal trading. No-one can make everyone happy all of the time. I think almost all consumers are savvy enough to know that now. When i see a profile with exclusively 5 star reviews, no criticism, i tend to be suspicious. Of course, i’m a natural sceptic for everything online, but i think most people would agree. However i do read the negative reviews. It gives me a feel for the writer of the review, influences how seriously i take them, but most importantly i look for the company’s response. No response: not good. Generic response: not good. Thoughtful, personalised and calm response: reassures me.
How beneficial is a good Google review?
Very. Lets separate this question into general SEO, local SEO and customer trust.
Customer trust: This is huge. Savvy customers that dont know you WILL look at your reviews. Seeing how customers experience your services will influence their readiness to engage with you. Seeing how you handle problems will reassure them when done well.
Local SEO: Also huge. Reviews influence inclusion and position on the map packs. The language used by your customers teaches Google what you do (better keyword responsive visibility). Recent reviews tells Google the business is active and responsive.
General SEO: Local visibility, credibility, Google understanding what you do through natural long tail keywords and engaged traffic all contribute positively to your overall SEO strategy.
Are Google reviews verified?
Yes and no. You need to have a registered Google account to leave a review, but purchases are not verified. There is (of course) an algorithm to detect spammers and reviews that have been left from related Google accounts, which sometimes leads to the removal of legitmate reviews.. but thats something that probably needs an article of its own!
What to do if you get a bad Google review
Stay calm. Contact the customer to see if you can work with them to resolve their complaint, don’t immediately ask for them to edit their review – that comes only when you think the relationship has been restored. In the interim you can reply publically calmly and professionally, noting that you have reached out in person to try and resolve the issue.
How to report a bad review (and when you can ask for removal)
From your Google Business profile, go to the review in question and using the three dots, go to “Report review”.
You can’t report a review just because you dont agree with it. It has to come under “spam” or “profanity” and in most cases these are automatically filtered out.
More information on reporting a review is available here.
How to get more Google Reviews
Do great work – then ask your customers for feedback. Unprompted, most people only review bad service. But give people a nudge and the rate of review is much, much higher. You don’t need to incentivise people – you just need to make it easy. From your Google Business profile go to the “Ask for a review” option to get a text link, WhatsApp, Facebook, Email and QR code links. Share these generally on your website or social media, or in your email follow ups with customers.
