Client wants to delete Google My Business Due to Bad Review
-
My client has received a bad review on Google and although has other good ones, wants to delete the current Google My Business page and open a new one. I disagree with this strategy but need some evidence to back it up. They are ranking well and so I don't want to upset the cart. I need reasons not to in terms of potentially harming rankings. Am I right that this could impact?
-
@al123al As someone who has worked in the online review world - I have the script for the "Cancel it all because I got a bad review"
Bad reviews are a good thing because:
- They add credibility to all your reviews b/c the profile won't look fake
- They give you a chance to tell your side of the story and showcase your commitment to your customers
- They signal to the wrong potential customer who would give you a headache, that you aren't the right person
- They signal to the right potential customer that you are the right person b/c they disagree with the reasoning
- They fill out the story and show the market what you do when things go wrong
People want to know what a business will do when things aren't perfect - We know that things won't always go right and a bad review gives you the opportunity to say, "Yes, this wasn't perfect but this is how I stepped up to fix the problem, it's too bad that the customer thought I provided X when I actually do Y."
Bad reviews are the result of expectations not being met, manage the expectation and you may not get the sale, but you won't end up with a Bad Review either.
For more about why a bad review is a good thing - https://www.marketapeel.agency/post/bad-reviews-are-a-good-thing
-
You can delete it from your GMB data. Try to remove all the data of the business and details. just like I did for Bud apk program.
-
Thanks, John! Kind of you to say. Reviews happen to be my favorite aspect of Local.
-
This is for real ....Miriam definitely you are rockstar
-
In addition to the other recommendations, I would advise you to have the business owner leave a response to the bad review.
1. It shows that the business is active.
2. If the customers that left the review happens to be real, it could potentially mend that relationship.
3. It could lessen the concerns of any potential customers who see the bad review and are put off by it.
-Andrew
-
Thanks to all.
-
Great topic, AL123al!
I agree with all of the posters who are stating that your client's approach isn't practical. I have a couple of resources I'd recommend you share with the client that should get him up-to-speed on this topic.
- First, show the client this article on the realities of review spam. It's real, and there are actions you can take. It takes persistence sometimes, but you've got to be hearty in business:
https://moz.com/blog/review-spam
- Then, show him this second article which details how to handle all types of reviews, from 1-star disasters, to 5-star treasures, to spam:
https://moz.com/blog/mastering-owner-response-quintet-google-my-business-reviews
If you get get the client to sit tight and read through both of those, he should walk away with a completely different (and much better) perspective on dealing with the reality of reviews.
End of the day, attempting to delete a GMB listing is not an answer. The listing could simply come back again, and your client's reputation will follow him wherever he goes. Much better to get the necessary education to deal with all forms of reviews, and move forward confidently.
-
LOL. Funny analogy, EGOL.
-
The client has really pushed his clients to write a Google review so think we are going to keep the GMB and push the bad review low. The review was a spam review from a "Local Guide" as the client has not got a record of this person's interaction with the company i.e. he never used their services. The client has flagged it with Google but nothing has been done.
Thanks
-
Not a good idea, I know it's hard to explain these types of things from an SEO point of view that the customer understands. You're going to lose all your good reviews that the business has gained. I'm also not sure if you're able to just create a new GMB once you mark the current one permanently closed without changing the NAP. I agree with SEOman10, work on getting some new positive reviews going.
Also, if the review was not left by a real customer can't you report it to Google or no?
-
Every business will get a few bad reviews. The Pope could be selling Bibles and get bad reviews from cranky customers or customers who blame the Pope when the package is lost on the mail.
The client probably has a nice business, is perfectly honest and does an excellent job. Don't worry about one review.
-
You're welcome!
-
I had to deal with several cases like this one in the past, one technique that got me good results was pretty simple.
I created an email campaign with the most trusted clients of my client, requesting their opinion on Google, was pretty successful so then, I even integrated Trustpilot in the equation.
- Buy some good looking email template
- Take your time to create a good content for the email
- _You could even offer some kind of PR service _
- Launch the campaign and remember is a game of numbers if you have a total 5 reviews in your site and you have a score of 3 get 1 point up will take you 5 new reviews with 5 stars
-
Thanks Joe for your insight.
-
Hi there,
To be honest, I don't even think this is an option for them. Deleting/removing the Google My Business account does not actually delete the page, it just removes you as the manager/owner but that will still be returned in local search results (see this Google Help Forum Post).
The only way I've seen people have any success with this was to mark the location as permanently closed (which I would not recommend here) or to contact Google Business support and ask them to delete the listing. The problem here is I don't think the Google Business support team is going to delete this listing for bad reviews, they are likely going to suggest (as SEOman suggested) you focus on building up positive reviews and responding to the negative reviews currently associated with the page.
-
Thanks. Yes my concern is that the person who left the bad review (and wasn't a real customer) would come back to the new GMB and do it all again.
-
I'm not too sure whether it's a ranking factor or not, there are varying opinions. I would say it's risky.
Additionally, I don't see what there is to be gained by deleting and recreating a profile that could just get another bad review, Also the person that gave you that bad review can come and leave another one!
I would work with some good customers and ask them to do reviews. Far more productive than trying to hide hide mistakes and Google will love good reviews to.
Explain to your client that resources are better spend on creating some new reviews and if you get enough good ones you can outweigh the bad ones to a large degree. Take a look around, you will see there is plenty of excellent brands that get bad reviews from time to time.
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
Google my business phone reporting? Doesnt cross state lines.
We have a branch in Toledo Ohio, which is close to the Michigan border. Cleary we get calls for direction from Michigan customers. However, our phone reporting does not cross the state line. Any ideas? This happens at other branches that cross state lines as well.
Reviews and Ratings | | bakergraphix_yahoo.com0 -
3rd Party Reviews - Schema Implementation
Hi, Currently my client displaying Ratings & Reviews from a third-party (TripAdvisor) service and only displaying 5 reviews but not showing "Read More Reviews" button to TripAdvisor page. Now I would like to use Rich Snippet schema markup code on these rating & reviews but below are my few concerns, could you please guide me: 1. Can I use Rich Snippet Schema markup code on widget of TripAdvisor Rating & Review. 2. If I apply schema markup code, Do I need to maintain TripAdvisor link for "Read More reviews". Below are the URLs which contains TripAdvisor rating & reviews after big image: https://goo.gl/DLpDXE https://goo.gl/EHVG7o https://goo.gl/ok6cYp Please let me know if you have any questions. Thanks, Satla
Reviews and Ratings | | TrulyTravel0 -
Business name change - Impact on reviews?
Hi I have a client who has created multiple GMB listings for his business using the same address, post code and phone number and I am trying to sort it all out. 2 of the listings have 1 review and 1 of them has 13 reviews. Obviously i want to keep the listing that has 13 reviews and delete the other 2. Keeping the listing with 13 reviews means I will have to update the business name in Google my business because it was originally entered wrongly. Will the profile need to be verified again? Will my client be able to keep those reviews or will they be deleted? Thanks
Reviews and Ratings | | coolhandluc1 -
What types of businesses does Google display reviews in SERP for?
In just the last week, it seems like Google has removed reviews for businesses in our industry (staffing), which is unfortunate since we've been working hard for those reviews. The effect has been to be completely left off the local google business results. One week, we're at the top of the business reviews with our location prominently featured on the map and the next, we aren't even listed. It seems like there must be list of industries in which Google takes reviews into account (or if they do, then at least displays the reviews in the results). For us, up until last week, if you searched "temp agencies", these reviews were included in SERP. Now, nothing. Is this fairly normal behavior for Google?
Reviews and Ratings | | Parker8180 -
Motivating Clients to leave reviews
We are a bankruptcy law firm and therefore getting clients to post a public review is challenging, as they don't wish to disclose the fact that they filed for bankruptcy. I recently audited our local competitors. Most just have one or two reviews. But 2 firms in particular have 6- 10x the amount of what is "normal" for our practice area, and in addition they are 1.) all 5-star reviews 2.) the only review they had ever posted by that person (seems unnatural that your first and only review is of a bankruptcy attorney). This is the exact same fact pattern for both attorneys, so I am wondering if they are using a special tool or some how incentivizing clients to leave a 5 star review...is there any way to know if they are using unethical practices? So my question: how do we motivate happy clients to leave a public review when they the nature of our practice is a private matter? Is there a helpful tool or method people have found good success with? Is there a way to leave anonymous or first name only reviews on Google Plus? We have a lot of review on the testimonials section of our website, but clients who submit ask us to change their name for privacy. Could we somehow post these on Google Plus for the clients, while still keeping within the regulations of Google? Thanks in advance for your insights!
Reviews and Ratings | | JulieALS0 -
Google Local Results - Incorrect Listing Url's
I have decided to re launch a small side project that I had to abandon a few years ago. I want to specifically target Google Local Results. I do need to overcome a proximity to centroid issue in a fairly competative niche. Unfortunately a number of my listings i.e. Facebook and Yelp have less than optimal URL's. For example: https://www.facebook.com/businessname.targetlocation.keyword/
Reviews and Ratings | | GrouchyKids
http://www.yelp.com/biz/business-name-key-phrase-and-keyword-location Well you get the idea. NB: None of these listings currently have reviews. Now I know that its best to keep the info consistent across the board, so I wonder if I would be better off scrapping these listings in favor of ones with URL's that match the business name. I can see that I can merge FB pages so am guessing that this would work for FB, has anyone any experience of this? Am assuming yelp will have to be deleted in some way. Any thoughts?0 -
Thoughts on google plus page
Looking for feedback on a client's g+ page https://plus.google.com/116480272521087321856/about
Reviews and Ratings | | Atomicx0 -
Having Yelp Reviews Removed
Since we all work with Yelp on a local basis, I believe many are aware that if a review is placed by a non customer about a company, Yelp will typically remove them if you show that it isn't valid, etc. We all know they made a show of outing those who posted fake reviews as well. Here is a question I have though: Have any of you been aware of Yelp taking down valid negative reviews for companies? I have just run into this and find it somewhat perplexing. If you know of this, I would love to hear how it happens? Thanks,
Reviews and Ratings | | RobertFisher2