Taking Action Against False or Harmful Online Reviews of Your Business

As a business owner, negative online reviews can be damaging to your reputation and consequently for your profitability. Being trashed by competitors or disgruntled customers can distort public perception of your company and cause you to lose business. However, there are proactive steps you can take to address and counteract the negative effects.

To start with, you should monitor your online presence. Regularly check various review platforms and social media for mentions of your business. Early detection of false or harmful reviews allows for quicker action and response, which can minimize their potential harm.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) provides clear guidance on reporting suspicious online reviews. These recommendations focus on reporting directly to the platforms where the reviews appear:

• Google — Sign into your Google account, navigate to "Manage Your Business Profile," open the profile, select "Reviews" from the left-hand menu, find the review, and click "Flag as inappropriate."

• Facebook — Log into your Facebook business page, go to the "Reviews" tab, locate the review, click the three dots in the top left corner, choose "Report Post," and follow the prompts.

• Yelp — Access the "Reviews" page on your business account (biz.yelp.com/login), click the three dots in the right-hand corner of the review, select "Report Review," choose the reason, and click "Submit."

In addition to reporting to individual platforms, the FTC recommends that business owners report instances of suspicious reviews directly at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Beyond reporting negative reviews, there are several actions you can take to mitigate the damage they might cause so as to protect your business's online image:

• Respond professionally and promptly — Even if a review is false, a public, professional response demonstrates to potential customers that you are attentive and care about customer feedback. Address the review without validating its claims. For example, you might say, "We take all feedback seriously.” This shows transparency and a willingness to help.

• Encourage genuine reviews — The best way to dilute the impact of a few negative reviews is to have an abundance of authentic, positive reviews. Encourage satisfied customers to share their experiences on review platforms. You can do this by asking in person, sending follow-up emails, or having clear signage in your business.

• Highlight positive reviews — Make sure your genuine, positive reviews are prominently displayed on your website, social media, and in your marketing materials. This helps showcase the true sentiment of your customer base and can overshadow negative content.

If suspicious reviews are persistent, highly damaging or clearly part of a malicious campaign, you might consider consulting with an internet lawyer. A legal professional can advise on options such as sending cease and desist letters or pursuing defamation claims, though these are typically last resorts.

If your reputation has been challenged on the Internet or on a social media site, please feel free to call Andrew M. Jaffe, Attorney at Law at 330-845-6027 or contact my office through email at [email protected] for a free, no obligation consultation.