
If the timing for several reviews matches, it may be that the business has purchased feedback, paid for five-star listings, or offered incentives such as cash or free products to customers in exchange for their rating. Multiple reviews appearing at the same time could be a sign that something is amiss.

Look for clusters of reviews posted simultaneously Here are our tips for spotting a fake review, regardless of the platform. With our review research confirming that 62% of people believe they have seen a fake review in the last 12 months, it pays to know what to look out for so you can take swift action against bogus feedback left for your local business. They also undermine your efforts to build a strong review profile – something that could have taken years to achieve. Whether it’s via Google, Amazon, Yelp or Facebook, negative reviews could cause your local search ratings to suffer, costing you search visibility and putting you at a disadvantage against competitors. The reputational damage inflicted by unjustified poor reviews can be costly in itself, but it becomes more pronounced if low-star ratings impact on consumer decision-making.įake reviews don’t just erode consumer trust in a local business though. They have a real bottom-line effect that no local business can afford to ignore. So, why are fake reviews a problem ? The reality is that fake reviews aren’t just a frustration or inconvenience.

A red flag that helps identify a fake review on Google may not raise suspicions when you’re searching for fake Yelp reviews. What’s more, the tactics used to leave good or bad feedback for interactions that never really happened can differ from platform to platform. Using review management software can help, but it’s just one of the methods you’ll need to use to spot them. Are you confident that you know how to spot a fake Google review? Or certain that you know just how to identify a fake 5-star review from a mile away? While many of us are pretty happy that we know a fake when we see it, the reality is that the techniques being used to generate less-than-truthful ratings are evolving all the time.
