Month: March 2018

Can You Remove That Negative Review?

On March 26, 2018

Removing Reviews

For business owners, negative online reviews are the bane of their existence. You work so hard to get your business up and running and promote it properly online, working with SEO and creating regular quality content, only to find that those reviews you see when someone searches for you have dipped a star because someone had a bad experience.

If it’s something you’re genuinely at fault for it’s upsetting, but something you can work with. But what about when it’s undeserved? Your competition can use reviews to sabotage you, ex-employees can use them to get their rage out, and activists can use them to tank your rating for doing something they don’t approve of.

In these cases, you’re going to want to get that review removed ASAP. But will Google do it? How do you even contact them to try? It’s time to find out.

Five Types of Reviews You Can Remove

There are five categories of reviews that Google will review and remove for you. To get to the reviewing process simply flag the review. You’ll then be prompted to enter your email address and if Google requires follow-up information they’ll get in touch.

Illegal Content

If there is mention of illegal activity within a review, then it will likely be removed from Google. Mentions of racist organizations may also be removed. In many cases these reviews are meant to purely be sensationalistic and bring down a business’s reputation rather than deal with a real problem. However, if there is a clear and strong case presented, Google may opt to leave the review up.

Fake Reviews

Anyone can claim that a review is fake and ask for it to be removed, so how does Google determine which is which? If one account reviews multiple similar businesses or if multiple accounts leave reviews on one business in quick succession these are good signs.

Biased Reviews

Negative reviews left by current or ex-employees of a company will be removed immediately. Another case of a biased review will be one account leaving you a negative review and leaving your direct competition a positive one. In most cases this is your competition doing the writing.

Mistaken Reviews

Mistakes happen, and so do glitches. A client from the business down the street could get prompted to review your company, think you’re someone else, and before you know it you’re learning about someone’s bad graphic design experience while you’re just over here trying to run your restaurant!

Reviews After Controversy

Social media is great for spreading information, but that information isn’t always positive. If your business has been part of a controversial news story that resulted in hundreds of negative reviews from people who have never been clients, Google will remove those reviews.

Relieved?

We hope that some of those examples were a relief to you. Online it can often feel like we’re left without anyone to protect us from negative comments, but in quite a few cases Google will do exactly that.

Have you had any other types of reviews removed from your page that we missed? Let us know in the comments below!

Indeed: More than Just a Job Hunting Site

By Eve Mendelovitch

On March 19, 2018

In Blog

Available in over 60 countries and in 28 languages, if you’ve searched for a job in the last 10 years you’ll know what Indeed is. Indeed makes it simple to upload your resume for ease of application for jobs you’re interested in, and makes it simple for employers to create their own page, post jobs, and find the ideal candidate. If an employee makes their resume public, employers can even do the legwork themselves and reach out to candidates they’re interested in.

But there’s something else featured on Indeed that not everyone notices, and that’s employer reviews. In 2014, the amount of reviews posted reached the four million mark and we can only imagine how many there are now!

In-Depth Reviewing Process

Indeed reviews dig a lot deeper than other review sites, giving Indeed the ability to compile information about national averages and much more.
When a client leaves a review for your company, they are asked for the following:

Five-star ratings of job work/life balance, salary benefits, job security/advancement, management, and job culture
A review title and review (150 characters minimum)
Pros and cons
Your job title and workplace location
Your start and end date
Your salary (listed confidentially as part of a statistics pool)
A CEO recommendation “yes or no”
How you dressed at your interview, and what benefits the company offers

Considering the majority of review sites such as Google and Facebook just offer a star rating and comment box this is quite a lot to consider!

Using Indeed Reviews

When people are looking for a job, they want the inside scoop. Indeed allows them to have this. In fact, in 2014, 83% of job hunters said that employer reviews influenced their decision when applying.

When gathering reviews it’s important to not always think about the client but to remember that your reviews are also going to affect your workforce. Your ideal employee could be out there right now and if you don’t have the right reviews they could slip right through your fingers.

Top companies on Indeed can make it to the Indeed blog pages and other listings, showing off to future employees all the great things they have to offer, and even ranking higher on Google searches.

Dealing With Negativity

Unfortunately, in this case, unlike Google, ex-employees can review your company. And those reviews may be negative. So, how do you deal with it? Well, you deal with it like any other review.

Acknowledge and thank reviewers for positive feedback, and empathize with those who left negative feedback. As always, if you present yourself professionally you could sway the opinion of that future employee or client reading through a negative review.

People know that there’s always two sides to a story, and expressing your side calmly and truthfully, can make a world of difference.

Make the Leader Board!

While it is most common for larger companies like RBC to make Indeed’s leader board, you can make it to the top in your own industry. This ranking is determined by having sufficient reviews for the relevant category as well as update frequency.

So, stay active on your Indeed page and see what it can do for you!

Where Will Online Reviews Take You in 2018?

By Eve Mendelovitch

On March 12, 2018

In Blog

Whether you’re just starting out online or you’ve been promoting your company on the World Wide Web for years now, there’s no denying the strength of a quality collection of online reviews.

Google, Yelp, TripAdvisor, Angie’s List… it goes on and on. The sites that people can use to have their say about your business are endless.

Opening up your business to reviews can be scary at first, but after you settle into a routine, you take them as they come. However, if you are just starting out or you’re in a bad place with your reviews currently, your main resolution for 2018 should be to create a quality reputation for your company online.

The Stats

We’ll start off with the stats. Heading into 2018, we’ve got a few we know already.

82% of Americans pay attention to the reviews of their friends and family.
92% of all consumers are reading reviews.
31%of consumers will spend 31% more on businesses with good reviews.

In fact, if your business has a one star rating only 5% of consumers will feel comfortable purchasing from you or using your services. That’s a pretty staggering case for staying on top of your reviews.

Collecting Reviews in the New Year

Whether you were already aware of it or not, there are good ways to get reviews, and bad ways. And while the lines of legality can be tough considering you’re on the internet, consider this: Companies paying for reviews left by fake reviewers have been sued multiple times in the past by large corporations such as Amazon. Just don’t do it.

Instead, collect your reviews direct from happy customers. If you have a storefront, put a sign at your counter telling people how they can have their say, or even include a flyer with their receipt that tells them the same. Your clients will want to be heard, so letting them know they have an outlet will do the trick.

Responding to Bad Reviews

Got a bad review? It probably doesn’t feel very good. We’ve all been there. What can you do about it? Respond as quickly as possible.

If the review is from an unreasonable client, explain your stance politely and offer restitution if possible. If you are in the wrong, admit this immediately and offer a discount or other reward. Whether these clients accept what you say or not, you are showing that you are a professional and reasonable business owner. This will go a long way for potential clients reading your negative reviews.

The worst thing you can do in the case of a negative review is ignore it. It’s not going to go away.

A Toast to Your Success

When you’ve got a top-rated business online you can truly get ready to pop that champagne and celebrate. Online reviews can be frustrating but always keep in mind that your clients are the people who keep your business going. Their input is valuable, and without them you wouldn’t be around very long!

Happy New Year, and happy reviewing!

The Best Way to Understand Your Clients’ Needs

By Eve Mendelovitch

On March 5, 2018

In Blog

As of 2015, Forbes estimated there were 27 million small businesses registered in the United States. If you spread that number out equally amongst all 50 states, that leaves 480,000 small business per state. And this count isn’t including larger companies that could be your competition depending on your industry.

Being able to understand your clients’ needs is what is going to end up determining whether you’re successful or not. Attracting clients is the first step, but then you’re going to need to ensure they stick around. Predicting what merchandise and services they could use and making changes they’ll appreciate—that is how you guarantee a return customer.

It’s Actually Quite Simple

Believe it or not, it’s actually quite simple to understand the needs of your clients in 2018. Why is this? It’s because of the internet.

Everyone is able to have their say now, to the point of frustration! And, while the online world has its share of irritants and unreasonable commenters, there is a lot that can be taken into account from analytics, and especially online reviews.

While analytics can tell you what products and posts are popular, reviews are your direct line to the minds of your clients, not sugar-coated, and honest.

Seeing Through the Attitude

The best and worst thing about the internet is that people feel more comfortable saying exactly what they like. Without being face to face with someone, you’re just talking to your monitor, and what sort of offense is it going to take to what you’re typing? Not much.

Positive reviews tend to be straightforward about what the client enjoyed about your services.

“I came by the gaming store today looking for an expansion I couldn’t find anywhere else and not only did you have it, but it was priced lower than everywhere else!”

They like your pricing—check.

Negative reviews often come wrapped in excessive language and hate which can make it hard to pull the constructive parts out.

“I have never left a negative review in my life. But because of your restaurant, today is the day. I was going out to enjoy a beautiful day and have lunch with my fiancée who I never have the chance to treat to anything because I’m so busy with work, but the presentation of your menus as well as the food was disappointing to say the least. The attitudes of the servers offended us further…”

The list goes on. Negative reviewers want to paint a picture of their entire negative experience, which is OK. From this you can glean that there were issues with presentation, food, as well as service. To find out more, all you need to do is reply politely and request that you speak over the phone and rectify the experience.

Extending the Olive Branch

Extending the olive branch to negative reviewers is what will get you the best information on changes that you should be making. While some reviewers may be in the wrong, take everything that is said seriously and do a self-evaluation to see if maybe there’s something right hiding in there.

The old saying really is true—the customer is always right!

LinkNow Media | Customer Reviews

The Web is Waiting For You

Month: March 2018

Can You Remove That Negative Review?

Five Types of Reviews You Can Remove

Illegal Content

Fake Reviews

Biased Reviews

Mistaken Reviews

Reviews After Controversy

Relieved?

Indeed: More than Just a Job Hunting Site

In-Depth Reviewing Process

Using Indeed Reviews

Dealing With Negativity

Make the Leader Board!

The Best Way to Understand Your Clients’ Needs

It’s Actually Quite Simple

Seeing Through the Attitude

Extending the Olive Branch

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