One Sunday, as our church was holding our outdoor patio service, a hummingbird got stuck in the skylight in the roof. We all watched as the hummingbird kept flying back and forth across the skylight, struggling for open space. The poor hummingbird kept looking up and was unable to see his escape path a few inches below him.
Sadly most business owners are this hummingbird; they are completely unaware of a review attack, and they are unaware of how to deal with it when it happens. In this post, you will learn what to do if your business endures the same.
I worked on a case where a business had its Google My Business (GMB) rating drop from a 4.5 rating to a 2.8 rating in less than two weeks.
A user or series of users posted seventeen 1-star reviews or ratings for a Google My Business listing. This review attack was extremely upsetting for the business owner who felt completely helpless with what to do. Fortunately, I was asked to investigate.
Analysis: What I Found
I quickly discovered a very distinct pattern as I clicked on the reviews. It turns out that those same profiles were used to post 1-star reviews for the GameStop in White House, Tenn. The GameStop listing received eighteen 1-star reviews and /or ratings all on the same day.
I called the Gamestop store and spoke with a manager. She, just like the hummingbird, was completely unaware of the review attack. She kept staying, "Oh wow," as she read review after review. I could hear her panic and despair. I advised her there was good news, and I would report the reviews and help get them removed. Sadly, that is easier said than done.
What I Did
I documented all of the profiles and links to each review and rating and contacted GMB Support with a link to the to Google Sheet.
Three days later, a friend of mine contacted me because a company that she knew was being slammed online with random negative reviews. The review attack had been ongoing for months but had escalated in recent days. I searched on Twitter for references to the business name and was quickly able to find the source behind the negative review attack. I provided my friend with step-by-step instructions on how to report the negative reviews to get them removed.
It took a week for the Google My Business team to respond to my request for assistance. Four days later, Google removed all but one review.
How to Handle a Negative Review Attack
Step 1. Remain Calm
Although it can be disheartening and anger you, you don't want to reply in anger. With the above attacks, I did not recommend responding to the reviews. In cases like these, replying to the reviews can only add more fuel to the fire. These attacks are personal.
All three businesses were the subject of a personal vendetta. Ignoring the reviews will help to de-escalate the situation.
Step 2. Flag the Reviews
Google requires that the reviews are flagged in the dashboard and that the user waits three days before contacting support. Sadly flagging these reviews won't do anything to remove them. There is no option to leave notes and feedback or links to the documentation to support the removal of the reviews.
Google Support will only look at the verbiage of the review and determine if the text in review violates its Terms of Service (TOS).
Step 3. Contact Google
I recommend creating a Google document with the following information:
- Profile name(s) of the offending reviewers
- Link to profiles
- Notes as to why the review is being reported
You can contact GMB Support directly:
For Twitter, you must follow their Twitter account so that they can communicate with you via DM.
You may also create a thread at the new Google My Business community forum.
You will need to supply the following information:
- Business name
- Address
- Link to Google document/sheet and links to resources.
What Happens Next
A Google My Business Product Expert (PE) will review the thread and escalate it directly to Google only if it is warranted. If a PE does send your thread to Google, they typically hear back in one to two weeks. A Google employee will email them once they have reviewed the file and reviews with their findings. They will update the thread and ask the reporting party to double-check that all of the reported reviews were removed.
If any reviews were missed, the user will need to update the file and thread. The Google My Business Product Expert will then email Google Support with your updated set of notes. The entire process typically takes four to six weeks, unless there are any unforeseen complications.
In Conclusion
You don't have to be the hummingbird. There is help available, but it requires some patience. Take a deep breath and focus on flagging and reporting the reviews. If you follow the above advice, you will be able to get the fake negative reviews removed and continue to go about your business as usual. If you panic, you can make matters worse and prolong the damage and attacks.
Comments
Either just recently joined or is too shy to say something.
SEMrush columnists are authors who had proved their expertise in digital marketing and contribute regularly to our community.
An experienced member who is always happy to help.
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When we create a sales funnel plan for our clients, we include competition and market research, and an overview of their digital presence. This helps them identify the areas of improvement and deal with negative content.
It is, however, also important that you identify your negative ideal clients and avoid them. It is crucial that you focus on the people who are the most likely to buy from you and those who are most likely to be satisfied and loyal.
I actually wrote about negative ideal clients here: https://marketingfunnel.website/negative-ideal-client-sheet-how-it-can-improve-your-sales-funnels-and-social-media-packages-2/small-business-marketing-advice/
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Thanks for sharing this actionable post. I followed your instructions and got success to improve my review rankings.
Google team took off the fake profile and notified me for the same. Sharing you the screenshot of the same.
https://cl.ly/1370c1efcc90
Hope others will also get benefited with this knowledge.
SEMrush columnists are authors who had proved their expertise in digital marketing and contribute regularly to our community.
SEMrush columnists are authors who had proved their expertise in digital marketing and contribute regularly to our community.
I had to create a folder in Google Drive to upload 10 images to support the claim for removal. I have a document with links to the business listings, reviews, and proof that the reviewers are connected to the original business. The business being attacked doesn't know the reviewers and has no way of contacting them.
Sadly, this is the third case this month were either friends, family or the business owner left negative reviews as a revenge tactic. All three cases, Google refused to remove the reviews when they were flagged. Google will not look at my file unless the reviews have been initial flagged. This is a Google policy.
I hope this helps to clarify some of the questions and comments that have been left.
An experienced member who is always happy to help.
In past, when I came to know that few ex-employees put fake reivew and had proof of fake profile, I took legal action and very next day those reviews were taken off.
Occasionally takes part in conversations.
I do believe you need to get lucky & have the right agent answer the phone at GmB, because that's the agent that will stick with you through the whole process, & if that agent gets tired of helping you delete the spam; then there's nothing you can do (as far as I know)
Occasionally takes part in conversations.
1. Respond quickly
2. Evaluate and rectify the situation
3. Address the complaint and apologize for the dissatisfaction
4. Offer to fix the problem
5. Be honest about it, and assure it won’t happen in the future.
As far as I can think your support team is the shield for this situation, it can make you sink or fix the damage easily.
Either just recently joined or is too shy to say something.
SEMrush columnists are authors who had proved their expertise in digital marketing and contribute regularly to our community.
Provides valuable insights and adds depth to the conversation.
SEMrush columnists are authors who had proved their expertise in digital marketing and contribute regularly to our community.
Occasionally takes part in conversations.
An experienced member who is always happy to help.
SEMrush columnists are authors who had proved their expertise in digital marketing and contribute regularly to our community.
Either just recently joined or is too shy to say something.
SEMrush columnists are authors who had proved their expertise in digital marketing and contribute regularly to our community.
Occasionally takes part in conversations.
I do believe you need to get lucky & have the right agent answer the phone at GmB, because that's the agent that will stick with you through the whole process, & if that agent gets tired of helping you delete the spam; then there's nothing you can do (as far as I know)
An experienced member who is always happy to help.
In past, when I came to know that few ex-employees put fake reivew and had proof of fake profile, I took legal action and very next day those reviews were taken off.
SEMrush columnists are authors who had proved their expertise in digital marketing and contribute regularly to our community.
An experienced member who is always happy to help.
Asks great questions and provides brilliant answers.
SEMrush columnists are authors who had proved their expertise in digital marketing and contribute regularly to our community.
Asks great questions and provides brilliant answers.
That is indeed true. There are even websites (quite reputable) you can buy-out negative reviews.
An experienced member who is always happy to help.
These tips are really nice but only works when you are on right but if your services / products are not satisfactory then you should need to go for.
SEMrush columnists are authors who had proved their expertise in digital marketing and contribute regularly to our community.