How to Handle a Negative Review in Your Search Results

You can optimize your website to bump a negative review from your SERPS, but it’s not easy. Contact FrogDog to learn how we can help.

It is possible for a single Glassdoor review to show up when people search for your company on Google. If the review that shows up is a negative one, it can have harmful effects on sales and hiring.

And unless you can prove the review violated the Glassdoor's one-review-per-user policy, it will not remove the review—even if what the person wrote in his or her statement isn’t valid or accurate.

So how do you shift a single review from showing up in your company’s search results?

Why is this Review in Your Search Results?

This review shows up when people search for your company because the search engine (e.g., Google or Bing), believes it to be a relevant result when people search for your company.

Search engine algorithms have flagged this single review as valid because it has gotten clicks in the past. Unfortunately, as people have clicked it in the past, it shows up in search results, which then show it to more people, who then click it—thereby reinforcing the algorithm’s assumption. The more people click a link in search results, the more people will see it and click it.

It’s a vicious cycle.

Direct Search Engine Attention Elsewhere

When it comes to ranking in search results for your own company name, your domain (your web site’s address or URL) holds a lot of authority with the search engines. Use this to your advantage.

You want to give your main Glassdoor page and the better reviews on the page more weight with search engines than the bad review. To do so, use your domain authority from your website to direct traffic to these more desirable pages on the Glassdoor website. You do this by linking pages on your website to these preferred pages.

Update Your Profile and Respond to Reviews

Google prioritizes new content over old content. Make the review “old” content by updating your main Glassdoor page regularly and generating new content from your site to link to the desired pages on Glassdoor.

In short, bury the review under more relevant and up-to-date content. Google will begin to treat the negative review as “old news.”

Further, respond to your reviews on Glassdoor (and make this a best practice for all reviews). Our article on how to handle online reviews gives some great pointers and another one of our articles goes into more detail about why you can’t ignore them.

List Your Business Everywhere

If your business is listed on one or more online directories, ensure the information provided is up to date and has the correct company information. As many of these directories autopopulate their content, they are likely to have at least some of your information incorrect unless you claim the listing and update it.

If you are not listed in online directories, add your listing. Search engines put a lot of weight on directories, because they help users find information they need. Create as many references and listings to your company as possible and ensure they link to your website and your preferred pages.

Ensuring that your company name and information is accurate and consistent across the web will allow some of these directories to show up when people search for your company online. When these sites show up with fresh and updated information, the single negative review will bump down.

Enlist Friends and Family

As mentioned above, user behavior plays an increasingly large role in how search engines deliver results for online searches. The more people click on certain pages, the more the search engines see these pages as valuable.

Recruit your close friends, family, and coworkers to click on pages that show up below the problem review when they search for your company. This page could be a Facebook page, a LinkedIn page, or even a directory page. This piece of advice is a little less scientific, but no less important. Taking these actions guides the search engines to understanding what information matters most.

You want to show the search engines that the item below the negative review have more value and relevance than the problem item.

How Long Does It Take to Change Search Results?

Like all things pertaining to search engine optimization (also known as SEO), results aren't instant.

If the bad review lingered for a long time in the results for your company, it will take longer to deprioritize in the search results. As a reference point, we pushed a negative review off the first page of search results for a client after four months of work; the review had plagued the company for over seven months.

Keeping the review managed below other, more relevant content will require continual monitoring and effort. Once you’ve solved the problem, you need to ensure it doesn’t become a problem again through neglect.

Get Help with Reputation Management

Optimizing your website to bump a problematic review down in the search results for your company is not an easy task. If you have a negative review damaging your business, you should seek professional guidance.

One bad Glassdoor review can affect a company's sales and its ability to attract top talent. Don't let a Glassdoor review have a negative effect on your company.

Contact FrogDog today to see how we can help you optimize your website and improve your overall marketing.