Buying online reviews — illegal and unnecessary

Fake reviews are easy to recognize

When it comes to purchased Google reviews, you can quickly see a pattern. On the one hand, the fake accounts rate without a local or thematic focus. On the other hand, it is also noticeable that many new positive reviews are created within a short period of time. These usually follow negative reviews. Both the names of the reviewers and the display images look unnatural. Even if the user has submitted an unusually large number of reviews, you can be sure that this is a fake review. Purchased reviews are therefore very easy to understand. If your competitors notice this, for example, your Google account will be deleted very quickly.

Google Policy Violation

Google guidelines apply to all formats. This includes reviews. Content that doesn't meet these criteria won't be approved for publication on Google Maps. Google is therefore very committed to identifying fake reviews. Fake reviews are deleted directly from Google. This happens when the Google algorithm detects suspicious behavior. On the one hand, this is shown in fake profiles. In fact, Google can delete reviews written by individuals with no activity and an empty profile. Repeated IP addresses also indicate fake reviews. Many companies ask their employees, friends, or family members to write reviews. However, if they have been published from the same IP address, Google recognizes this as spam and deletes them. A sudden influx of positive reviews also gives an indication of purchased reviews. In the event of a violation, the profile of the manipulating company is deactivated, meaning that it can no longer be found in Google search. As a result, the company loses its presence on Google and automatically loses customers as well. A risk that is clearly too high in today's world dominated by Google.

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Purchased Google reviews are illegal

According to the Section 5 Paragraph 1 No. 1 of the UWG (Unfair Competition Act), buying Google reviews is considered a misleading commercial act. The purpose of the Act is to protect competitors and consumers from unfair commercial acts. In this case, only reviews written by customers who were actually active customers in the company are considered legally secure. It must be true consumption experiences. Furthermore, the review must also express the author's personal opinion. This is not the case if the author submits a review that does not indicate an individual review of the product. Since the consumer must be protected here and must not be misled, such a falsified review is prohibited by law. If false statements are made, there is clearly a violation of the law.

Losing customer trust

If former or potential customers find out the fraud, the company automatically loses their trust. In doing so, you are risking the good reputation you have built up over many years. So think twice about whether you actually want to buy fake reviews. In fact, collecting positive, authentic voices is difficult, as it is easier for most people to criticize rather than praise. In the following, we will show you how you can still generate positive reviews from real customers in a legal and effective way.

Socialwave marketing package

Let's have a look at an example. Mr. Müller visits your hair salon on a Friday morning. He has his hair cut and is completely satisfied with both the cut and the advice. He thanks hairdresser Anna and, if necessary, also gives her a good tip. Mr. Müller leaves your shop satisfied and happy and goes back to his everyday life. It would of course be more helpful for your salon if the customer had recorded their positive experience based on a review on Google, as this increases the reach of your company. However, it's common that most customers don't want to invest their time in reviewing positive experiences. They communicate this verbally directly on site. However, we now know that the value of online reviews has risen rapidly. The easiest way to get positive reviews is with the Socialwave Marketing Package. After their first visit, your guests will receive an email asking them to rate you. You can find positive reviews directly on Google, negative reviews will be forwarded to you via email as a feedback form. Both positive and negative reviews — view any type of feedback as an opportunity to learn.

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conclusion

Standing out on platforms such as Google, Tripadvisor or Amazon is extremely important these days. Evaluations play an important role in this. However, why procure them illegally when there are enough legal and easy ways to do so? With the right methods, you can win enough positive reviews for your company. Have you received any negative feedback? No problem, remember that negative reviews can also provide you with numerous suggestions for improvement. Convince your customers of yourself and your company and ask them for a review at the right time. Find out more about the Socialwave marketing package here.