Google reviews are becoming more and more popular, and people are looking at them when they search for products and services. Yelp is still more widespread and popular when it comes to reviews- but Google reviews are definitely being observed by viewers. They are prominently displayed in Google search results, so it makes sense that it is preferable to proudly display positive reviews. As the best SEO company & internet marketing Toronto, we at Qode Media realize the importance of fostering a positive image online, and negating unfair review practices.

If you’re searching for a business on Google, the chances are high that you’ll see a rating of the businesses and Google review listings near the top of the search results. In general, these reviews are helpful for the consumers using the search engine- but defamatory and false reviews can negatively impact ratings. This is especially true when a business only has a few reviews.  

Remove Fake Reviews

If you know the identity of the person that wrote the defamatory review, you can take legal action against them in the form of a lawsuit, or try to get things settled outside of court. In some cases you’ll need to subpoena Google to resolve the issue completely.

In order to publish a review on Google the person must have a Google account. If somebody is trying to give your company a bad name with a defamatory or false review, the odds are high that the author of the review created a new user account with Google in order to get the review published. It’s also likely that the Google account was not registered with a real name, letting the reviewer stay “anonymous”.

In many cases the registration information provided will be unreliable. In order to get the proper information as to the reviewer’s identity, you’ll need to ask Google for the IP address and log records that were used to first create the Google account or for the ISPs that show the subscriber information. In most cases the IP addresses provide enough information to identify the person that wrote the review.

Google Removal

When you can’t identify the writer of the review you can go straight to Google for relief. You can either reply to the review, or get a court order to have Google de-index the URLs. In order to get this court order,  you’ll first need to get the court to declare that the statements are false.

There are also other methods you can try to get the reviews removed by Google, but they aren’t guaranteed and at least one will usually require a court order to see success. Handling false reviews on Google can be difficult- but it can be done. It’s important to get these reviews handled when a business doesn’t have a lot of reviews or the defamatory ones are causing a lot of damage. Marketing your business on the Internet is difficult if false or defamatory reviews are hurting your rating. For all your digital marketing needs, come to the best SEO company & Internet marketing Toronto. Please contact Qode Media at 416-208-0157 today or visit our website at www.qodemedia.com  for more information.