Bad Reviews Can Destroy a Small Business. But If You Get One, Here's How to Bounce Back.

Online reviews matter, especially for small businesses. They're a chance to get unbiased feedback on how your business can improve. But low ratings can also skew your average and threaten your ability to attract new customers. According to Kelly Kurlychek of BetterReputation, a company that helps businesses and individuals maintain their online reputations , upwards of 90% of prospective customers are searching for reviews before making a purchase. "Your prospects are Googling you. If you aren't showing up at all, or in any kind of negative or even mediocre light, you are losing business," says Kurlychek.

So how do you avoid bad reviews? And what do you do if they come your way?

Related: Here's Why You Shouldn't Worry About Your Business Getting Bad Reviews

Adam Levy is co-owner of the Huntington, New York, yoga studio Sound Body & Mind , and he deals with the prospect of bad reviews head-on. His business has a five-star rating on Google, but maintaining that rating wasn't as simple as giving good service and waiting for positive reviews to flow in. For the past five years, Levy has taken a proactive approach, which hinges on automated emails that customers receive after each class. These emails encourage users to leave positive reviews, yes, but also suggest that customers get in touch directly with any critical feedback. "I think playing defense against a poor review before it can happen is equally as valuable as receiving a five-star review itself," Levy says. This strategy has opened a line of communication with customers who might otherwise take their complaints directly to Google reviews or Yelp.

Even so, Levy has had to handle the worst of the worst: a one-star review. "It instantaneously ruined my day," Levy says about the dispute, which centered on a customer trying to use a class package that had been expired for years. In moments like this, your gut reaction might be to respond immediately, but Kurlychek says it's better to take a beat and compose yourself, so your emotions don't impact your response. "Never get defensive," Kurlychek says. "Responding with facts is okay, but remain polite, and remember the customer is always right." That's exactly what Levy did. He connected with the customer over the phone to make sure no one's tone was being misread. He didn't directly ask the customer to remove their review — but because he displayed such genuine interest in resolving the issue, they removed it on their own after the call.

Related: 3 Tips for Dealing With Negative Reviews Like a True Entrepreneur

Similarly, Brian Mosko of Cured & Whey , a specialty food shop in Las Vegas with a 4.9-star average rating, finds that leaning into bad reviews is the best way to minimize the damage. "Everybody takes five stars with a dose of skepticism, but [prospective customers] go look at your one-, two-, and three-star reviews, and see how the business handles it," Mosko says. "[Does the business owner] attack the person and blame them? Or is there a well-thought-out response that kind of explains the situation?"

Even if you don't receive the ideal outcome that Levy did, with the voluntary removal of a bad review, responding to critical reviews with a compassionate comment is a good habit to develop. "Keep in mind that anyone reading these reviews are likely to be potential customers," Kurlychek advises. "They will find it much easier to put themselves in the shoes of that unhappy customer than in the shoes of the business owner. Offer a resolution publicly. And put real effort into every response."