If you find a phony Yelp review, here are some steps you can take to get it removed from their system and ensure that your local SEO rankings efforts are not impacted negatively.
Part of Yelp’s free software is Public Responses.
You can view a report (For Free)
- Log In: Log into your Yelp Business account.
- Navigate: Go to the “Reviews” tab.
- Select Review: Locate the review you want to report.
- Report: Click on the flag icon usually located at the bottom of the review.
- Follow Prompts: You’ll be guided through a series of questions to specify why you’re reporting the review.
Once reported..
- Review by Yelp: Once reported, Yelp will review the complaint to see if it violates their guidelines.
- Notification: You may or may not be notified of the outcome, depending on Yelp’s policy.
- Timeframe: The review process can take several days to weeks.
We also recommend going back and answering the review.
If something actually happened then address it. Looks good for people to see the reply and your truth.
If the review is totally fake, first do the steps above and then consider adding a response that says this is a fake review because you never had a client named “x” before (where “x” is the name of the reviewer).
