For the last few years, we have discussed the importance of Google Reviews. And it is pleasing to see so many embracing the importance of asking customers to review. We field many questions regarding reviews, and we thought it would be best to highlight some of those questions, with answers, so you all can benefit.
The most common question is, “why does Google remove reviews?”. Google may remove reviews due to three main reasons:
1. You have received too many reviews in a short period of time. If Google detect a spike in reviews that is not consistent with the previous time intervals in which reviews were posted, they may become suspicious about those reviews and remove one or more.
2. The review was written by a reviewer who is located too far away from the business address. Google knows:
a. The location of where the reviewer is using the IP address from their PC/ Mobile device
b. How many other reviews they have written about local businesses
c. If any reviews have been flagged as spam or violated their content policies. As Google requires users to register a Gmail account before posting a business review, they can track their other behaviour across their platforms.
3. Google accidentally delete reviews due to their internal algorithm updates. For example, they regularly update their ‘helpful content’ algorithm to remove non-conforming and low interest level content from websites including Google reviews from Google My Business listings.
If you have had a review disappear, we can follow up directly with Google in an attempt to have it reappear. Be mindful, this sometimes takes time.
Another question commonly asked is, “what is the process for reporting a bad review?”
If you unfortunately receive a bad review, then it’s not the end of the world. No matter how good your service was, or how good the product is, some people are never satisfied. However, if you do get a bad review, don’t despair. The more positive reviews you receive will eventually negate the negative one.
However, if you do receive a review that seems strange or not quite right, we can have Google look into it. They will investigate the source and determine whether it was legitimate and if it isn’t, they will remove it.
Here are some tips you can use to check the reviewer’s authenticity:
TIP 1: Check the location of the reviewer.
Clicking on the name of the reviewer will bring up a new page showing the location of other business retail location which the user has reviewed. Google match the IP address of the user to the proximity of the business physical location to validate the review authenticity.
TIP 2: Validating the location of the reviewer.
The reviewer ‘Maryam Blizard’ has left review for 8 other businesses located in Brisbane and Gold Coast which is consistent to her location. Google use the ‘latitude’ and ‘longitude’ of the store location to match the proximity to the reviewers IP address to determine if the review is made by a person close enough who has visited the store or business location.
TIP 3: Reporting reviews is open to the public.
Anyone in the public domain can click on the three buttons to the right of any Google Review and select ‘Report review’ to report a review to Google. You should be aware that bad actors and often competitors report reviews.
TIP 4: Here are some best practice to responding to a positive review:
In this example from Choices Flooring Capalaba. You will notice they follow best practice by posting responses to reviews. It is recommended that as store owners / managers reply to reviews which authenticates the review post as well as illustrates to other potential customers that the business owner is engaged and responsive to customer reviews.
TIP 5: Referencing photos in review responses:
In this example from Choices Flooring Marion. As a relatively new member, Choices Flooring Marion has 37 reviews and some including very happy customers who have posted photos of their flooring renovation. It is recommended store owners respond to reviews with photos and specifically reference how good the photos look. This affirms to the customer the store owner not only shares their delight, but also is a good signal to Google that the review is authentic.