Learning how to spot fake Google reviews takes a keen eye, but it’s an important task in maintaining the integrity of your customer reviews.
That’s because Google reviews are critical to your business’s reputation in the local market. Consumers frequently filter out businesses with a rating lower than four stars. They also trust this customer feedback; nearly half of online shoppers say they trust online reviews as highly as they would a personal recommendation.
So, managing your Google reviews effectively could be the difference between gaining new customers or losing out on sales. And while you can’t manually delete Google reviews, flagging them for review and removal is a crucial part of your review management tasks.
Let’s get into more detail about the types of spam reviews you might encounter, how to spot a fake review and what to do about it once you discover one.
The first step to finding fake Google reviews is learning what to expect. Here are some of the most common spam reviews you might see on your Google Business Profile.
There are a few distinct types of paid reviews you may discover while sifting through your Google reviews:
Paid negative reviews can impact your overall star rating on Google and other review sites, so it’s important to identify and report them as soon as possible.
While moderating the reviews on your Google Business Profile, you might encounter reviews left by fake, “sockpuppet” or duplicate accounts.
Why would spammers be motivated to leave fake reviews (under false profiles) for your business?
In an upcoming section, we’ll explore how to identify sockpuppet accounts in more detail. But, these can be some of the most difficult reviews to identify, so brands must develop a keen eye and a response strategy.
As previously mentioned, any competitors paying reviewers to leave negative ratings or feedback on your Google Business Profile can be prosecuted by the FTC. But if they’re not compensating anyone, any competitors convincing users to leave negative reviews of your business are outside of the FTC’s jurisdiction.
It’s important to note that although the FTC can’t prosecute your competitors for leaving unpaid negative reviews, businesses can flag these reviews for removal by Google moderators.
There are a few reasons why a competing brand might spam your Google Business Profile with negative reviews:
How can you tell if Google reviews are fake? Let’s break down a few sleuthing steps you can take to root out spam reviewers:
If you discover a fake Google review after using the tactics above, there are two steps you can take:
Whether you take just one or both of these steps, remember to be patient. Both Google and the FTC can take time to respond to spam reports, and they’ll both do their best to get to the bottom of your fake review issue.
Whether you’re embedding your Google reviews onto your website or relying solely on your Google Business Profile, you should manage your reviews carefully. Maintaining a healthy, authentic and responsive review section can boost your market reputation and help you secure new business.
If you’re trying to drum up Google reviews for your brand, you can conveniently request feedback from current or former customers with a text message.
Text message marketing from Textedly has the potential to transform your business. Whether you’re trying to get more Google reviews, create a new customer support channel or find a new way to share promotional content, Textedly is the platform your brand can count on.
Sources:
ReviewTrackers. Online Reviews Statistics and Trends: A 2022 Report by ReviewTrackers. https://www.reviewtrackers.com/reports/online-reviews-survey/
Oberlo. 10 Online Review Statistics You Need to Know in 2023. https://www.oberlo.com/blog/online-review-statistics
US Federal Trade Commission. What Companies—And Platforms—Can Do to Help Stop Fake Post-for-Pay Reviews. https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/blog/2022/09/what-companies-and-platforms-can-do-help-stop-fake-post-pay-reviews
Search Engine Journal. How Google Reviews Impact Map Pack & Organic Search Rankings. https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-reviews-impact-rankings/429783/
Google. How to Remove Reviews from Your Business Profile on Google. https://support.google.com/business/answer/4596773?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop
US FTC. Report Fraud. https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/#/