How to combat bad Yelp reviews

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You got a scathing review online, now what? Yelp claims to have had 138 million visitors and 61 million reviews on their second quarter financial report for 2014. That means 61 million consumers took the time to comment about their experience with a company.

The law of averages says not all of those reviews are going to be glowing. That same law also dictates that a certain number of them will be inaccurate and unfair. Yelp does not offer a way to remove bad reviews, fair or not. Your business reputation is at stake; however, so you might consider creating a plan of action should you get a bad yelp review.

First, What Not to Do

Being defensive will usually work against the ultimate goal, which is to enhance your reputation. Union Street Guest House in Hudson, New York promised to fine wedding customers if they left a bad Yelp review, according to CNN. The result was, you guessed it, bad Yelp reviews.

Instead of going on the defensive, consider looking at these reviews as opportunities to:

Enhance customer service
Rebuild and improve a customer relationship
Learn what doesn’t work in your business model

You can look for ways to counteract the bad review, instead of immediately defending your company and asking for its removal.

Respond, Respond, Respond

Consider analyzing the complaint with an open mind. Is there any truth to what this customer has said? Next, consider responding to the review. Yelp gives you that option and you should consider taking it. If you think apologizing is the best course of action, then do it privately, but a public comment of “Thank you for bringing this to our attention” can show potential customers that you read and act on reviews.

If you need to correct misinformation, consider doing that publicly but with a polite tone of voice. If the review is clearly trolling or spam, just ignore it. This person is attempting to bait you.

Counteract the Bad With Some Good

Ask customers to leave honest feedback on Yelp. If you are doing your best to fulfill the needs of your clients, then the reviews will be mostly positive. The goal isn’t to get good reviews, though. It is to dilute the bad ones.

Make use of your other social media sites, as well. Post might consider requests that followers leave reviews and provide a link to your Yelp listing. Don't ask for positive reviews specifically, instead consider trusting that your fans will do right by you.

What if an Unfair Review does Damage?

Some businesses are fighting back in court against defamatory online comments. These are not easy cases to win, ABC News points out, because online review sites have legal protection. It might backfire, as well, leading to more negative comments. This is an option; however, should a customer target and make untrue statements about your business.

There is not much you can do to remove negative Yelp reviews, but try dealing with them in a positive way. Hopefully by taking advantage of the fact that people are talking about your business at all, you can make the publicity work in your favor