Google’s New Reporting Option for Reviews
It might be the middle of summer, but Google is still very much in the office rolling out more updates.
The latest is a new reporting option inside Google Business Profiles and Google Local. Called “Report owner response”, the tool lets users tell Google if an owner’s response to a review has crossed certain lines.
The interesting part is that the reporting categories aren’t really about whether a response is unprofessional or defensive, they’re specifically elements such as:
- Harassment or personal attacks
- Discrimination or hate speech
- Profanity
- Sharing personal information
- Being completely off topic
Until now, the emphasis has largely been on what customers are allowed to post in reviews, but this adds a clearer mechanism for policing how businesses respond.
The gap that still exists
It’s hard to discuss Google’s review moderation without acknowledging the elephant in the room. While Google is tightening up business’ responses, the problem with fake reviews still remains difficult to resolve for thousands of businesses around the world.
Spam or fabricated reviews still face problems when being removed.
Many business’ and even clients of ours have spent weeks going back and forth on Google to find that the review simply cannot be removed, negatively affecting their star rating and reputation.
However, this isn’t a reason to ignore the new tools, or to be careless in how you respond to reviews, but a reason to take your overall review strategy seriously. Actively encouraging satisfied customers to leave honest feedback builds a better picture of your business, and as a consequence, makes the odd negative review far less damaging.
What to do if your business receives a bad review
The safest and most effective formula when it comes to responding to reviews is still:
- Acknowledge
- Address the issues
- Take it offline where appropriate
- Remain calm
Though not exactly the same, a client of ours recently found themselves at the centre of a negative post about their prices on social media.
After consulting with the client carefully, we responded to the user on their behalf in a calm and reasonable manner.
The outcome was better than anyone anticipated: the original poster deleted their comment after the client was met with an outpouring of positive responses from other users who knew the business well.
It’s a good reminder that how you handle criticism publicly says more about your business than the criticism itself.
What to take away from this
Your reviews and your responses to them are a big part of your online identity and should be taken seriously.
If managing your online reputation is something that has fallen down the priority list, or if you’ve experienced a difficult situation you’re not sure how to handle, developing a strategy before you need one is the best course of action.
Reputation management and online presence form a part of the wider digital marketing work we do for our clients on the Costa del Sol and beyond. Whether it’s managing your Google Business Profile, putting together considered responses in difficult moments, or building a visible and credible online presence, we’re here to help.
Get in touch with us and let’s talk about how your business appears online.