Getting a negative Google review is never fun, but it doesn’t have to be a disaster. Instead of letting it get you down, look at it as an opportunity to show how well your business handles challenges. With the right approach, you can even make that negative review less visible and minimise its impact. Here’s how I approach handling them effectively, plus a few tricks to help push that bad review out of sight.
1. Stay Calm—Don’t Take It Personally
Before anything else, keep calm. Your first instinct might be to get defensive, but emotional reactions won’t do you any favours. Take a breath and remember that your response will be public, and not just the reviewer, but everyone who searches for your business will be able to see it. The key is to respond professionally, showing both the reviewer and anyone reading that you care about your customers and take feedback seriously.
2. Respond Quickly But Thoughtfully
A timely, well-thought-out response shows that you take the review seriously. Apologise if there was a genuine mistake on your part, and offer a solution to make things right. Even if the review seems unfair, remain calm and express regret that the customer had a negative experience.
Here’s a good framework for a response:
“We’re sorry to hear about your experience. Our goal is to provide excellent service, and it sounds like we missed the mark here. Please contact us directly at [your contact info], and we’ll do everything we can to make it right. Thank you for your feedback—it helps us improve.”
This not only addresses the concern but also encourages the reviewer to take the conversation offline, where you can deal with it privately.
3. Correct Any Factual Errors
If the review contains incorrect information, it’s important to politely set the record straight. Instead of sounding defensive, focus on clarifying details in a neutral tone:
“Thank you for your review. We’d like to clarify a few points so there’s no confusion: [insert correction]. We hope this helps, and please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any more questions.”
This keeps your reputation intact while avoiding any confrontation.
4. Encourage More Positive Reviews
One of the most effective ways to diminish the impact of a negative review is to bury it with positive ones. Ask satisfied customers to leave reviews—don’t be overly pushy, but a gentle request after a successful service interaction can work wonders.
For example, you might send a follow-up email or hand out a business card with a review request, like:
“Thank you for choosing us! If you’re happy with our service, we’d really appreciate it if you could leave us a review on Google.”
By steadily accumulating positive reviews, that negative one will naturally get pushed down the list.
5. Upvote and Engage With Positive Reviews
Here’s a clever trick that often gets overlooked—upvote your best reviews! Google reviews with the most thumbs-up tend to show up higher in the list. So, when a positive review rolls in, encourage your staff, friends, or loyal customers to give it a thumbs-up.
This can shift the focus toward your top reviews, making it less likely that someone will see the negative ones, especially if they’re pushed further down in the rankings. It’s a simple action that makes a big difference in where reviews appear.
6. Add Photos to Positive Reviews
Photos are powerful in Google reviews—they help your business stand out and give credibility to the review. If a happy customer leaves a glowing review, encourage them to attach a photo of the service or product. If they didn’t add one initially, you can also reply and politely ask if they’d be willing to add one.
“Thank you for the fantastic review! We’re so glad you had a great experience. If you have any photos from your visit, we’d love it if you could share one here!”
Google often prioritises reviews with photos, meaning that a positive review with a great image will rank higher and push those less favourable ones out of the spotlight.
7. Keep the Momentum With New Reviews
The more recent the review, the higher it tends to appear. So, in addition to upvoting and adding photos to your top reviews, make sure you’re always encouraging fresh, positive feedback from your customers. Ask for reviews consistently so that new, positive reviews keep rolling in.
Over time, that negative review will get buried further down the list, making it less likely to be seen.
8. Learn From Negative Feedback
Don’t just treat negative reviews as a nuisance—use them as learning opportunities. If a customer points out something specific, like slow service or unclear pricing, take a good look at your processes and see where you can improve. Fixing the root issue can prevent similar reviews in the future, and it shows that your business is dedicated to getting better.
Responding to criticism and making improvements is a great way to turn a negative into a positive. Plus, customers will notice when you acknowledge problems and actively work to improve.
9. Don’t Overreact—Avoid Asking For Removals (Unless It’s Spam)
While it might be tempting to try to get a bad review removed, this strategy can backfire if it’s a legitimate review. Instead, focus on responding professionally and using the other strategies I’ve outlined. However, if the review is obviously fake or violates Google’s policies, feel free to flag it for removal.
Just be sure not to make a habit of trying to remove every negative comment—you don’t want to create the impression that you’re censoring feedback.
10. Stay Active—Respond to All Reviews
If you only respond to negative reviews, it’s going to stand out. Make it a point to reply to every review, positive or negative. Responding to positive reviews can be as simple as thanking the customer for their feedback:
“Thank you so much for your kind words! We’re thrilled you had a great experience with us, and we hope to see you again soon!”
By staying active and engaging with every customer, you’ll create an image of a business that genuinely cares, and the negative reviews will blend in and become less noticeable.
Wrapping It Up
No one likes getting a negative review, but how you handle it can turn things around. Respond calmly and professionally, upvote and promote your best reviews, encourage new positive feedback, and add photos where possible. By doing this, you’ll help push negative reviews down and highlight the positive aspects of your business.
Remember, it’s not about never getting bad reviews—it’s about how you respond and ensure your good reviews outshine the bad ones.
