Online reputation of a business can directly impact their sales. When a customer is searching for a restaurant, dentist, realtor, plumber, or other local services, they are most likely to go to Google and compare the reviews of several businesses before making a decision. However, if other companies in the same niche have hundreds of reviews and the business only has a handful, it can be catastrophic for the business’s online presence.
To combat this, some businesses turn to buying Google reviews, as a way to boost their reputation, increase their credibility, and improve their position on Google Maps.
While this can be an effective way to boost a company’s online presence, it is not a wise investment for the long run.
While getting customers to leave reviews of your business is a valuable strategy, buying Google reviews can and most likely will damage your company.
What Are Buying Google Reviews
Buying Google reviews is when a company hires someone or some company to leave reviews on their business on Google, without actually having had any interaction with them.
Buying reviews services often advertise themselves as a way to increase visibility on Google and boost the credibility of a business.
Some services even promise to get a business more five star reviews, more reviews in general, better online reputation, higher visibility on Google maps, and faster trust building.
For example, the reviews of a new business could be terrible with only five reviews. A review selling company would promise to boost the business’s reviews and after a few months, the business could have fifty-five reviews.
Buying reviews services don’t care whether or not a company receives good or bad reviews, they just want to boost their review count and their customers’ review count.
Google deems this unethical because reviews are supposed to be from customers who have had first hand interactions with a business.
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Why Do Businesses Buy Google Reviews
Businesses would not buyGoogle reviews to scam their customers, most of the time.
Local businesses typically buy Google reviews for the following reasons.
New Businesses Need Social Proof
A new business lacks social proof because they have little to no reviews and their Google Business Profile doesn’t have much activity.
While this business has zero reviews, another business in the same area could have three-hundred reviews and a much more credible online presence.
New businesses are urged to seek out review boosting services because they want to build credibility and get their name out there.
Competition on Google Maps Is Intense
Many people search Google for local services. When they see a review, it can sway their opinion of your business. Businesses believe they need more reviews so they can compete with their competitors online.
Businesses Want Better Online Reputation
Google reviews impact customers’ buying decisions. A customer will research a business and check out their online reputation and star rating before making any buying decisions.
Customers look at reviews to see what other people think of a business, how the business handles negative feedback, how recently their reviews are, and much more.
Because of this, companies will often look to boost their reviews, to boost their overall online reputation.
Are Google Reviews Important for Local SEO?
Yes and no.
Google reviews are a huge part of Local SEO, but they’re not the only consideration when ranking for local searches.
Google takes into consideration a variety of different factors when deciding which businesses to put in local search results, such as relevance, distance, business prominence, website, optimization, and on top of that, Google Business Profile reviews.
Google reviews are a good indicator that people are actively engaging with your business.
However, many companies have the wrong impression of how reviews impact Local SEO.
For example, if one local roofing company has five-hundred fake reviews, and their competitor has only one-hundred and fifty real reviews, the competitor is much more likely to rank better on Google Maps.
That is because reviews aren’t enough, the quality of the website, the on page optimization, the backlinks, and local citations also contribute to a business’s ranking potential.
Is Buying Google Reviews Allowed by Google?
No.
Google strictly prohibits companies from buyingGoogle reviews and manipulating their star rating.
Google wants reviews to be genuine and authentic, based off of first hand experiences.
The buying Google reviews services and companies who purchase fake reviews are going against Google’s review guidelines.
Some practices that break Google’s review guidelines are
Fake Engagement
Paid Reviews
and
Incentivized or Spammy Reviews.
For instance, if you pay someone to write a review for your business, even if they didn’t interact with it, Google views that as malicious and would penalize your business.
Google allows businesses to incentivize customers to leave reviews, just not to write reviews about them.
Even if you just post a few links to your business, Google considers that fake engagement.
Can Google Detect Fake Reviews?
Yes.
Google can detect fake reviews and penalizes businesses whose reviews don’t follow their guidelines.
Some obvious signs that point to fake reviews are
Review Spam
Similar Reviews
and
Unusual Reviewer Behaviors
Review spam is when fake reviewers upload hundreds of spammy reviews to a single business.
Similar reviews are reviews that have similar text or structure.
Reviewers will often include the same phrases or keywords in their reviews.
Spammy reviews would have something like “Amazing company! Best place ever!” while a real customer might write “Ali was great, he repaired our AC unit in two hours and told us exactly what was wrong.”
Unusual reviewer behavior usually involves fake review platforms or review rings.
Google has algorithms to detect these behaviors.
Even if the account is real, if the review was written by someone who hasn’t interacted with the business, Google will flag it as spam.
What Happens If You Buy Google Reviews
If a business decides to buy Google reviews, they run the risk of losing all their reviews, their star rating, and damaging their overall online reputation. There are many dangerous consequences to purchasing reviews. Some are listed below.
Your Reviews Can Be Taken Down
As mentioned above, Google takes down reviews that don’t follow their guidelines. If Google detects anything suspicious, they will most likely delete all your reviews.
Not only is this a nuisance, but it can also devalue your business. The reviews that you pay for can just disappear, leaving your business with no reviews.
You Lose Credibility With Customers
Customers are becoming smarter, they can detect fake reviews easily.
A business with a few negative reviews and ten generic five star reviews looks much less credible than a business with one negative review and ten detailed five star reviews.
Google Business Profile can take legal action against businesses who use fake reviews.
Having fake reviews on your Google Business Profile can do much more damage than good to your business’s credibilty.
Your Google Business Profile Could Be Deleted
If Google deems your reviews fake, they will delete them. Worse yet, sometimes Google decides that the company itself is fake and deletes their Google Business Profile.
Reputation Damage
Reputation management isn’t just about having positive reviews, it’s about building up a credible online presence. Having fake reviews can do the opposite. This is especially true if customers can detect your fake reviews.
Do Buying Google Reviews Improve Google Rankings?
No, not necessarily.
Many people assume that buying Google reviews boost rankings on Google Maps.
However, this is a misconception.
Fake reviews won’t improve a business’s local ranking potential that much.
Having real and genuine reviews will improve a business’s ranking potential because it shows Google that people are engaging with their business online.
The quality of the reviews affects the rankings much more than the quantity.
In addition, businesses who buy Google reviews run the risk of penalties, which would make their rankings plummet right back down.
Google Maps ranking is determined by relevance, distance, and business prominence, on top of reviews.
Google ranks businesses based off of a variety of factors so even if a business has one-thousand reviews, they won’t rank anywhere near a competitor’s review count, optimized website, and relevant backlinks.
Buying Google Reviews Vs Getting Genuine Reviews Comparison
| Buying Google Reviews | Genuine Customer Reviews |
| Google policy: Violates guidelines when fake or paid | Policy compliant |
| Trust level: Low credibility | High credibility |
| SEO value: Risky and unreliable | Supports long-term growth |
| Long-term results: Short-lived | Lasting reputation |
| Business risk: High | Low |
Review Building Strategies
Getting reviews for a company can be difficult, there are a few tried and tested strategies for review building that businesses can use to generate genuine reviews. These strategies are
Asking Customers to Leave Reviews
Giving Direct Review Links
Using QR Codes
Following Up With Customers
Improving the Customer Experience
Responding to Reviews
Asking Customers to Leave Reviews
The best way to get more reviews is to ask real customers to leave reviews.
The most opportune times to ask for a review is right after you’ve served the customer, after they’ve returned a compliment, or after you’ve received their feedback.
A great way to ask for a review is to simply tell the customer that you appreciate their business and would like their honest feedback on Google.
Giving Direct Review Links
Many customers are willing to leave reviews, they just don’t because it’s inconvenient.
A great way to combat this is to give customers a direct link to where they can leave their reviews.
Using QR Codes
QR codes are a fun and interactive way to get more reviews.
Local businesses can print QR codes onto receipts, their product, business cards, and thank you cards.
Follow Up With Customers
This is especially effective when customers have received a product or service, but haven’t left a review.
Many businesses use automated emails to ask customers to leave reviews.
Improving the Customer Experience
The easiest way to get more five star reviews is to give customers five star experiences.
Good communication, competent employees, and efficient services all contribute to the overall customer experience.
Responding to Reviews
It’s important to respond to reviews that have been left on the business, whether they’re good or bad.
This shows Google that the business cares about its customers.
FAQs About Buying Google Reviews
1. Is buying Google reviews safe?
No, buying Google reviews is unsafe because businesses can get penalized by Google. This means they lose their reviews, credibility, and online reputation.
2. Can Google remove purchased reviews?
Yes, Google can remove purchased reviews, because they violate Google’s guidelines and policies. Google takes down reviews that violate their guidelines.
3. Do fake reviews help Google Maps ranking?
No, they don’t help much when compared to other ranking factors.
4. How can I get more genuine Google reviews?
Businesses can get genuine Google reviews by asking real customers, giving direct links, asking customers to leave reviews, using QR codes, improving the overall customer experience, and responding to reviews.
5. Can competitors post fake reviews?
Yes, other companies or individuals can post fake reviews on your business, you can report the reviews to Google Maps.
Final Verdict: Should You Buy Google Reviews?
Businesses may think that buying Google reviews is a smart way to boost their online presence and attract more business. However, buying Google reviews can prove to be a costly mistake for businesses. Reviews are the backbone of any business’s online reputation, trying to fake it can have serious consequences for a business.
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