Suddenly you get 5 negative reviews in a week. The average rating drops noticeably. Customers start asking. It feels like everything’s going downhill.

Before we get to the plan, a perspective note. The average rating on Google isn’t as sensitive as it feels. A business with 100 reviews and 4.7 average can get 5 ones in a week and still stay around 4.5. Painful, but not catastrophic. Businesses with few reviews to start with (under 30) are more vulnerable. There, 5 ones can drag the average down significantly. That’s one of the strongest arguments for actively building up a large review base during good periods, so you have a buffer when it gets tough.

Here’s the plan.

Step 1: Breathe before reacting

The first instinct: read each one, feel unfairly treated, write defensive replies.

Wait. 24 hours minimum.

Defensive replies in panic do more damage than they help. Move to the next step.

Step 2: Assess what it is

Three possibilities:

A. Legitimate criticism from several customers. Something has actually gone bad recently. Embarrassing, but manageable.

B. A specific event spread. A single customer had a bad experience, posted on several platforms, got others to sympathise and also write.

C. Coordinated attack. Competitor, disgruntled ex-employee, or someone with an agenda coordinating negative reviews.

Assess which you have by reading carefully. Are the problems the same or different? Are reviews from different types of profiles? Do they seem real or fabricated?

Step 3A: If it’s legitimate criticism

This is the most serious, because it means the business has problems.

Actions:

  1. Identify what really went wrong. New employee? Changed routines? Lack of quality follow-up?
  2. Fix the underlying problem. Not just calm the customers.
  3. Respond honestly to reviews: “You’re right, we’ve had problems with [X]. We’ve now [concrete action].”
  4. Contact unhappy customers directly to try to make it right.
  5. Accept that it takes time to rebuild trust.

Step 3B: If it was a specific event

A customer had a bad experience → it spread.

Actions:

  1. Find the source. Who was the first to complain? What happened?
  2. Try to solve the original complaint directly with the customer.
  3. Respond professionally to all related reviews, even if they’re from sympathisers.
  4. Show that you’ve taken responsibility. That often calms the wave.

Step 3C: If it’s a coordinated attack

This is unusual but happens.

Actions:

  1. Document the pattern: date, profiles, similarities in text.
  2. Report to Google via “report violation” for suspected fake reviews.
  3. Still respond professionally. Never argue.
  4. Seek advice if it’s serious (legal or ethical).
  5. Accept that Google’s process takes time (1-3 weeks for review).

Step 4: Respond professionally to all

Regardless of cause, every review should get a professional response:

“Hi [Name]. Thanks for taking the time to write. We take all feedback seriously and are sorry your experience didn’t meet expectations. Get in touch with me directly at [phone/email] and we’ll see what we can do. /[Your name]”

No argument. No denial. A clear offer to resolve.

Step 5: Accelerate a positive review strategy

To balance the negatives:

  • Actively ask more happy customers this week
  • Send review SMS after every visit
  • Focus on customers who are often happy (regulars)

Goal: 10-15 new positive reviews over the coming month. This dampens the effect of the negatives over time.

Concrete worked example: how the average recovers

Say you had 80 reviews averaging 4.6 (368 stars total). You get 5 ones: 5 extra stars across 5 new reviews. New average: 373/85 = 4.39. A drop of 0.2 stars.

Now: you get 12 new fives during the next month through an active review strategy. Total: 433/97 = 4.46. You’ve already recovered half the drop in a month.

Three months later with continued focus, say 30 new reviews averaging 4.7: you’re back above 4.5. Within 6 months the five negative reviews are far down the thread and have minimal impact on the first impression new customers get.

This is why the reaction is to build positives, not to try to remove negatives. Building is possible and sustainable. Removing is often impossible.

Step 6: Assess long-term impact

After 60 days, review:

  • Average rating: Recovered?
  • New customer numbers: Affected?
  • New information: What can you do differently?

Negative review attacks usually fade within 3-6 months if you’ve handled them professionally and balanced them with new positives.

What you should never do

  • Try to remove negative reviews through contacting Google without basis (they don’t remove legitimate reviews)
  • Argue publicly with customers
  • Threaten legal action (does more damage than it solves)
  • Buy positive reviews to balance things (against Google’s rules)
  • Shut down the GBP (makes the situation worse and increases suspicion)
  • Respond aggressively or passive-aggressively

The practical first step

If you’re in the situation now:

  1. Breathe. Wait 24 hours before responding.
  2. Assess the type (legitimate criticism / specific event / coordinated attack).
  3. Draft replies. Let someone else read before publishing.
  4. Address underlying problems.
  5. Accelerate the positive-review flow.

If you’re not in the situation, set up a crisis plan in advance so you know exactly what to do if/when it happens.

What Google actually removes

Many hope to be able to report away uncomfortable reviews. The reality: Google removes reviews only if they violate specific Google Maps content policies. The most common grounds that actually work:

  • Spam and fake content (obviously automated or coordinated)
  • Off-topic (the review isn’t about the business but about something else)
  • Restricted content (alcohol, weapons, drugs where inappropriate)
  • Illegal content (violating law, threats, harassment)
  • Conflict of interest (staff themselves or a direct competitor writing)
  • Personal information (the review reveals someone’s identity or address)

What Google doesn’t remove:

  • Negative opinions (even unfair ones)
  • Reviews from customers you think missed the point
  • Reviews where “the tone is too harsh”
  • Reviews from customers you can’t find in the booking system (they may have booked under a different name)

Don’t expect Google to be your ally. Build up positives instead.

Review attacks on other platforms

Negative reviews can pop up on more places than Google. Worth monitoring:

  • Reco.se: Swedish review platform, often relevant for trades and services
  • Bolagsfakta: reviews and ratings for businesses
  • Tripadvisor: for restaurants, hotels, tourist attractions
  • Trustpilot: for e-commerce and service providers
  • Bokadirekt: for salons and treatments
  • Facebook ratings: if your page allows them
  • Local Facebook groups: informal “reviews” that can have a bigger effect than formal ones

A good first step is to Google your company name + “omdöme” (Swedish for “review”) and see which platforms actually show on the first page. Those are priorities to monitor.

Want to go deeper? Read How to respond to negative reviews or Crisis management in a PR incident.