How to Manage Google Reviews (And When to Delete Them)

Google Reviews

Sep 21, 2022

Eric Miller

While you might have mastered the art of collecting reviews from customers, you must also manage Google reviews after they’re posted—namely by responding to and deleting them when necessary.

This guide will break down how to manage Google reviews for your business. We’ll briefly explore:

How reviews impact your business and your brand
How to monitor and read reviews

Templates for responding to good reviews
Templates for responding to negative reviews

How to delete Google reviews

How Reviews Affect Your Business

Google is still the leader in customer review aggregation. As of 2020, zero-click searches represented 65% of all inquiries, meaning that most searchers got the information they needed without leaving Google’s search results page.

In addition:

Customers’ review interactions have been up by 50% since the start of the pandemic.
53% of customers expect businesses to respond to negative reviews within a week.
Companies that respond to reviews have a more favorable reputation among consumers.

Learning how to manage Google reviews should be a crucial part of your digital marketing plan.

How to Monitor Google Reviews in Your Business Profile

While you can view your business’s Google reviews by simply Googling your business, you can’t manage them without logging into your business’s Google account.

After you log in, complete the following steps to monitor your reviews:

Open Google maps.
Search for your business name or address and click on your Business Page.
Scroll to “Reviews” to view all of your active customer feedback.

how to view your business reviews on Google maps

From the “Reviews” section, you can:

View your active customer reviews
Respond to reviews as needed (more on this in the following section)
Flag reviews for deletion if needed (discussed in more detail later)

The “Reviews” section is where you’ll conduct all of your review monitoring, so consider bookmarking the page for quick access.

Responding to Google Reviews

Use the steps in the previous section to reach the “Reviews” section of your Google Business Page. But remember that you’ll need to be logged into your Google Business account to respond to or flag reviews.

Let’s dig deeper into review responses.

Data shows that review responses and the response timeline for negative reviews are important to potential and existing customers (especially those who have left a negative review). So, you should make an effort to promptly respond to the feedback that customers have left on your Google Business Page.

Responding to Good Reviews

Let’s start with the positive—that is, responding to positive reviews. Consider the following template:

Thank you for your feedback and your business, [Reviewer Name]! Your support is important to us, and we can’t wait to see you during your next visit!

This response accomplishes three tasks:

It thanks customers for the review
It expresses appreciation for choosing your brand
It encourages customers to visit again

If a customer leaves constructive feedback in an otherwise positive review, consider adding another line to your response template:

Thank you for your suggestion to [do X suggestion]. We’re always trying to improve our [customer service/product/service/process], and we’ll consider your advice as we continue to grow.

Responding to Bad Reviews

Unfortunately, you’ll have to respond to negative reviews, too. Depending on the review and your industry, some of the following reviews may be helpful:

Thank you for your feedback, [Reviewer Name]. We apologize and regret your negative experience with [Company Name]. We’re always striving to improve—please [call/email us] at [contact info], and we’ll make it right.
[Reviewer Name], we’re sorry that your experience with [Company Name] didn’t meet your expectations. We’d be happy to resolve your issues—so please [call/email] us at [contact info]. Thank you for your feedback!
[Reviewer Name], we appreciate your feedback! However, our [product/website] clearly states [product’s intended use or other explanation]. We are sorry you were not satisfied with the results. Please feel free to contact customer service if you have any further questions, and we hope you consider [Company Name] in the future.

Deleting Bad Reviews—When to Delete and How

While the templates above can help you respond to legitimate reviews, you may encounter spam reviews on Google. These may look like:

Reviews from customer names you don’t recognize
Multiple reviews from the same user under different pseudonyms
Low star ratings with no description provided

These are all reasonable circumstances for review deletion—but you can’t do this manually. Instead, you can flag messages for deletion in the “Reviews” section of your Google Business Page.

After you complete the on-screen instructions and submit your request, Google will review it and delete the review if it meets the criteria for spam.

how to flag a Google review, step 1: click on the three dots beside the reviewer's name

how to flag a Google review, step 2: click on "flag as inappropriate"

Harness Modern Marketing with Textedly

It takes time and effort to manage your reviews. Still, the process is critical to your reputation management and online marketing—especially in an economy where customers trust online reviews for honest, accurate feedback.

Modern marketing also isn’t complete without text message marketing. And when you’re ready to embrace the world of SMS and MMS advertising, turn to Textedly. Our Online Review Management Software makes it simpler and more affordable than ever to collect reviews and get your message out to your client base.

Open your account today, and take advantage of our 14-day free trial. Leverage the power of text message marketing with the highest-quality brand in the industry.