Some unscrupulous marketing companies and businesses have decided to manufacture phoney online reviews in Orlando. What you need to know to protect your business.
Consumers base buying decisions on reviews they read online but are being mislead by manufactured online reviews; both positive and negative which are unethical and most likely illegal By some estimates 50% or more of the online reviews on the internet are planted by businesses or marketing companies trying in influence your buying decision. Often marketing companies will hire offshore contractors in Bangladesh or Pakistan to write reviews.
Below is a job description posted by one marketing company.
We need a person that can post multiple positive reviews on major REVIEW sites. Example: Google Maps, Yelp, CitySearch. Must be from different IP addresses… So you must be able to have multiple IPs. The reviews will be only few sentences long. Need to have some understanding on how Yelp filters works. Previous experience is a plus…just apply –) we are a marketing company
Q. How do search engines or review websites know the difference between a true or false online post?
A. Systems which examine many factors are in place but they are imperfect.
Most review sites utilize algorithmic systems to flag false or deceptive reviews or will allow individual users to do the same. It’s important that you understand these systems so your legitimate reviews are not caught in the spam net. Factors like originating IP address, location of the reviewer, reviewing habits all come into play, but it is easy to get trapped in the spam filter.
Case in point. You have a business and you invite customers to post online reviews from the computer in your waiting room. These are all real customers writing their own valid opinions, but their reviews will likely be disqualified because they all come from the same IP address in your office. One potential value a qualified SEO company could provide you is insight into how the search engine’s spam software filters reviews.
Flag an inappropriate comment on Google +
Search Engines and review sites depend on users to flag inappropriate reviews. Most review sites and Google allow users to flag inappropriate reviews which are spam or deceptive according to their published guidelines. If you have researched reviews on your site and have determined that they could not possibly be written by actual customers, I encourage you to flag the review. Ways to investigate the authenticity is to research the background of the reviewer, where they live and how how often they review. I have personally flagged many reviews which I believed were compensated; which is certainly against most website guidelines.
Deceptive reviews and the law
The State of New York recently took action against marketing companies and business owners who manufactured phoney positive reviews and disparaged competitors with manufactured reviews. Read Here . The Attorney General set up a storefront business and contacted marketing companies to optimize their online presence. These companiesHired reviewers were hired to knowingly submit phoney reviews on popular websites. A professional SEO company can work to track down the online profiles of these hired individuals and take action to flag these compensated reviews.
Reputation SEO is a more proactive than reactive
One of the best methods to eliminate the damage of negative reviews is to ethically promote positive reviews. Google has set up clear guidelines on how to go about this. When you encourage actual customers to post reviews that are truthful, you will find these reviews will help you much more than the paid reviews. They have a ring of “authenticity” that rings true. Perhaps they are not 100% positive, but online users expect to hear recommendations for improvement.
I encourage people to garner reviews on websites like Facebook or Linkedin where the users can investigate the background of the reviewer. That way there is often a way to message a reviewer if more detail is desired.
Deceptive reviews are just another form of website spam and you can be sure the public will discount reviews if there is a perception they are false. With the increasing sophistication of the filtering software utilized by companies like Amazon, Yelp and Google to detect deceptive reviews and the aggressive actions of State Attorney Generals, perhaps we can turn the tide on this unsavory business practice. If you need more information or have questions on this topic, I can be reached at (321) 230-3197. My website is www.taylortownseo.com
