The first thing we have to say is, 'Are you a HelpHound client?' If the answer is 'Yes,' then by far your best course of action is to call your HelpHound adviser. They'll discuss all of your options and advise on the best course of action (there will be one, we assure you).
For everyone else: please read on.
Google reviews
The first action a business should take, if and when it receives a negative Google review - accurate or not - is to respond. There is an article covering responses here. Google mods will look to see a) if the business has responded and we reckon they look positively upon businesses that have taken the trouble. Aside from this, it's just plain good business practice, readers are definitely impressed by businesses that take reviews - positive and negative - seriously enough to respond.
All it takes: a tap to choose a star rating and then write away
Anyone can write a Google review - absolutely anyone. The days of 'having to sign up/in' are in the past; Google loves the content reviews give its platform and is fully aware of just how often reviews are read by its users (great for businesses when the review is positive and accurate, not so great when it is not).
That said, there are two advantages to Google reviews*:
Google has an appeals procedure
Google know a lot about the person who posted the review
*in this context. Of course, there are many more from a marketing perspective, and these are covered elsewhere on this blog in minute detail.
Appealing against a Google review
Here is the relevant page to begin the process. But this is not going to be as easy as Google's headline above might imply. Just because you are 100% sure that the reviewer has never been a customer of your business or that they are completely wrong in whatever assertions they are making, does not mean that the staffer at Google who reviews your appeal will allow it. We are dealing with a California-based business with deeply held US levels of attachment to personal freedom of speech (a.k.a. 1st Amendment rights).
Above is one of the 21 categories of 'Prohibited and restricted content', and it is the one that we most often find ourselves basing our clients' appeals on. Many of the others - violent, dangerous, illegal, child-safety, terrorist, adult-themed - rarely, if ever, apply to reviews of our kind of client (service and professional businesses, in the main). We should also say, right now, that in our well over ten years of experience in wording and conducting appeals on behalf of client businesses, Google mods' definition of 'Offensive' and ours - and yours - may differ quite considerably. Free speech, again.
All that said, it is always worth appealing against a factually incorrect, potentially misleading and commercially injurious** review. Always*. We have seen reviews succeed where our experienced staffers gave them seriously bad odds.
*Why 'always'? Unfairly critical reviews can do untold harm in the long term. Consumers know to select 'Lowest' when they are reading Google reviews
**For anyone wondering about the kind of harm a single wrong-headed negative review can do, we strongly suggest reading these two articles:
Case History 1: The firm of solicitors materially injured by a negative review (when we say 'materially injured' you will see that a judge agreed, and awarded the firm substantial damages)
Case History 2: the hotel where bookings plummeted after a malicious negative Google review (which was successfully appealed following advice from HelpHound - see above)
Apply a simple test: if you didn't enjoy reading the review, it is bound to be unhelpful, in the sense, at the very least, of 'not encouraging anyone to use the business', and it will impact the business's overall score.
It is rare for Google to include an outside video creator on its own website, here is a useful 4-step 'How to...' for those more visually inclined.
How to head off such reviews in the first place
We never advise businesses to be passive and wait until a damaging Google review comes their way. There are actions a business can take to ensure that the absolute minimum of factually inaccurate reviews are posted. Here they are...
This response tells the reader so much that is positive about the business: that they take every complaint seriously and that they understand the complainant's frustration; and it leaves the door open for a continued dialogue. Importantly it also warns others tempted to post a Google review as a first reaction to a perceived lack of service or some other grievance that they will receive a reasoned and reasonable response (and might reasonably expect a positive response should they email or phone the business in the first instance).
1. Respond - to every review it receives: besides addressing the points made in the review, this sends a message, loud and clear, to anyone tempted to over-egg any issue they may have: they will receive a response
A great deal of hugely helpful information for the potential customer
2. Employ a moderated review management system: this ensures that your business complies with the CMA regulations (the law) and, importantly, allows you to address factually inaccurate, potentially misleading and, yes, plain unfair review before they are posted anywhere. We estimate that the - great - business in the example above would now be scoring between 4.6 and 4.7 on Google had it not adopted HelpHound (it had 6 Google reviews when it joined, it now has fast approaching 500, with a Google score of 4.9).
In Summary
We'd rather you become a client before you receive an unfair or inaccurate Google review, but this article is intended to reassure you that there are mechanisms in place, both at Google and in the marketplace, to ensure the likelihood of a recurrence is minimised going forward.
Please don't hesitate to speak to us, we will happily ask all your questions (and give you specific advice on any review that may be causing you concern currently.
It's a question we are asked every single day. And the answer, fortunately for the business involved, is 'yes'.
Or rather it is 'yes' if it fits a pretty stringent set of criteria.
But first, before we all expend a deal of time and effort and even hard-earned cash, let's look at the context.
Categories of review that harm businesses
We have all met the 'man down the pub' who is blase about reviews. He or she is unlikely to be in a position of responsibility in any business and they will come out with 'brave' comments such as...
'All reviews are written by idiots'
'I don't believe reviews anyway (because of the above)'
'Who on earth is stupid/ignorant/naive enough to believe reviews?'
...and so on. Ringing bells? Yes, we thought so. Unfortunately (or fortunately - read on), he or she is so wrong as to be dangerous. Dangerous to anyone who pays heed to their wild and almost wholly unsubstantiated assertions and dangerous to their own and their loved one's health, wealth, and general wellbeing.
Unfortunately, the fact that the overwhelming majority of the billions of reviews of businesses - we're not really concerned with product reviews here - that have been written in the last two decades are the subjective but genuine opinions of those who have experienced the business or service under review at first-hand does not make headlines in the media. On the other hand, businesses that play fast and loose with reviews in order to look good do. It is this coverage that has played to our friend's cynicism.
But there is, nevertheless, an important grain of truth in what they are saying: and that is based on the obvious fact that many people are not all that well qualified to judge whether or not their doctor/lawyer/financial adviser/estate agent has performed well or not.
do they know for certain that their recovery/continued health issue is the fault of their doctor?
can they be sure that their lawyer achieved the very best outcome possible?
have they made as good a return as they could reasonably expect from their pension arrangements?
did they sell/let their property for the maximum given the current market conditions?
All they can do is write that they, personally, were - or were not - satisfied.
So does this help? If you put yourself in the position of someone who needs...
an oncologist
a family lawyer
an investment adviser
an estate agent
Where there are reasons why someone might be reluctant to seek personal recommendations (privacy, in the main). And the answer may well be 'yes'. But from the point-of-view of the business, the answer is more definite: it's an unequivocal 'yes'. How so? Because reviews have been around for near on two decades now, and, during that time they have been proven beyond all reasonable doubt to drive business in the direction of businesses that have gained critical mass in the reviews sphere.
A business that looks like this...
...will, all other things being equal, achieve many - many - more clicks and calls than a business that looks like this...
Same location, the same line of business. But chalk and cheese when it comes to creating the right impression in search, especially when those that have been impressed by the Google score and reviews click through to the business's website and see this:
But now we move closer to answering the question posed at the top of this article; given that reviews scores are crucial for the business that wants to continue to attract custom what can business No 2 do? Well, the first - and most obvious - thing would be to do what the first business does: invite its customers to post reviews to Google.
The second would be to analyse the negative reviews the business has had to see if any contravene Google's terms of service, and, in so doing, render themselves appealable and thus liable to removal from Google altogether.
Let's take a look at the actual reviews posted about this business in the context of Google's terms of service.
Here are the criteria under which Google will judge a flagged review:
When you read down this list (link above) it is important to be as dispassionate as possible. Let's take this example:
In the UK any 'derogatory comment' published about a business is considered in law as prima facie libel. That, though, does not mean that Google will automatically remove reviews critical of a business; far from it.
In our extensive experience the business that recieves such a review will need to prove at least one of the following (not just provide Google with one-sided assumptions or suspicions):
the reviewer has no personal experience of the business they have reviewed - incredibly difficult to prove
the reviewer has written the review with malicious intent - can be corroborated by providing evidence in the form of emails/texts
the reviewer has written statements that they know to be factually incorrect - easier to prove providing the business can supply copies of contracts/invoices etc.
the reviewer has malicious intent - they work for a competitor, for example
Google will not entertain an appeal against a review on the basis that...
the business has no record of dealings with the reviewer (reviewers are allowed to use 'usernames' to protect their anonymity)
the review is a case of 'the business's word against the reviewer' (Google will not intervene in business disputes)
Now, let's look at the negative reviews one by one and see what the likelihood of a successful appeal to Google, resulting in the offending review being removed based on Google's Prohibited and Restricted Content:
Basis of appeal: (false) accusation of illegal action by the business/ fake content/off-topic.
Chances of success: high
Recommended action: appeal
Basis of appeal: again: (potentially false) accusation of illegal action.
Chances of success: medium
Recommended action: appeal
Basis of appeal: (false) accusation of illegal action/off-topic.
Chances of success: high
Recommended action: appeal
Basis of appeal: false accusation of action outside contract terms (contract explicitly states 'commercial cleaners will be employed by the landlord)
Chances of success: low
Recommended action: respond to the review so readers are aware of the circumstances and the business's side of the case
Basis of appeal: false accusation of 'double charging'
Chances of success: Low (commercial dispute)
Recommended action: respond to the review so future readers are aware of the circumstances
Basis of appeal: none - unless the business knows the reviewers to have malicious intent and can prove as such; that they are employees of a competitor, for instance
Chances of success: low/nil
Recommended action: respond to the rating so future readers are aware of the circumstances. In this case we might recommend an appeal on the basis of the collective good: we have long been of the opinion that ratings - as opposed to written reviews - add little value to Google reviews and a volume of businesses appealing ratings on that basis may eventually lead Google to do away with them
By now you will be getting an idea of the kind of review that is appealable and the circumstances in which you should consider appealing. We would add one rider: in our extensive experience there are no completely hard and fast rules; some reviews we consider fulfil the criteria for removal are not taken down, some that are borderline are removed. A good rule of thumb is if the review in question is causing you sleepless nights or, as can happen, has stopped the phones ringing, appeal. That way at least you will have the comfort of knowing you have done everything possible to address the situation.
The Google appeal
First, watch this video and listen to Google's advice:
You now have three options:
Do it yourself, by following Google's guidelines to the letter
Employ a specialist new media lawyer to conduct the appeal on your behalf
Employ HelpHound to draft and manage your appeal
Route 1
Click this link and follow Google's instructions to the letter - any deviation will reduce your chance of success.
Route 2
Consult your own legal adviser or a specialist new media legal adviser, provide them with all the factual background that you can and ask them to draft your appeal.
Route 3
Consult HelpHound. The advantage of doing this?
We will give you a very good idea of the likelihood of succeeding with your appeal, based on our extensive and wide-ranging experience
We will advise you on other strategies to minimise the impact of the review in question pending the outcome of your appeal - by carefully drafting a rsponse that will not only be seen by potential customers but also by Google's moderators when they come to assess your appeal
We will advise you on key aspects of the drafting of your appeal, should you decide to take Route 1
We will draft the appeal on your behalf, if you consider that would be helpful
We will advise on the correct way to a) identify competent legal advice and b) introduce you to such an adviser, if necessary
Here are a couple of real-life examples of Google's response to appeals to two of the many successful appeals we have drafted for clients; just put yourself in the position of the business that had these reviews heading their Google reviews listings...
These are both the kind of review that seriously deflects custom away from businesses - we call them 'killer reviews' (see more about them here); fair enough if their contents are correct and justified, but capable of unfairly impacting business flows if - as Google adjudicated here - they are not.
The next steps
Our first advice to any business that contacts us is to implement a proper review management strategy (so many don't have one until they are hurt by a negative review). We will then advise on the specific review in question. The initial consultation will be free of charge. After that, we will provide a firm quotation for our services. Unless the review raises exceptionally complex issues and requires lengthy research (which is rare) our fee will not exceed three figures.
This is a question that comes up daily, in fact about half of our inbound calls are prompted by it. Negative reviews of businesses hurt - some more than others. Let us explain...
Businesses on the web break down into three main categories:
Businesses with established reviews presences - hundreds of reviews on Google and other sites - Yelp, TripAdvisor, Trustpilot etc.
Businesses with few reviews on the web - anywhere
Businesses with no reviews at all
Let's look at examples of all three... 1. The 'established' business
2. The business with 'few reviews'
3. The business with 'no reviews'
Yes - we know that Noble Caledonia have 26 reviews - now. But six months ago they had none. Bear with us (see below).
The point is that all businesses are vulnerable to negative reviews - let's see just how vulnerable: The Ritz Just a few months ago the Ritz had a hard-won score of 4.6 on Google - showing in every search. Then they threatened to sue the Ritz Ballroom in Brighouse and some of the Yorkshire locals took to Google to express their discontent - by writing one-star reviews.
The Ritz is possibly one of the very few hotels in London that has built a reputation strong enough to cope with a drop in their score to 4.2; most other hotels, finding themselves in anything like that position would have been forced to cut rate to maintain occupancy. That's how sensitive to review scores the market is. Nearwater Last year the Nearwater bed and breakfast in St Mawes received a single one-star review - driving its Google score down from a near-perfect 4.9 to a marginally less impressive 4.7. But worse was to come - because they had few reviews in total that one star stood out like a sore thumb, and bookings dried right up.
A demonstrably malicious review - but it remained on Google until HelpHound intervened (it is actually a review of a TV programme, the reviewer has no personal knowledge of the business whatsoever)
The review had been written by someone who had never stayed, but had seen the Nearwater featured on Channel 4s 'Four in a Bed'. The owner tried everything - contacting Google in the UK and in India - before HelpHound saw the article in the newspapers and volunteered our services. The full story - and its happy ending - is here. Noble Caledonia
No reviews at all a year ago, a single negative complaining about a wrong phone number eight months ago - and then one of their cruise ships hits a reef in Indonesia. Result? Twenty four one star reviews. - and a very off-putting score on Google. An example of a business that had not engaged with reviews and will now be rapidly evaluating what is the best proactive policy to pursue.
The business on the left is one disgruntled customer away from a score of 1.0 like the business on the right
Lessons
all businesses need a proactive review management policy
those with many reviews are still vulnerable
those with few reviews are far more vulnerable
those with no reviews are the most vulnerable of all
The point? All three of these businesses are - in a sense - lucky, they have so obviously been the victim of a category of review that Google generally find it pretty easy to delete. If they are approached in the correct manner (more on that later).
But there are more categories of reviews - equally harmful - that are not nearly so clear-cut, at least not from Google's point-of-view...
the [clever*] disgruntled ex-member of staff
the [clever*] competitor
the non-customer with an axe to grind
the 'friend/relation' of a dissatisfied customer
the misleading review
the factually inaccurate review
*'clever' means someone who covers up their real relationship with the business, usually masquerading - and writing their review - as a bona-fide customer
The legal position Any criticism of a business is, under UK law, prima facie, libellous. That means that any business could, in theory, challenge any negative review, its author (the reviewer) and its publisher (the website). But would it? 'Business bullies customer' is never a great headline, so any business is going to think long and hard before resorting to legal action, and will rightly examine all the alternatives. And sites like Google are going to stand foursquare behind negative reviews - and their reviewers - that they believe to be written with sincere motives. But there are avenues to follow Google don't make it easy (you would not expect them to). But if the review that is harming your business has been written with impure motives or with pure motive but in ignorance of pertinent facts - or, importantly, is in contravention of Google's review policies - a properly constructed appeal to Google does have a good chance of success. HelpHound and appeals We have been constructing appeals for our clients for nearly four years now. From today we will be offering this appeals service to every business, whether it be a HelpHound client on not.
A draft appeal - accuracy and know-how are essential if any degree of success is to be achieved
We will not advise you to tilt at windmills; we will assess every case on its own merits and advise you before any agreement is made. After that we will draft your appeal and forward it to you will detailed step-by-step instructions on how to submit it. Charges Our standard fee for clients is £150 per appeal. For non-clients our standard Terms of Engagement will apply.
