Q: I got a bad review. Can I just delete it?

When you get a negative review online, it can sometimes feel like a punch in the gut. It is tempting to take it personally.  

We get a lot of calls and questions about deleting negative reviews. Unfortunately, it isn’t that simple.  

When you get a negative review on a platform like Google, Facebook, Yelp, and even WhirLocal (our platform), each site has a set of review guidelines of what is acceptable and what is not.  

In most cases, one doesn’t just delete an online review. If you believe a review is unfair and more importantly doesn’t meet the guidelines in place, you can flag it. However, in our experience, most reviews will not be deleted just because you don’t like them.  

The key is to be proactive about getting a steady stream of new reviews, most of which will be positive if you are providing a good product or service.  

All feedback is good feedback. Take negative reviews seriously as an opportunity to improve, but do your best not to take them personally.