Building a good reputation for your business online is a challenging process. If you are a small to medium-sized business just starting out, it can be hard to prove that your business is worthwhile. One way to gauge the quality of consumer business is to read online reviews. These reviews are very effective in building trust with your potential client base, as people rely as much on these reviews as on the recommendations of their friends or family members. You will benefit greatly from good reviews on your Google business listing. If you are having trouble getting organic reviews though, you may think that you need to create fake Google reviews. It can be tempting to create good reviews to hide.
But it comes with its problems. Google is constantly updating its algorithms to improve the user experience. An update has made it important for businesses not to create fake Google reviews that promote their services and products.
Here are the negative effects of fake Google reviews. Keep reading!
Reduced Traffic
Google has bread and butter data. The search engine giant specializes in tracking and predicting trends. It’s also good at recognizing unnatural reviews; if your business is targeted, you could face fines. If your reviews appear invalid, and Google sees that you’re trying to cheat the system, they’ll lower your rankings for relevant search terms. As a result, there will be less website traffic, drastically reducing your revenue.
You Can Be Punished
More recently, reviews have become a major part of digital marketing. As consumers increasingly rely on them, Google and regulators have made it their mission to eradicate misleading marketing tactics. Your company could be fined or face other repercussions if your reviews are inaccurate or paid for, so it may not be worth it.
Destroys Trust
Fake reviews not only make you look illegitimate to Google, but they also destroy trust between you and your customers. It is common for companies to sell fake reviews online worldwide. These are usually overseas businesses that employ workers who accept very low wages for these services.
They can write thousands of reviews a day, but in general, they only speak elementary English. Consumers are constantly being alerted and able to recognize signs that the review is invalid. If they see that only poorly constructed comments are posted during unforgettable nights, they will be careful not to rely on your business.
Damages Your Reputation
Even if you have managed to avoid all the results mentioned earlier, your reviews may still face another problem: it seems too good to be true. Almost every online business has some negative comments. If there are only good reviews on your page full of positive attributes and definitions, users may suspect that you are cheating the system.
Conclusion
To conclude, writing a fake review is tempting. It hurts the business you are trying to help and lowers people’s trust in online surveys. If you want to leave a review for a business, make sure it’s honest and accurate. As a result, you can ensure the company listens to you, and it will be held accountable for its actions.Need some help managing your online reputation? See how Canopy Media can help here.
