{"id":21071,"date":"2017-08-03T17:17:58","date_gmt":"2017-08-03T17:17:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.freelogoservices.com\/blog\/2017\/08\/03\/how-to-respond-to-negative-yelp-reviews-without-being-a-jerk\/"},"modified":"2025-12-31T16:48:04","modified_gmt":"2025-12-31T16:48:04","slug":"how-to-respond-to-negative-yelp-reviews-without-being-a-jerk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.freelogoservices.com\/blog\/how-to-respond-to-negative-yelp-reviews-without-being-a-jerk\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Respond to Negative Yelp Reviews (Without Being a Jerk)"},"content":{"rendered":"

According to <\/span>Moz<\/span><\/a>, 67 percent of consumers are influenced by online reviews. Another study from <\/span>Dimensional Research<\/span><\/a> claims that 86 percent of consumers base their decision NOT to buy as a result\u00a0of bad reviews. And there\u2019s a lot more research out there. The point being, there\u2019s no shortage of evidence that online reviews impact buying decisions.<\/span><\/p>\n

Yelp for business is a popular way to <\/span>connect with customers<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>promote your business<\/span><\/a>. It’s also a widely-used site for crowd-sourced reviews by consumers. Bad reviews will happen. The best possible attitude you can have regarding negative reviews is to see every one of them as an opportunity. If you take away one thing from this article, let it be this: <\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s not the negative review that most people will remember, it\u2019s your response to it.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

If you\u2019re passionate about your company, reading negative reviews can be tough. And many business owners struggle with how to respond to them. You might be tempted to write a scathing reply defending your business or your employees. And you may even want to take some jabs at the reviewer. <\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s important to remember is that MOST of the people reading your response are potential customers who may not have made up their mind about you yet. <\/span><\/p>\n

How you respond to negative reviews says much more about your brand than one individual ever will.<\/em><\/p>\n

We\u2019ve compiled a list of tips on how to respond to negative reviews in a respectful way that will demonstrate your brand\u2019s genuine interest in its customers and help you leverage Yelp for business growth.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tips on how to respond to negative yelp reviews<\/h2>\n
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  1. Read it and walk away.<\/strong> Take time to cool down. We\u2019ve all said things in the heat of the moment that we later regret. Though it can be challenging NOT to take negative reviews personally, you don\u2019t want to publish a knee-jerk response with the online community watching.<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Respond promptly.<\/strong> Timely responses demonstrate to ALL readers that the customer is your priority. Set yourself a deadline for responses. Whether it is 12, 24, or 48 hours. Have a system in place and be consistent.<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Review the comments again and do your research.<\/strong> There are two sides to every story and you\u2019ll need to find out as best you can what happened so you can provide a thoughtful reply. Try to look at every review as consumer research. Companies pay good money for secret shoppers, surveys, focus groups, etc. In some cases, you may feel the review is unfair or inaccurate. If possible, have a go-to neutral team member or colleague to kick these things around with. If there is a legitimate issue on your end, address it. It\u2019s always a plus when your reply can include an\u00a0honest appreciation for bringing attention to an issue and assurance to readers that you are actively working to correct it.<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. Prepare a reply to the Yelp review.<\/strong> Respond to the good and the bad and try to keep it brief. Here’s an easy-to-follow checklist for what to include in your response, along with some examples.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    What to include in your response to a negative yelp review<\/h2>\n