Why You Shouldn’t Buy Google Reviews & Effective Alternatives

If your business needs reviews on Google, Yelp, or Facebook, then you’ve come to the right place. But before you buy Google reviews, consider these consequences.

If your business doesn’t have many reviews on your Google business page, or maybe has too many negative ones, you may be wondering if you can buy Google reviews. While it’s possible to do so, the short answer is the cliche “just because you can doesn’t mean you should.” While there are ways to get disingenuous and non-organic reviews, based off of Google guidelines to remove inappropriate reviews, the practice is not appreciated by Google (or really any review site). Using fake reviews can result in getting your business blacklisted or worse, as some review sites are cracking down and taking legal action against egregious offenders.

In other words: don’t pay for Google Reviews, Yelp Reviews, Zillow Reviews, or any other type of online review. It’s much easier (and more effective) to get real reviews with an online review management platform. Whatever your tactic, it’s important to operate in compliance with Google Review guidelines and Yelp Review Guidelines. Those that fail to abide by the guidelines can quickly find themselves struggling to get back in good graces.

Why Businesses Buy Google Reviews

While you should not buy Google reviews, it is easy to see why business owners are tempted to do so. Having positive Google reviews improves your online reputation and helps you attract new customers. Most people look at Google Maps reviews or other reviews before buying a product or signing up for a service. Each 5-star review also improves your search engine rankings. However, all these benefits will only be temporary.

Instead of buying reviews, turn to other options. Some of the best alternatives include doing the following:

Ask customers for reviews: A surprisingly large number of your customers will leave a review if you just ask them to do so. You will get even better results if you make the process of leaving a review easy. You will also have a higher response rate if you provide high-quality products and a good customer experience. Of course, those things will also give you more good reviews.
Improve your online presence: You can also work to improve your online presence. This will help counter any negative customer reviews. The best strategy here is to work to craft a positive online presence in the hopes that it will be more visible than the few negative reviews you receive. This is where social media and other digital marketing strategies come into play.
Respond to negative reviews: Every business will get a negative review at some point. Don’t ignore them; respond to them. Be polite and work to address the complaint in the review. This will reflect well on your customer service and dedication to customer satisfaction.

4 Risks of Buying Google Reviews

Similar to Yelp, Google dislikes businesses that buy Google reviews. Doing so is also against Google’s guidelines and they too have a process for detecting Google business pages that engage in the practice. Google, however, treats the situation differently than does Yelp. Rather than publicly embarrass the company that buys a Google review, Google will simply take it down (in some cases we’ve heard of accounts being completely shut down).

While Google may not be as harsh, the company still takes a holistic approach to the quality of their reviews.

Legal Action

If you buy reviews, you put your company at risk of legal action. Specifically, the FTC has said that buying reviews violates its policies. You can face fines and lose your reputation among your customer base.

Suspension of Google Business Profile

Google has roughly 12 different types of violations that may result in the removal of reviews:

Advertising
Spam
Phone Numbers or URLs
Off-topic Reviews
Keep it Clean
Conflict of Interest
Illegal Content
Copyrighted Content
Sexually Explicit Material
Impersonation
Personal and Confidential Information
Hate Speech

It’s safe to say that buying Google reviews is consistent with a number of these violations. Therefore, it’s wise for any business to steer clear of buying reviews.

Remember that Google may not stop at just removing your reviews. Violating Google’s guidelines can even lead to your account being suspended.

Violating Google’s terms can even affect your ranking on the search engine. This will be especially damaging for your SEO efforts, particularly your local SEO.

Fake Reviews Removed

There is also the fact that if you buy reviews, Google will just flag them as fake and remove them. This will mean that your money has gone to waste, as the reviews were simply removed.

Keep in mind that even if your fake reviews aren’t removed, customers can tell the difference. Most consumers today are aware of fake reviews and know how to spot them, or at least when to be suspicious of them. One sure sign, for example, is if a company has overwhelmingly positive reviews. Another is if the reviews are all incredibly similar.

Remember that when a consumer spots a fake review, they are also likely to flag it. This can lead to the same consequences from Google and the FTC, so you have only managed to delay the inevitable. Eventually, someone will notice you have fake reviews.

The FTC Will Punish You

Additionally, the FTC has said that the practice of buying reviews is illegal.

In addition to the legal consequences of the FTC punishing you, you will have to deal with the damage to your reputation. Having an FTC complaint or fine against you will reflect very poorly on your business and can cause you to lose customers or make it harder to gain new ones.

Can Google Detect Fake Reviews?

Yes, the Google algorithms can detect fake reviews. This allows the platform to remove fake Google reviews and penalize your account if it becomes a serious problem. Expect any fake review to be removed nearly as quickly as Google recognizes it.

Remember that Google is the most-used search engine, and you want to rank highly on the search results. Combine that with the fact that the Google algorithm will account for violations of its community guidelines and fake reviews. In other words, you are likely to show up lower on the search engine rankings if you try to post fake reviews or buy fake reviews.

That drop in search result ranking will directly affect your online presence. You can expect less traffic to your business’ website. On top of that, it can hurt your online reputation, especially if consumers find out that you had fake reviews. Customers may assume that if you lied in reviews, you would lie in other marketing, hurting your reputation and ability to attract customers.

Is It Legal or Illegal to Buy Google Reviews?

It is illegal to buy Google reviews. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is responsible for penalizing those with fake reviews, and it has done so. The organization files complaints and pursues cases when a company violates any relevant law, including buying Google reviews or posting fake reviews.

According to the director of the FTC Bureau of Consumer Protection, the organization takes a hard stance on fake reviews because of the weight that consumers give them. Consumers give as much weight to online reviews as they do personal recommendations. As such, fake reviews take advantage of consumers’ trust. They also hurt companies that work to generate genuine reviews.

If you are still considering it, know that the FTC does regularly pursue these cases. Back in 2019, the organization announced one legal case. More recently, in 2022, another case was resolved. For reference, that 2022 case was against a company that paid for 4- and 5-star reviews and suppressed negative reviews. With a multi-million-dollar settlement, it is safe to say that the penalties are well outside the budget of most companies, especially local businesses.

Is Buying Google Reviews Worth It?

No! It is not worth buying Google reviews. Buying reviews comes with some major risks, from having the reviews removed to having your Google account suspended to legal action from the FTC. Even if you somehow don’t get caught buying reviews, customers will be able to tell, and it will still hurt your reputation. The business you stand losing is definitely not worth it.

If you want to increase your Google reviews, especially positive ones, you have to do so the old-fashioned way. Encourage reviews and provide a customer experience and product worthy of praise. This way, you get 5-star Google reviews from real people in your target audience.

Bonus: Why You Shouldn’t Buy Yelp or Facebook Reviews

One of the most common ways businesses find themselves in hot water is through buying online reviews on sites like Yelp and Facebook. According to each of their guidelines, this is a big no-no. We believe them, especially after seeing how Yelp punished a company that offered cash for authentic reviews. Yelp’s terms of service strongly advise against this and state that a review must state that it’s one of compensation or it is, in theory, false advertising.

Yelp has also let it be known that they’re not joking around. Yelp reiterated the existence of their Consumer Alerts program and previewed the alert which is visible on a company’s Yelp profile if/when the company is caught trying to manipulate reviews. The Consumer Alert below will appear on the company’s Yelp page for 90 days. They have activated an additional 51 Consumer Alerts.

This is the message that will appear on your company’s Yelp page if they’re found guilty of buying reviews.

Last of all, Yelp has stated that they have a team that monitors message boards, classifieds, and Yelp’s review site, itself for those who buy reviews. Any suspicious activity, like buying Yelp reviews, can land you in a position that is a tough one to climb out of.

The same thing goes for Facebook reviews. Buying Facebook reviews violates Facebook’s community standards. And if you needed more reasons not to do it, it’s just downright spammy—potential customers will see right through it.

Still thinking you want to buy a Yelp or Facebook review? Yeah, we didn’t think so.

How to Effectively & Safely Get Google Reviews

We have written extensively on how a business can earn online reviews on sites like Google, Yelp, and Facebook. For many, it’s as simple as asking for feedback (verbally or virtually). Today, many businesses are turning to online reputation management tools to help them collect and manage reviews on a number of online reviews sites. The benefits of following this trend are endless:

No more awkward asks (let the tool ask for you via text or email)
Higher conversion rates (more convenient for the customer)
Track online reviews from multiple sites
See when a new review goes online (positive or negative)
Track trends in your reviews to help drive customer experience

In conclusion, it’s important that small businesses and marketing professionals alike understand that buying reviews of any kind can be detrimental. Instead of buying a Google review or soliciting a Yelp review, use an online reputation management platform that can help you more efficiently (and compliantly) collect quality reviews that can help drive your business higher in local search and brand trust.

Podium has effectively helped local businesses gather Google reviews. Our Google review link generator automates the process for you. Podium has already helped numerous businesses gather reviews.

So, buying reviews is off the table. What can you do instead? We’d recommend getting reviews the old-fashioned way—by asking for them. Here are a few tips to get you started.

Improve Your Online Reputation

Remember that gathering Google business reviews is just one way of improving your online reputation. Another part of this will be to respond to negative reviews. As you do so, always be respectful and professional. Personalize your response and offer to take the conversation offline.

Responding to negative reviews on your Google My Business page gives you a chance to win back the customer who left the review. It also shows potential clients that you value the customer experience and want to right any wrongs.

Offer Customers Something in Exchange of Reviews

You can also consider offering something in exchange for reviews. Remember that the Federal Trade Commission says you can’t pay for reviews. But you could offer another incentive, such as a discount or freebie. Just make sure that you don’t violate any laws when offering something in exchange for reviews. Most importantly, you cannot specifically ask for positive reviews. The reviewer must be free to write about their experience, whether it was positive or negative.

Take Customer Feedback into Account

Savvy business owners regularly get feedback from customers. They then address this feedback and make changes, as necessary. This will give you the opportunity to correct the issue before customers leave a review about it. At the very least, addressing the issues in feedback lets you minimize the number of negative reviews associated with it.

Nicely Ask for Reviews

The best way to get more reviews is simple. You have to ask for them. Most customers will be more than happy to leave you a review if they enjoyed doing business with you. Our tips for asking customers for a review are:

Address the customer by name
Thank them for their support
Explain why their review matters to you
Make it convenient by giving them a link they can click on to take them to the review site

Automate the Process

With tools like Podium, it’s easy to turn your business into a review-generating machine. Podium makes it easy to text customers a review request after they visit your physical location, complete an appointment with you, or make a purchase. In fact, local businesses that use Podium usually see over double the monthly review volume in less than 60 days.

Respond and Follow Up

Getting the review is just the beginning. Now it’s time to follow up. Make sure to respond to your reviews often—the positive ones and the negative ones. This will signal to your customers that you care about their feedback, and it will show potential customers that you’re trustworthy.

With these simple tips and the help of Podium, you will notice a dramatic increase in reviews. Podium helps you get more reviews and more business for you. Learn about Podium’s free Google review link generator that makes it easy to send a review link. From there, customers can just click on the link, leaving a review in minutes. This seamless process encourages them to leave a review and help you grow your company.

Can You Buy Google Reviews? 4 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t

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