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Effective Google Review Management for a Strong Reputation

  • Writer: Oleh Nesterenko
    Oleh Nesterenko
  • Sep 1, 2023
  • 5 min read

Updated: Feb 10


review stars on the sheet of pink and blue paper

Reputation management should be an ongoing process. You should respond to every review, whether it's positive or negative, whenever appropriate. Even in cases where nothing was said, but someone left you stars - you need to respond. All reviews (especially those referring to your products and services) impact your website's SEO and provide potential customers with more information about what you do.

Considering the increasing influence of the internet, the perception of modern consumers about a company, brand, or store is also shaped by search engines. If a user comes across sites with negative mentions about your store in the search results, they might want to avoid doing business with you. To develop your business online, you need not only to create a quality product and provide excellent customer service but also to work with negative reviews on the one hand and build a positive image on the other.

What to do with negative reviews?

Negative reviews are not always fake. You may encounter reviews left by legitimate customers who need a better experience. Please do not ignore them. Respond to the review on Google, and then try to contact the unsatisfied customer through a phone call to assure them that their concerns have been heard and to rectify the situation. If you need their contact information, leave your contact details (or information for the owner or manager) and ask them to contact you so you can make things right.

Here are some tips on how to moderate negative reviews if they appear on third-party websites or Google Maps:

  1. Respond promptly to negative reviews. Don't wait for the review to accumulate many votes or views. React immediately to the review and address the issue that led to the negative feedback.

  2. Be polite and professional. Even if you disagree with the negative review, your response must be courteous and professional. Avoid attacking the customer and refrain from attempting to belittle them.

  3. Offer a solution to the problem. If the customer is dissatisfied with your product or service, propose a solution to resolve the issue. This could be a discount, compensation, or product replacement.

  4. Thank the customer for the feedback. Even if the review is negative, thank the customer for sharing their thoughts. This shows that you value their opinion and are committed to improving your business.

  5. The best-case scenario is when you work with users who wrote negative reviews, resolve the situation, and they update their reviews positively. The worst-case scenario is when the negative comment remains, and potential readers see that you care about what happened so they may ignore the negative review.

What to do if the review on Google is fake?

It's disheartening when someone intentionally tries to tarnish your reputation by pretending they used your services or products and leaving negative feedback. Google has a feature to request the removal of fake reviews, but there are nuances. Before taking action, ensure that the review is indeed fake. To determine this, consider the following:

  • Are the reviewers present in your CRM software? If not, they likely are not your customers.

  • Have they contacted customer support? If not, recommend them to do so in your response, providing a direct link to contact customer support.

  • Are specific details mentioned, such as the name of an employee they interacted with? Reviewers might need to remember names, but if someone had a bad experience, they usually include specific names and describe the situation.

  • Was there a sudden influx of negative reviews within a short period? It could be a competitor or spammer.

  • Did the reviewer recommend a competitor in their negative review? This is a clear indicator that a competitor may be behind the comment.

How to report a fake review on Google?

First, you need to log in to your Google My Business account. Then click "View my profile" or find your company in Google Search. Click on the three vertical dots and select "Report review." This will take you to a list of reasons for the report. While there is no specific option for "fake comment," the closest option would be "Off-topic." If you can accurately identify that it's coming from a competitor, you can choose "Conflict of interest." If fake negative reviews come from a competitor, the quicker way is to contact them and ask them to stop and remove the false reviews. If you still need to, you always have the option to report it to the Better Business Bureau. Another way to request the removal of a comment is through Google Support, which is essentially the same as with Google Search or Google Maps.

How to report negative reviews on Google?

The only way to submit a request for the removal of a negative review on Google is if it violates Google's policies. Reporting such reviews involves following the same steps as mentioned above, but the reasons for the report would be:

  1. Offensive language.

  2. Threats or harassment.

  3. Discrimination.

  4. Personal and confidential information.

What to do if Google doesn't remove the reviews?

Bad reviews are only sometimes removed, especially if it's not evident that they are fake. Additionally, Google has changed some communication methods. Currently, the only available way to address the issue is to use the contact form for Google My Business support. You should also respond professionally and politely to the corresponding review and explain that, in your opinion, they have mistakenly commented on the wrong company. This benefits potential customers who read the review more than anything else. You can say: (The content is not specified in the text provided).


Hi! We want to look into your situation in more detail, but unfortunately, we cannot find your contacts in our customer system. Please get in touch with us at +430XX or write us an email.

Alternatively, the reviewer made a mistake. In that case, you can gently point it out and specify specific reasons (for example, we don't have a seller/doctor/consultant with that name, or we don't work on Mondays). Again, everything you say here should help potential clients understand that the reviews were dubious.


Bad reviews are not business killers. One negative review or a few of them doesn't mean much. Potential customers are savvy—they understand that bad and negative reviews can happen and know that every business has dissatisfied clients. Many consumers are more skeptical of companies that have only positive reviews. The best way to counter a negative review is to respond to it and encourage all your clients to leave reviews on Google. Positive reviews have the power to overshadow negative ones. Always ask your satisfied customers to leave reviews about your products and services on Google. This can significantly convince potential customers to do business with you and greatly contribute to your SEO.


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About the author

Oleh Nesterenko is a seasoned marketing professional with over 10 years of experience in multi-channel marketing and web analytics. He specializes in Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, creative design, and marketing campaign coordination, helping businesses optimize their digital strategies through data-driven insights. With a passion for performance marketing and UX optimization, Oleh combines expertise with creative problem-solving to drive measurable results.

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