Reasons Why Fake Reviews Are Bad for Your Business

Online reviews, especially positive ones, attract people to do business with your brand. This is why every business owner wants every customer review they receive to be positive. Building an excellent online reputation is not easy, but research has shown that online reviews are one the best ways to do it. This explains why some business owners go to any length to have several positive online reviews. This includes outsourcing fake positive reviews to boost their star rating. It may seem like a good idea to post fake reviews, but below are some ways that fake reviews can hurt your business.

1.  They destroy trust

68% of customers say positive online reviews make them trust a brand. On the other hand, 87% of customers say they don’t consider doing business with a brand that has 1-2 star ratings. These kinds of statistics are the main reason why a lot of businesses choose to buy fake online reviews, but they can really demolish the trust between you and potential customers.

Fake reviews are easy to spot, and once the word gets out that you are using fake reviews, your business’s credibility will suffer. There are several online companies that make money by selling fake reviews. Most of these companies outsource cheap labor overseas and can write thousands of reviews in a single day. The problem is they don’t put much thought and time into writing quality reviews, and most of them write rudimentary English. This makes it pretty easy to spot a fake review. If your page is full of poorly written and structured comments, posted at odd hours of the night, prospects won’t trust your business.

2.  Drop-in local search traffic

Google’s business is based on data, and they are extremely effective at tracking and predicting trends. You can be penalized if Google determines your reviews are not naturally earned. Also, once Google establishes that you are attempting to game the system, they will lower your rank for relevant search terms. Consequently, this drops traffic to your site, which can cause a steep drop in your profits.  

Any search engine firms, for example, immediately rate corporations caught performing even one instance of fraud lower in their indexes. If you develop a reputation as someone who misinterprets your goods and lies to the media with false customer tales, certain search engine companies will fully exclude your company from their gathered data that offers search results, de-index all business information, including associated website URLs.

3.  You may be penalized

Some years back, fake reviews used to go unpunished. But that’s not the case anymore. Reviews have become a key part of digital marketing, and Google and authorities have moved to prevent deceptive marketing tactics. Your company can be slapped with hefty fines for posting fake reviews on Facebook, Google, Yelp, and other popular websites.

Consider legal, constructive solutions instead of depending on false feedback as sales tools: for example, engaging in the production of a real high-quality product that customers would choose to support by honest, positive reviews. Invest in focus group tests that encourage the product to be used by actual buyers and then correct any flaws they find out, re-test the product and post constructive feedback on their genuine follow-up.

4.  Your products or services may appear too good to be true

For a moment, let’s pretend you have managed to avoid fines and a drop in local search traffic. You have managed to post several well-written and structured 5-star reviews, and Google didn’t catch on. Then it is highly likely that your business may appear too good to be true. Virtually every business online has a bad review here and there.

5. Fake Reviews can get you censored

Some ratings and reviews have suddenly begun vanishing. The search giant has not clarified exactly why ratings are dwindling on Google+ Local. But its press release, noting that these measures assist everyone by ensuring that Google+ Local reviews are authentic, relevant and useful," indicated that quite a few were not so authentic, appropriate, or useful.

Endnote

Positive online reviews are a great way to build a positive online reputation for small and mid-sized businesses just starting out. However, don’t be tempted to manipulate your customer reviews, as it can do more harm than good.