What happens next?
Removing bad Yelp reviews is something every business owner needs to take seriously. Business reviews – especially ones in a major directory like Yelp – can make all the difference to a business’ reputation. Here’s how you can try to remove a bad review that your business received on Yelp.
Before we go any further, we all know how popular Yelp is among consumers. According to DMR Business Statistics, Yelp has a total of 145 million unique monthly visitors utilizing its wealth of local business information and has a (cumulative) total of 148million reviews on-site. And one important thing about the mammoth online directory is that it takes consumer reviews for businesses very seriously. Just take a look at Yelp’s take on business reviews in 25 characters or less.
“The best reviews are passionate and personal. They offer a rich narrative, a wealth of detail, and a helpful tip or two for other consumers.”
– Yelp
So, we’re going to list out three ways that you can try to remove bad reviews on Yelp for your business.
Before we get to removing and flagging malicious or false reviews, let’s take a look at Yelp’s content guidelines and regulations.
Here are the grounds for removing bad Yelp reviews.
In addition to this, reviews that include
threats, lewdness, hate speech or any displays of bigotry can be reported and removed
. In case the review is talking about extraordinary circumstances, they can be removed as well. However, reviewers are excused if they use profanity or colorful language. You can’t dispute that if it is the case.
If your customer’s review is blatantly making any of these violations, you can report them for removal. Subsequently, these cases will be evaluated by Yelp moderators, and action will be taken accordingly. Yelp also mentions that in some cases, the removal of these reviews will be automated.
This is probably the least messy and fairly productive way to handle removing bad Yelp reviews: respond to the reviewer and help change that bad impression. Not only can this help you get a shot at improving your online review score or star ratings, but it will leave a positive impression on your other (potential) customers.
If your reviewer is unhappy with your services, you can always attempt to rectify their experiences by offering to give them a better experience. For example, if you’re a landscaping company, you can offer to redo your project and add in a gift coupon at your local Ikea.
Go to the review that you want to remove and click on the “flag” icon at the bottom of the review.
Now choose the reason for removal and proceed. Once the moderators evaluate your request, the bad Yelp review can be removed. Although, you need to know that reporting doesn’t always result in removal. Additionally, you’ll need to have evidence supporting your request for removal. In most cases, you probably won’t be able to get to remove the review unless it is a blatant violation of Yelp’s Terms and Conditions and its Content Guidelines.
At Synup, we DO NOT and CANNOT remove Yelp reviews on behalf our customers! This article is solely meant to help you consider some options to help your business maintain a good online reputation.
Although, we have a neat review management platform along with listings management and rank tracking. You can read more about it here.
And, less time obsessing about your local presence