{"id":6031,"date":"2018-11-05T08:05:47","date_gmt":"2018-11-05T15:05:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.new.www.structuredseo.com\/?p=6031"},"modified":"2018-11-05T08:27:02","modified_gmt":"2018-11-05T15:27:02","slug":"how-to-deal-with-fake-google-reviews-that-affect-your-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.structuredseo.com\/how-to-deal-with-fake-google-reviews-that-affect-your-business\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Deal with Fake Google Reviews That Affect Your Business"},"content":{"rendered":"

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For all businesses, both the quality and quantity of reviews is critical. Today, more businesses actively garner reviews to establish credibility and improve their online reputation.<\/p>\n

Reviews boost trust in a brand and make people feel they are part of a community that loves buying from a particular business. That’s the inclusive psychology of buyers who are increasingly looking to validate businesses they buy from, through online reviews.<\/p>\n

To choose a product, find a hotel, a restaurant, or new software, reviews are all the rage. A 2017 study by Spiegel Research Center<\/a> shows nearly 95% of shoppers read online reviews before making a purchase.<\/p>\n

So, reviews have become highly important<\/a> for businesses in this digital age. Today, it’s staggeringly easy for anyone to leave reviews about your business- fortunately and unfortunately. The ease of leaving a review on Google or any other social platform has become a concern for business owners now that anyone can create a fake account and leave a negative review without even using a business’ products or services.<\/p>\n

As much as they harm your online reputation, bad reviews are also not appreciated by search engines, and thus affect your SEO rankings. It’s every business owner’s nightmare to wake up to a bad review from someone they don’t recognize as a customer.<\/p>\n

But, there are steps business owners can take to handle phony negative reviews and minimize damage to their reputation.<\/p>\n

Step 1: Don’t Panic<\/h2>\n

It is frustrating to receive a bad review, and more so when it is a sham. Small businesses have a lot of pressure to maintain a high rating on Google reviews, and receiving a fake review is the last thing they need.<\/p>\n

But, as much as a fake review disturbs you, our advice for you is to stay calm. Consider it a challenge for you to solve. First, make sure the review is false and does not come from a real unhappy customer. Fake negative reviews on Google, Facebook, or any other platform can be identified by the name of the reviewer, or their location, etc. There’s generally something misplaced in the information of a fake reviewer. That’s the first sign.<\/p>\n

Most times, the review either remains anonymous or uses an alias that it’s hard to believe is a real name. When you are sure the reviewer is an imposter, don’t lash out at them as it would only make matters worse.<\/p>\n

When you talk on behalf of your business, be sure to maintain dignity and a professional attitude since you represent your brand.<\/p>\n

Check your records to ensure the reviewer is not a customer. Not all negative reviews are fake. If the reviewer is, in fact, an ex-customer, you may want to look at the time frame when you served them and listen to customer service calls they may have made.<\/p>\n

The more you learn about the situation, the better equipped you will be to handle it now and in the future. If this is a previous customer, go out of your way to resolve their bad experience.<\/p>\n

However, if the reviewer has done no business with you, be ready to deal with the fake review.<\/p>\n

Step 2: Dispute the Review<\/h2>\n

You can take down a negative Google review if you can prove it is fake, inappropriate, and inaccurate. Google review policies allow you to request to delete a review if it falls into any of these categories:<\/p>\n