Managing Negative TripAdvisor Reviews

Over a year ago, a client in Siem Reap approached me regarding a problem he was having. He said that negative TripAdvisor reviews were hurting his business. I distinctly remember him saying “TripAdvisor is killing me…”

He isn’t alone. Many hotels and restaurants have been crippled by negative reviews, all of which can be managed or controlled by effective management.

TheGuardian.Com article HOW TO DEAL WITH NEGATIVE TRIP ADVISOR REVIEWS suggest reporting fraudulent reviews to the TripAdvisor Management Center (which responds quickly) and further advises against corresponding with individuals trying to blackmail you.

If you do get a negative review, how can you manage it? Believe it or not, ea negative review can help your SEO ranking.

First of all, respond to every review. Don’t cut and paste the same answer for every review, try and create a feeling of authenticity. Potential customers will notice.

Turn the negative into a positive. Whatever issues your customer has with your business, use that content to create a positive response.

EXAMPLE: THIS HOTEL SUCKS

What a horrible place. There staff was too busy to help me and the power went out twice. I sat in my room baking for the entire weekend. One of the worst travel experiences ever!

YOUR RESPONSE: Acme Hotel would like to apologize to you for any inconvenience you experience this weekend. As you may know, the entire town experienced a power outage. We tried our best to accommodate the request of our guests during the power outage — this is why we seemed so busy. We used our generator to provide internet access and fans in the main lobby, as a courtesy. If you ever visit our town again, we hope there isn’t a similar disaster effecting the quality of our service.

What just happened? Well, the negative review gives you a chance to first of all, explain your side of the story. Readers will appreciate this. Then, you can use the response field to talk about your business and include relevant keywords which will increase your visibility on Google.