How Lawyers Can Remove Negative Google Reviews

Summary

In this video, Caesar, the director of operations at Weis, discusses strategies for managing negative reviews. He emphasizes the importance of burying negative feedback with a multitude of high-quality, five-star reviews to minimize their impact. Caesar also outlines steps to dispute the review through remediation forms on platforms like Yelp and Google, and leveraging premium listings for potential review removal. If all else fails, he suggests escalating the issue on Google Business Forum or reaching out to the reviewer for resolution. Lastly, he advises responding professionally to all reviews to maintain a positive online presence.

Takeaways

• 🚫 Negative reviews are sometimes unavoidable and can occur even if the issue isn't the fault of the business.
• 📈 To mitigate the impact of a negative review, a business should aim to gather as many five-star, high-quality reviews as possible to 'bury' the negative one.
• 📝 Submitting a remediation form to the platform where the negative review was posted is a recommended step to dispute the review.
• 💰 Advertising on review platforms or having a premium listing can give businesses an advantage in dealing with negative reviews, as they may receive support from a representative.
• 🔄 If the initial remediation attempt is denied, there is often a way to escalate the issue, particularly on Google Business, by engaging with a moderator.
• 🤝 As a last resort, reaching out to the reviewer to resolve the issue and potentially have the review updated or removed is a viable strategy.
• 💬 Responding to negative reviews professionally and sympathetically is crucial, as it shapes the perception of potential clients.
• 🔍 It's important to be aware that some review platforms operate on a 'pay-to-play' basis, which can influence the support available for managing negative reviews.
• 🗣️ The manner in which a business responds to reviews, both positive and negative, can significantly affect its online reputation.
• 🔄 Persistence is key; if one method of addressing a negative review doesn't work, exploring other avenues such as escalation or direct contact with the reviewer may be necessary.
• 👥 The director of operations emphasizes the importance of managing client expectations and addressing their concerns to maintain a positive business image.

Q & A

What is the main topic discussed in the video script?

The main topic discussed in the video script is how to handle negative reviews, particularly from a marketing perspective, and the steps to take to mitigate their impact on one's online reputation.

Why are negative reviews sometimes inevitable in a business?

Negative reviews are sometimes inevitable because even if a business does its best, there will always be clients who are upset with the outcome of their case or service, and they may choose to express their dissatisfaction through online reviews.

What is the first strategy suggested for dealing with a negative review?

The first strategy suggested is to 'bury the review' by accumulating as many five-star high-quality reviews as possible, which makes the negative review less prominent and less impactful on the business's reputation.

What is a remediation form and why is it used?

A remediation form is a tool used to dispute a negative review on platforms like Yelp or Google Business Profile. It is used to formally request the removal of a review that may be unjust or unreasonable.

What does 'pay to play' mean in the context of online review platforms?

'Pay to play' refers to the practice where businesses that advertise or have a premium listing on review platforms are more likely to receive assistance in managing negative reviews, such as having them removed or addressed by a representative.

How can a business escalate a review removal request on Google Business if the initial submission is denied?

A business can escalate a review removal request by using the Google Business Forum, where they can chat with a moderator and present their case in more detail, potentially leading to the review's removal.

What should a business do if all attempts to remove a negative review fail?

If all attempts to remove a negative review fail, the business should reach out to the individual who left the review to try and resolve the issue to the point where the reviewer may update or remove the review themselves.

Why is it important to respond to negative reviews professionally and sympathetically?

Responding to negative reviews in a professional and sympathetic manner is important because potential clients will judge the business based on how it handles criticism and disputes, which can influence their decision to engage with the business.

What is the recommended approach to responding to all reviews, both positive and negative?

The recommended approach is to respond to all reviews, regardless of their sentiment, to show engagement with customers and to provide a balanced view of the business's customer service and responsiveness.

Can the strategies discussed in the script be applied to all types of businesses or are they specific to certain industries?

The strategies discussed in the script can be applied to most businesses that rely on customer reviews, though the specifics of implementation may vary depending on the industry and the platforms used.

What is the role of a representative from a review platform when a business has a premium listing?

A representative from a review platform can assist businesses with a premium listing in managing negative reviews, potentially helping to remove them or address the issues raised if the business approaches them with such a request.

Outlines

00:00

📢 Managing Negative Reviews: Strategies for Business Reputation

Caesar, the director of operations at Weis, addresses the inevitability of negative reviews and offers a five-step strategy to handle them effectively. The first step is to 'bury' the negative review by accumulating numerous high-quality, five-star reviews to diminish its visibility and impact. The second step involves submitting a remediation form to the platform where the negative review was posted, using the platform's dispute mechanisms. Thirdly, Caesar points out that advertising on review platforms can sometimes lead to preferential treatment, such as assistance in removing unfair reviews. Fourthly, for Google Business, if the review removal request is denied, there is an option to escalate the issue to a forum moderator. Lastly, if all else fails, the business should attempt to contact the reviewer to resolve the issue, potentially leading to the review being updated or removed. Caesar emphasizes the importance of responding professionally to all reviews, as they shape potential clients' perceptions.

Keywords

💡Negative Reviews

Negative reviews refer to feedback that reflects dissatisfaction or criticism from clients. In the video, they are presented as an inevitable part of business operations that can impact a company's reputation. The speaker discusses strategies for managing negative reviews, emphasizing the importance of addressing them to maintain a positive online presence.

💡Reputation Management

Reputation management is the process of monitoring, influencing, and maintaining a company's image and credibility. The video's theme revolves around this concept, as the director discusses how to handle negative reviews to protect and improve a company's online reputation, using various strategies such as burying negative reviews with positive ones.

💡Burying Reviews

Burying reviews is a strategy where a company accumulates a large number of positive reviews to overshadow a negative one. In the script, this is suggested as the first step in handling negative reviews, to reduce their visibility and impact on potential clients' perception.

💡Remediation Form

A remediation form is a tool used to dispute or request the removal of a negative review on a platform. The video mentions submitting such forms to platforms like Yelp or Google, which have a process for reviewing and potentially removing unjustified negative reviews.

💡Advertising and Premium Listings

The script mentions that advertising on review platforms or having a premium listing can provide additional support, such as a representative to help manage negative reviews. This highlights the relationship between business investment in these platforms and the services they provide in return.

💡Google Business Forum

The Google Business Forum is a platform where business owners can escalate issues with Google reviews, including disputed negative reviews. The video suggests using this forum as a last resort if automated methods fail, to present a case to a moderator for review removal.

💡Escalation

Escalation, in the context of the video, refers to the process of taking a dispute or issue to a higher level of resolution, such as moving from an automated form submission to a human moderator on the Google Business Forum.

💡Professional Response

A professional response is a courteous and businesslike reply to a review, especially a negative one. The video emphasizes the importance of responding to all reviews, as it shapes how potential clients perceive the company's customer service and professionalism.

💡Sympathetic Response

A sympathetic response is one that shows understanding and empathy towards the reviewer's experience. The director advises responding to negative reviews in a sympathetic manner, which can help in managing the company's image and potentially lead to the removal or updating of the review.

💡Client Relations

Client relations refer to the interactions and relationships a company has with its clients. The video touches on the importance of client relations in the context of handling negative reviews, suggesting that reaching out to the client who left the review might resolve the issue and improve the situation.

💡Online Directories

Online directories are platforms where businesses are listed and can receive reviews from clients. The script discusses the role of these directories in reputation management, noting that having a presence and managing reviews on these platforms is crucial for a company's online reputation.

Highlights

Negative reviews are sometimes unavoidable, even if not the business's fault.

Upset clients may leave negative reviews on platforms like Google and Yelp.

Handling negative reviews is crucial for maintaining online reputation.

Strategies to mitigate the impact of negative reviews include burying them with positive ones.

Collecting five-star reviews can diminish the visibility of negative reviews.

Submitting a remediation form to dispute a negative review on review platforms.

Platforms like Yelp and Google Business Profile have standard reasons for dispute forms.

Response time for remediation requests typically takes one to two weeks.

Advertising on review platforms can lead to premium listings and better support.

Premium listings often come with a representative who can assist with negative reviews.

Google Business allows escalation of review disputes through their forum.

Escalating a review issue can involve direct communication with a moderator.

If automated methods fail, personal outreach to the reviewer may be necessary.

Attempting to resolve the issue with the reviewer can lead to review removal or update.

Professional and sympathetic responses to negative reviews are essential.

Responses should consider the perspective of potential clients reading the reviews.

All reviews, both positive and negative, should receive a response.

Transcripts

hi I'm Caesar the director of operations

at Weis and today we're going to talk

about reviews specifically negative

reviews and how to handle it if you

happen to get one okay so negative

reviews are unfortunately in some cases

inevitable you're going to get the upset

client and you know maybe it's not even

your fault but they're upset about the

result that they got from their case and

they decide they're going to go to

Google they're going to go to Yelp

they're going to go to all of these

directories and leave you a bad review

so what I want to talk about is how you

want to handle that specifically for

marketing purposes aside from the fact

that you want to try to take care of

your clients and you know see if there's

anything that you can do to remediate

the situation but if there isn't and if

they're being unreasonable there are

steps that you can take so that it

doesn't affect or it doesn't ruin your

online reputation so the first thing is

number one is bury the review get get as

many five-star high quality good reviews

as possible where it makes that onear

review just irrelevant and and

unimportant you just bury it with good

reviews and it won't have as much

prominence as much visibility and affect

your reputation number two is to submit

a remediation form to whatever platform

you got the the bad review on so all of

these platforms like Yelp AO Google

business profile have a way that you can

submit a form to dispute the negative

review and they have a set of default

reasons all you need to do is select one

of those and send it off and typically

it takes about a week or two for them to

give you a response okay number three is

something that you may not be aware of

is a lot of these platforms are pay to

play so if you're advertising on these

directories and you have a premium

listing you're going to get a

representative and if you get a bad

review and you go to your representative

and say can you take care of this for me

they usually do if you have a free

listing the odds of that happening are

slim to none on platforms other than

Google Business okay number four with

Google business if your submission gets

denied and they don't remove the review

there is a way to escalate it on the

Google Business Forum where you can

actually chat with a moderator and

present your case that's like your last

resort if the automated method of

submitting the form doesn't work there

is still a way that you can escalate it

to a moderator where you can go into

more detail about your situation and uh

potentially get it removed that way okay

number five if you've tried everything

you've submitted form you've you've

tried through the moderator to get it

removed and nothing worked the review

sticks your last course of action your

last recourse here is to reach out to

the individual that left the negative

review and see if you can make things

right to the point where they're willing

to go in and either update the review or

remove it Al together if that doesn't

happen then you definitely don't just

want to leave the negative review on

there unresponded to so respond to the

review in a professional sympathetic

Manner and this you're writing it more

from the perspective of what other

potential clients are going to see when

they read that negative review or

they're going to judge by how you

respond to that review so yeah just

don't leave it without being responded

to respond to all reviews whether good

or bad