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Affordable Search Engine Optimisation and other Web Technologies

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Bad reviews are like a bad smell - lingering and unpleasant

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I recently had need of a repair to my washing machine. It’s German and it seems like not all of the local appliance repairers handle it. During the process of looking for someone I came across this review page on the Google Plus page for a local repairer, that I had used previously when we owned a different brand of washing machine.

Both of the reviews are unflattering. Both have been hanging around (like a bad smell) for some time (2 and 4 years). I don’t know how many people have read the reviews or been influenced them. I do know that Google reports the page has been viewed 60,301 times, so the chances people are reading the review is high.

The lack of positive comments make these negatives starkly obvious.

The Google Plus page has been claimed by the business (it shows a tick to signify it is is a verified local business) and has been updated to show business hours. But these are the only signs of life. The header image has not been personalised, and there are no photos, not even a company logo, on show.

I can’t know if the company is aware of these reviews, and if they are, what their attitude is towards them. Blissful ignorance is not a good strategy.

As businesses, we know (or should know) these types of sites exist and that many of them carry reviews. It’s not difficult to develop and maintain a list of pages that reference the business. It then becomes a simple matter to periodically visit the 5 or 6 mostly locations where reviews will be lodged to see what’s changed. Using Google Alerts with a series of brand name searches can also help identify sites other than the 5 or 6.

As part of the process of developing the list of sites to review, it is also worth researching the policies these sites have for arbitrating disputes about claims made in the reviews.

These are “no brainer” tactics, but they are reacting to something that has occurred. We also need some proactive tactics in our arsenal. Asking customers to provide reviews and making it easy for that to happen is about acquiring positive reviews. Positive reviews will help minimise the impact of the occasional miss step in customer relations.

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Filed under review sites bad review