To make sure you’re not getting negative reviews. it is a good idea to regularly check your Google Business Profile, your Facebook Business Page and anywhere else online where people can write reviews about your business.
If you see any negative reviews, you’re probably wanting to do something about them. Here are some positive ways to address them:
- Think carefully before replying.
- Do reply to them. It is better to reply to them, vs not doing so. Negative reviews that don’t get replied to indicate to other people who see them that either: you don’t care about your business, or you’re not monitoring reviews, or you may no longer be in business.
- Acknowledge the problem in your reply.
- ALWAYS say “thank you” for their review and let them know that you always appreciate feedback.
- Apologise even if your customer is not right.
- Maybe compensate them with an amazing offer if you feel it’s worthwhile.
- Take the conversation offline. Suggest they contact you.
- Don’t ask to remove the review as this could make the situation even worse.
If you visit YouTube and search “what to do if I get negative reviews online” you will also find additional ideas and suggestions. There is also some good information in this article on Search Engine Journal.
Sometimes you might see negative reviews from people who have never been a customer. This is a ‘Negative SEO‘ activity and is meant to help sabotage your business.
The best way to deal with them is to contact the website that these reviews are on. If it’s Google, they are pretty good at getting reviews like this removed. You can report reviews to Google here.
The ACCC provides more information about this topic.
If you need a hand with any of this, let us know.