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How to spot fake Google reviews
Don't let fake Google reviews impact your final decision
As the number of products and services available online grows, it can be tricky to assess if something is worth purchasing or if better alternatives are available. People rely on user reviews to make these decisions, whether it's for the latest Netflix TV series, a new release from Disney, a new pair of over-ear headphones, or a hotel in London.
Google is one of the most utilized sources of user reviews for a variety of products and services. However, not every review you encounter online is genuine. Some businesses and individuals rely on unethical practices to boost online ratings and post fake reviews. Are you looking for something online, but you're not sure whether reviews about it are legit? Here's how to spot fake Google reviews and make informed purchases.
Why do people post fake Google reviews?
Before delving into how to spot fake Google reviews, there are a few reasons why people post them in the first place. Knowing why they do this will help you identify fake Google reviews and avoid services and products based on them. Here are some of the most common sources of fake Google reviews:
Business owners who purchase fake reviews from manufacturers, vendors, or service providers. This applies to positive and negative reviews, which are used to make a product look more appealing or tank rival offerings.
Business owners who write fake reviews to attract customers and post negative reviews on the competitors' offerings.
Former employees who want to sink a Google business listing with fake reviews in retaliation for being fired or laid off.
Friends, family, or company employees who leave fake positive reviews to help out business owners.
Customers who write fake reviews in exchange for discounts, refunds, or other benefits from the company.
The latter is a common practice in restaurants, bars, and hotels where the managers ask you to leave a five-star rating on Google to get a good discount. Setting up a new shop, restaurant, or hotel is expensive. To get a quick return on investment and to boost their ranking on Google, some businesses take shortcuts with fake reviews instead of relying on positive word of mouth.
Now that you know why people post fake Google reviews, here are the best ways to spot and report them.
Check the reviewer's profile
If a review on Google impacts your buying decision, check the reviewer's profile. To do so:
Click the account picture (or initials) to learn more about the person.
Check their past review history and overall score. If the person constantly shares one-star or five-star reviews about hotels and restaurants in different cities, they may be a fake reviewer.
Check their uploaded photos. If the person uses the same property or food pictures from the official website, that's another red sign.
Read the reviews carefully
Most business owners buy reviews in bulk (sometimes in thousands to make a substantial impact). Since fake reviewers don't have in-person experience, they won't have detailed information about a place or services, so they won't go into much detail. After all, they get paid for leaving a one-star or five-star rating, not for writing beautifully crafted content.
Consequently, positive or negative reviews written in bulk often contain generic words like amazing, beautiful, masterpiece, very good, bad, pathetic, and so on. Don't consider these reviews when making a final decision.
If you read hotel reviews, check for Rooms, Service, and Location ratings. Google asks for these details, and a genuine reviewer makes an effort to add those details, and a fake one usually skips them.
Look for spelling and grammar mistakes
Fake reviewers are often not perfectly fluent in the English language. You may notice broken sentences, incorrect grammar, and spelling mistakes throughout the text of the review. If you notice such a continuous pattern in the Google reviews section of a business, those are likely to be paid reviewers trying to impersonate genuine users.
Lots of competitor product mentions is a red flag
Is a restaurant's review section packed with negative mentions of a nearby rival eatery? If a substantial number of reviewers talk about ditching the current restaurant in favor of another one in the same area, they are probably fake reviews. A new competitor in the town has bought fake negative one-star reviews to tank the rivals' reputations.
Check the timestamp on the reviews
Does a new amusement park, hotel, or restaurant have thousands of reviews before its big opening day? Filter the reviews section by Most recent to filter out possible fake reviews. If you notice thousands of positive or negative reviews in 24 to 48 hours, they are probably fake ones to boost or tank the overall rating (unless it is a big business right after a large event).
Pay close attention to three-star and four-star reviews
When filtering reviews on Google, look for three-star and four-star reviews to get a better idea about the place, food, book, or TV show. Those reviews often contain valid information without using overwhelmingly positive or negative tones. Fake reviewers are often paid to promote or sink a business to the extremes, so they won't often go for three-star and four-star reviews.
Report fake reviews you come across
Combining the mentioned signs above, you can take an educated guess on whether a review is fake or genuine. If you spot fake reviews, report them to Google using the steps below. That will help fellow readers get a better sense of the quality of a certain product or service. To report Google fake reviews:
It may take some time before Google acts on your report.
What are the consequences of fake reviews?
Buying or engaging with fake reviews is never a good idea. It may backfire and land you in legal trouble in the future. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) directly forbids undisclosed paid endorsements and may slap a healthy fine for buying fake Google reviews.
Filter authentic reviews from scams and spam
Google isn't the only company dealing with fake reviews. Amazon has a similar problem, which affects millions of customers buying decisions. Before creating your wishlists on Amazon, check our dedicated guide to spot fake reviews on Amazon to ensure you select quality products.
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