How to Edit a Google Review (And Why Businesses Can't)

Online reviews have a crucial influence on your company’s online reputation, and Google Reviews are easily the most popular kind of review. However, not all the reviews you receive as a business will be positive or even accurate. In those cases, you may wonder if there is an option to edit—or remove—the unfortunate review.

We’ll go over your options for dealing with negative reviews in this article. 

Can You Edit a Google Review?

The only person who can edit a Google review is the one who posted it. If you post a review, you are given the liberty to go back and edit. If you are the recipient of a review, you could politely ask the person who made the review to edit it.

The process of editing a review you wrote is pretty similar no matter what device you use. Still, we’ll provide a step-by-step guide for each device.

How to Edit Google Reviews on the Computer

When using a computer, edit a review you posted on Google Maps by doing the following:

1. Open Google Maps.
2. Click on the “Menu” with its three horizontal lines.
3. Select “Your Contributions.”
4. Click on “Reviews.”
5. Navigate to the review you want to edit and click “More” with three dots next to it.
6. Select “Edit review.”
7. Make your changes.

If you wish to delete a review, you can also follow the above steps but select “Delete review” instead of “Edit review.”

How to Edit a Google Review on a Mobile Device

On your smartphone or tablet, do the following:

1. Open the Google Maps application.
2. Select “Contribute” and then “View your profile.”
3. Select “See all reviews.”
4. Find the review you plan to edit and click “More.”
5. Click “Edit review.”
6. Make your changes.

Why Businesses Can’t Edit Google Reviews

Businesses are not permitted to edit Google reviews for a pretty straightforward reason. If all businesses had the liberty to edit their reviews, it would be easy for them to edit a customer’s review if it is not to their liking, even if the review is truthful.

Because Google strives to maintain a selection of honest and accurate reviews, they have removed this option. After all, reviews help consumers decide who they do business with, which is why accurate reviews are so valuable.

What Businesses Can Do

You can’t edit Google reviews, but you are not out of options. Here are some things you can do if you get a review that you feel is unfair or untrue. 

Flag the Review

If the review is inaccurate or doesn’t follow Google’s policies, you can flag it. Google will delete the review in question if they agree that it violates their policies.

To flag a review, do the following:

1. Open Google Maps or Google Search.
2. Navigate to your Business Profile.
3. Find the review.
4. Click “More” with the three dots next to it.
5. Select “Flag as inappropriate” on Google Maps or “Report review” on Google Search. On Google Search, you will also be asked to select the type of violation.

If you prefer, you can also flag a review via your account.

1. Sign in to your Business Profile.
2. Select “Reviews” on the left.
3. Find the review to report.
4. Select “More.”
5. Choose “Flag as inappropriate.”

While the above instructions are for flagging a review on your computer, the process is nearly identical on mobile.

Write Google Review Responses

More importantly, you can (and should) respond to reviews. Your response lets you control the narrative. You may win back the person writing a negative review or, at the very least, share your side of the story. This improves the impression that you make on anyone reading the review.

The process of responding to a review is pretty straightforward. Keep in mind your business profile must be verified before you can respond.

Do the following:

1. Navigate to Google Search or Google Maps.
2. Click on your Account Circle and choose “Your Business Profile.”
3. Select “Reviews” to visit your review page. 
4. Scroll to the review you want to respond to and select “Reply.”

Keep in mind that you won’t be able to reply to a review from a third-party source.

Responding to Reviews 101

Whether you are responding to a positive or negative review, keep these important tips in mind. Incorporating them into your Google review responses will improve the customer experience, as well as your company’s reputation. 

Respond Promptly

While you don’t have to respond to reviews the instant they are posted, you should respond promptly. This shows that you value the opinion of your customers.

Address the Customer by Name

Start by personalizing how you address the customer. This adds a personal touch to the conversation.

Sign Off With Your Name

At the end of the response, sign off with your name. This furthers the personal connection and shows you are a real person.

Thank Them for the Review

Always thank the reviewer for leaving a review. You can do this sincerely, knowing that reviews provide valuable feedback for your business.

Apologize If the Review Is Negative

In the case of a negative review, apologize for the reviewer’s poor experience. 

Let Them Know What You’re Doing About their Feedback

If someone leaves a negative review, they usually want a solution. They could be giving you a chance to make it up to them. Or perhaps they just want to ensure that no other customers experience the same issues.

Let the reviewer know what you are doing about the feedback, as this shows that you prioritize customer service. It can potentially help you win back the reviewers. At the very least, it will show people reading the reviews that your team works quickly to resolve issues when they occur.

Investigate the Causes

Take time to investigate the situation behind negative reviews. You can then inform reviewers that you will look into the situation and get back to them. Investigating can help you confirm the accuracy of the review and take steps to improve if the review does prove true. It also shows reviewers that you take their comments seriously.

Avoid Being Combative

Even if you get a negative review, don’t personally attack the reviewer. This should be standard business practice with customer complaints as well, whether they are in person, on the phone, or online. Attacking the reviewer hurts your professional reputation. It also ruins your chances of improving the customer experience and potentially getting an updated or edited review.

Offer to Take the Conversation Offline (If Necessary)

Consider taking the conversation offline or at least moving it to a more private setting. It may be better to talk to the reviewer away from the public. It protects their privacy about specific issues and can also protect your reputation.

Keep It Short and Sweet

Most of the time, responses to reviews should be short and sweet. People don’t want to read multiple paragraphs, so a longer response will just get overlooked. Of course, if the response requires more context, you can respond in more detail. An alternative to a longer response is to ask to move the conversation to another channel and discuss it there in more detail.

Start Gathering Reviews With Podium

Before you can respond to Google reviews, you need to start accumulating them. Podium helps you encourage customers to leave Google reviews, helping you boost your online reputation. With our help, you will notice more customers write reviews for your business name. As you stay on top of gathering and managing your Google reviews, you can also encourage prospective customers to choose your company.