What are Online Reviews?

Consumers share their firsthand experiences with specific products or services through online reviews. These reviews can be found on various websites, often displaying an aggregated star rating or score and a recommendation regarding the trustworthiness of the business.

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Six reasons why online reviews are crucial in online business reputation management

90% of consumers read online reviews before interacting with a business.

With technology and social media use increasing drastically, it is no wonder that consumers like to do some product and service research before they engage with the business. This research gives the consumer an overview of what other people have experienced, and can either make them more or less likely to engage. This research can also provide consumers with particular information about a business, such as the quality of service received, staff professionalism, and pricing.

Consumers trust online reviews as much as they trust personal recommendations.

Recent data indicates that consumers place significant trust in the online reviews they read, and consider them just as trustworthy as personal recommendations. This makes it even more critical for business owners to regularly read their online reviews so that they can intervene if there are any negative or false reviews present, as this may be seen as a deterrent to consumers engaging with your business.

Consumers are likely to spend more money on a business that has ‘excellent’ reviews.

Excellent reviews from other consumers, such as 4- and 5-star reviews, mean people have had a great experience and this really boosts trust in the business. It means consumers performing online review research trust that others have had a good time or received a great product, and this means they will be more likely to invest their own money. Aside from actually investing their funds, research indicates that excellent reviews encourage consumers to spend more, which again reflects the importance of online reviews in influencing consumer views of products, services and overall value for money.

Positive reviews enhance consumer trust in the business.

As previously stated, consumers view reviews as being as trustworthy as a personal recommendation. Positive and rave reviews from others promote trust in your business and encourage consumers to believe they will also have a great experience if they engage with you.

Positive reviews can trigger consumers to take action.

Reading positive reviews, particularly if there are many of them, can create a feeling of ‘wanting to belong’ to a social cause. This can encourage the consumer to take action as they will feel excited or experience ‘hype’ about the business due to the positive reviews.

Reviews influence the online business’s reputation on Google.

Whether positive or negative, consumers will form a view of your business based on what other consumers are saying. It is therefore very important that business owners regularly monitor their online reviews and consider the impact on their online reputation. If online reputation is a concern for your business, Internet Removals (online reputation management agency in Australia) can help with improvement.

In addition to understanding why online reviews are crucial for your business, here are some tips to deal with negative reviews that may appear:

• Respond to the negative review in a prompt, calm and professional manner.

• Correct any inaccuracies present in the negative review and highlight your strengths as a business.

• Respond to the review in a personable manner; write as a person would, not a corporation.

• Be consistent in your business practices and responses.

• Work with the reviewer to come to a resolution.

If the review is untrue and defamatory, you may consider engaging content removal specialists such as Internet Removals.

Some examples of the different types of negative reviews that your businesses can be targeted by, which we can assist with getting removed

1. The ‘Ghost Customer’

It’s quite common for our customers to report reviews being left on their Google Review platforms by what we call ‘Ghost Customers’, i.e. a reviewer who has never been a customer of the business. While most platforms are slow to detect these ‘ghost reviews’, just last year, an Italian man was sentenced to nine months in jail and fined for leaving fake reviews on TripAdvisor.

2. The ‘EX’

It’s incredibly common to see reviews left for our customers by what we call the ‘EX’ group. The EX group is made of up of ex-staff, ex-business partners and ex-lovers. It’s common to see personal disputes flow over into fake Google Reviews.

3. The Competitor

Based on what we hear from our customers, there must be a new philosophy in business “if you can’t beat them, review them“. There are three common patterns:

1. The Obvious

‘Tim’ will leave a one-star review for ABC Builders, then in the same week leave a glowing review for XYZ Builders.

2. The Clueless

XYZ Builders will leave a one-star review for ABC Builders, then review it’s own business five stars. Many business owners who do this aren’t aware that they are signed in to company g-mail accounts, leaving a very obvious trail.

3. Public Enemy #1

‘Tim’ will leave a one-star review for EVERY builder in the area, then in the same week leave a glowing review for XYZ Builders. It’s safe to say that XYZ Builders receives a few angry calls that week!

4. The Racial Slur

Unfortunately, we live in a society where some people cannot accept conflicting views on religion or race. This can and frequently does spew over to highly discriminatory and racially motivated remarks being left on Google Review platforms.

5. The Spree

It’s not overly common, but there are some reviewers with far too much time on their hands. This spare time allows them to not only trash one business but trash every business in the group/franchise. For example:

Tim is unhappy with ABC Builders Brisbane and he leaves a scathing Google Review for them. Tim doesn’t stop there, he continues on to Gold Coast, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Mars and the Milky Way branches.

6. The Mistake

We all make mistakes! Sometimes people bump a five/one-star review when scrolling through Facebook or Google, or they just get confused about which place they are reviewing. A simple mistake but sometimes a hard fix.

7. The Know-it-all

We come to the know-it-all, a person who doesn’t care what you do or say, they are right and you are wrong. These people are often not even customers, but they are offended during the service encounter that you cannot change your business to suit their needs. A recent example was a car tuning business that received a negative review for being honest. When we say honest, they knocked back a job due to lack of experience and a concern for damaging the customers’ vehicle attempting to carry out the service that they are ill-equipped to handle.

How do I spot a fake or false review? What are some clues to look out for?

The modern consumer relies heavily on online reviews when it comes to making spending decisions. It is commonplace to scour the reviews before trying a new restaurant and to purchase a new piece of technology without first considering the reviews of others would be considered extremely foolhardy. We even allow Netflix to suggest what television series we should watch next! It makes sense because Netflix already knows what we like, right? Software and collective intelligence allow us to feel as though we are making an informed decision quickly. But how informed are we really?

Quantity over Quality?

Surprisingly, what sometimes sways consumers can boil down to the sheer quantity of reviews alone, not the content of the review itself, or the overall rating. Researchers at the Association for Psychological Science tasked 120 participants with comparing similar phone cases on Amazon and choosing which one they would prefer.

Participants routinely chose the phone case that had been reviewed the most, even if the ratings for both phone cases were quite low. This defies logic – statistics say that consumers should select the product with the fewest reviews because that way, there is less chance of the product being faulty. “But participants in our studies did just the opposite,” wrote researcher Derek Powell of Stanford University “They went for the more popular product, despite the fact they should’ve been even more certain it was of low quality”.

Human Error

Experiments like this one confirm what we already know to be true, that reviews are of the utmost importance to the consumer. But how good are consumers at correctly spotting a fake review? Unfortunately for businesses, the answer is: not very good at all. Researchers at the Cornell University developed software that could detect the ‘opinion spam’ (fraudulent reviews) hidden within 800 reviews. Half of these reviews were genuine, and half were fake. Whilst the software could correctly identify the fakes 90% of the time, human participants in the experiment had as much chance of correctly determining a fake if they had merely flipped a coin to decide.

Consumers are significantly influenced by reviews, but struggle to distinguish the genuine from the fraudulent. Businesses go to great lengths to identify and remove false reviews because the potential fall-out can be dire. Chicago’s highly anticipated gourmet-sandwich establishment Grahamwich (the brainchild of famed chef Graham Elliot) received a negative, inaccurate review before it had even opened its doors to any of the public! This was an exceptional case; the review was blatantly incorrect. But how are the subtler fraudulent reviews exposed?

Five Major Clues

There are many ways to identify whether a review may be fraudulent, but here are five tips that experts and businesses use to determine if a review may be fake:

Vernacular: Normal consumers will not have marketing and business terms peppering their review. If the language of a review seems overly expert, beware! At the same time, be just as sceptical if the review is written in extremely broken English.

The ‘lazy’ review’: A product or service may have many ‘one-star’ reviews, but if you probe further they will lack specifics. If you click to read more, and all that is written is ‘this sux!’, then it’s likely this lazy reviewer was paid to dole out negative reviews.

A competitor is mentioned: Be sceptical of a reviewer that seems utterly outraged, and then goes on to mention a competitor’s product or service in comparison. For example – “OMG, this was TERRIBLE! When it arrived, it was broken and dirty and they REFUSED to refund me. I got another from (competitor) instead and I am SO GLAD I did, it works perfectly”

The repeat review: Businesses that have multiple stores or franchises encounter this often. A customer with a grudge will write one review pertaining to one branch, and then just copy and paste that exact review to all other branches (regardless of their geographical location or if they’ve never been a customer there).

Check the username: Does the username, and the username of other reviewers on your page, have 3 digits at the end? This could point to an automated program leaving fake reviews on your website.

Size Does Not Matter

Fake reviews are not just the concern of small businesses – false reviews hurt the big guys too.

The gig and the sharing economies are flourishing, and so are the companies that cater to them. Fake reviews not only damage these company’s reputations, they have a direct effect on the livelihood of users.

How can Internet Removals help have a review on my Facebook business page removed?

As a business owner, you understand the importance of maintaining a positive reputation online. However, negative reviews can sometimes slip through the cracks and damage your reputation. That’s where we come in. At Internet Removals, we specialize in helping businesses remove negative content from the internet, including reviews that violate Facebook’s community standards or terms of service.

If you have a negative review on your Facebook business page that you believe should be removed, here’s how we can help:

1. Find the review you want to remove: Log in to your Facebook business account and navigate to your page’s Reviews tab. Scroll through the reviews until you find the one that you want to remove.

2. Click on the three-dot icon in the top right corner of the review: This will open a drop-down menu of options.

3. Select “Give feedback on this review” from the drop-down menu: This option is only available to page admins.

4. Choose the reason why you want to report the review: Facebook provides several options such as harassment, spam, or false information. Be sure to choose the reason that best applies to the review you want to remove.

5. Provide any additional details or evidence that support your request: Facebook allows you to add more information to your request, including any screenshots or other evidence that can help Facebook determine whether the review violates their community standards or terms of service.

6. Click “Submit” to send your request to Facebook: Once you’ve provided all the necessary information, click the “Submit” button to send your request to Facebook for review.

It’s important to note that requesting the removal of a review should not be taken lightly. Facebook will only remove a review if it violates their community standards or terms of service. Reviews that contain negative feedback or criticism will not be removed, even if they are unflattering or inaccurate.

At Internet Removals, we have the expertise and experience to help you navigate the complex process of removing negative content from the internet. Whether it’s a negative review on Facebook or another platform, we can help you take control of your online reputation and maintain a positive image for your business. Contact us today to learn more about our services and how we can help you.

How do I get a negative review removed from my Google My Business Page?

As a business owner, your reputation is everything. With Google My Business being a prominent platform for local businesses, maintaining a positive online presence is crucial. However, negative reviews can sometimes appear on your Google My Business page, which can be damaging to your business’s reputation. If you have a negative review that you believe should be removed from your Google My Business page, here are the steps you can take.

Log in to your Google My Business account: Sign in to your account and navigate to the “Reviews” section of your dashboard.

Find the review you want to remove: Scroll through your reviews until you find the one you want to remove.

Click on the three-dot icon next to the review: This will open a menu of options.

Select “Flag as inappropriate” from the menu: This option is only available to business owners or managers.

Choose the reason why you want to report the review: Google provides several options such as spam, fake content, or off-topic. Be sure to choose the reason that best applies to the review you want to remove.

Provide any additional details or evidence that support your request: Google allows you to add more information to your request, including any screenshots or other evidence that can help them determine whether the review violates their policies.

Click “Submit” to send your request to Google: Once you’ve provided all the necessary information, click the “Submit” button to send your request to Google for review.

It’s important to understand that requesting the removal of a review is not a decision that should be taken lightly. Google only removes reviews that violate their content policies, so simply containing negative feedback or criticism is not sufficient grounds for removal, even if it’s unflattering or inaccurate. If you’re dealing with negative content on Google My Business or other platforms, it can be a complex and frustrating process to try and remove it yourself. That’s where Internet Removals comes in. With our expertise and experience, we can help you navigate the process and take control of your online reputation. Whether you’re dealing with negative reviews or other types of harmful content, we have the tools and strategies to help you maintain a positive image for your business. Contact us today to learn more about our services and how we can help you.

Why is it so important to have negative reviews about my business removed from the internet?

Having a negative review on your business page, whether it’s on Facebook, Google My Business, or another website, can be detrimental to your business’s reputation and success. Negative reviews can turn potential customers away, and damage the trust and credibility you have built with your current customer base. Here are a few reasons why it’s so important to have a negative review removed:

Negative reviews can harm your business’s reputation: In today’s digital age, many consumers rely on online reviews to make informed decisions about where to spend their money. A negative review can give potential customers a negative impression of your business and may discourage them from choosing your business over your competitors.

Negative reviews can affect your search engine rankings: Google and other search engines take online reviews into consideration when determining search engine rankings. A high number of negative reviews can harm your search engine rankings, making it harder for potential customers to find your business online.

Negative reviews can discourage customers from returning: If a customer leaves a negative review on your business page, they may not return to your business in the future. This can lead to a loss of revenue and damage to your customer loyalty.

Negative reviews can spread quickly: With social media, negative reviews can quickly spread to a wider audience. This can harm your business’s reputation not only on the platform where the review was left, but also on other platforms where potential customers may be researching your business.

In short, a negative review can have a far-reaching impact on your business’s success, which is why it’s crucial to take action to remove them. At Internet Removals, we specialize in helping businesses remove negative reviews and other harmful content from the internet. Contact us today to learn more about our services and how we can help you maintain a positive online reputation.

Why you should choose Internet Removals to help with having negative online reviews removed

While it is possible for business owners to try and remove negative online reviews on their own, there are several reasons why it’s often better to enlist the help of a professional removal service like Internet Removals. Here are a few key reasons:

Time and expertise: Removing negative reviews can be a time-consuming and complex process, particularly if you’re not familiar with the specific policies and procedures of each online platform. A professional removal service has the knowledge, expertise, and experience to navigate these processes more efficiently, saving you time and frustration.

Legal considerations: Depending on the nature of the review and the platform it was posted on, removing it may require legal action. A professional removal service can help you navigate any legal issues that may arise, ensuring that your actions are legal and ethical.

Reputation management: A professional removal service can help you not only remove negative reviews, but also develop and implement a reputation management strategy that can help you maintain a positive online presence over the long term. This can include strategies such as encouraging satisfied customers to leave positive reviews, responding to negative reviews in a professional and courteous manner, and monitoring your online reputation on an ongoing basis.

Success rate: A professional removal service like Internet Removals has a higher success rate in removing negative reviews than most individuals do on their own. We have established relationships with online platforms and understand their review removal policies and procedures, which allows us to be more effective in achieving removals for our clients.

Overall, while it is possible to remove negative online reviews on your own, enlisting the help of a professional removal service can save you time, effort, and frustration, while also increasing your chances of success. At Internet Removals, we have helped countless businesses remove harmful content from the internet, and we’d be happy to help you do the same. Contact us today to learn more about our services and how we can help you maintain a positive online reputation.