Bad reviews in Google Local Business Center, Yahoo! Local, MSN Live Maps, Yelp or any other online destination are a serious matter to the business and to potential customers who read them. There are many things you can do to reduce the amount of bad reviews you get and a few things you can do to remove bad reviews in Google (or elsewhere). However, the best action you can take to minimize the impact of a bad review is to simply acquire numerous positive reviews.

This tutorial will show you how to manage bad reviews and obtain positive reviews. If you do receive a bad review and for good reason, we recommend working with your colleagues to minimize future similar reviews by any means possible.

How to Remove Bad Reviews in Google Local

The Google Local Business Center (GLBC) and Google Maps channels offer searchers an alternative to traditional and online Yellow Pages. Because the search engines offer the ability for users to critique businesses via reviews, it puts non-internet savvy business owners at a disadvantage against malicious competitors and unintentionally dissatisfied customers.

If you find your listing victimized by these perpetrators, the first thing to do is to not panic. Here are some ways you can help eliminate these reviews from the search results:

• If your negative review comes from a 3rd party website, such as TouchLocal.com, Yelp.com or CitySearch.com, you can contest the review at the source.
• If the review comes directly from a Google user, you can incentivize the patron to remove the listing with a discount coupon or complimentary service. These types of customers will typically change their review to positive if the service was better the second time around.
• You can ask new customers to post positive reviews if they were happy with your service, and tactfully select “No” next to the question “Was this review helpful?” if they disagree with the negative review.

Below is a snapshot of a negative review in Google Local Business Center. We’ve circled the “No” to have happy customers help you remove the negative review.

How to Get Positive Reviews in Google

These techniques to get more positive reviews in Google also work for Yahoo! Local, CitySearch.com and other business review websites and is very easy. Try one or all to get better reviews to bury those negative ones that never seem to go away.

• Have a takeaway postcard with a discount coupon good on the next visit for customers you know had a good experience.
• Capture your customers’ email addresses and send out periodic discounts and offers. Mention on the offer to please give positive reviews by clicking a link that takes them directly to the page to leave a review.
• Give free workshops and hold customer appreciation events. Have a computer on site and ask patrons if they wouldn’t mind doing a video testimonial and/or give a quick review of the business on one destination (such as Google Local Business Center).
• Hold or participate in charity events and capture emails of those people who used a service or purchased a product, then follow up with a coupon and link to the review pages of choice.

Removing and burying bad reviews from Google can be extremely frustrating. Remember not to panic, do your best to contest the review or incentivize the reviewer, and focus as much as possible on getting every satisfied customer to post a positive review.

Great tips like these are always available through your Local Splash local SEO services Account Manager. Call us today to learn more about extended SEO services.