Stop everything! Google has launched a hunt for fake reviews and it isn't holding back: nearly 170 million deceptive ratings have already been removed!

In today's digital world, online reviews on Google or other platforms like Tripadvisor, Trustpilot, or Amazon play a crucial role in business visibility. Every merchant or artisan tries to steal the spotlight from their competitors by increasing the number of their ratings.

Ratings have become the name of the game. Anyone can write a review for any place listed on, for example, a Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business): a restaurant, a shop, a doctor, a museum, a school, etc.

However, some take advantage of this to write or have others write fake customer reviews that praise their own business to improve their overall score, or disparage their competitors to harm their e-reputation.

Fake comments or malicious reviews are now commonplace, which leads to a crisis of confidence in a system that started with good intentions. Fake reviews are often accompanied by fake "5-star" ratings, fake fans, or even fake likes…

A true deception that has finally annoyed the world's leading search engine, Google, which has found the ultimate solution.

In search of honesty and quality

Following Mozilla, which acquired Fakespot, an extension that tracks fake reviews, Google has decided to take strict measures to curb this phenomenon using an algorithm.

“We launched a new machine learning algorithm that detects suspicious review patterns even faster,” Google indicated in a blog post. “To do this, it examines long-term signals daily, for example, if a reviewer leaves the same review on multiple businesses or if a business receives a sudden spike in 1 or 5-star reviews. In 2023, this new algorithm allowed us to remove 45% more fake reviews than the previous year.”

More than 170 million fake reviews were removed in 2023. From now on, honest feedback from customers who have actually used the product or benefited from the service will become the norm again. It will no longer be possible to artificially inflate the reviews of a poor-quality product or service because, as Google states, “reliable information is essential to help people explore the world, and we know that misleading content erodes that trust.”

In France, the Fraud Repression department (General Directorate for Competition Policy, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control – DGCCRF) has also implemented its own tool called Polygraphe which will allow them “to have access to review texts, ratings, publication dates, as well as the identifier of the contributor who posted the review, and to highlight suspicious comments using indicators.” Article L132-2 of the Consumer Code already provides for two years in prison and a €300,000 fine for misleading commercial practices…

Customer experience remains a gold nugget

Nevertheless, reviews remain a real gauge for indecisive customers. Consumers rely on the ratings of other consumers – what is known as social proof – and the impact of positive or negative reviews on purchasing decisions is real. 85% of consumers say they take a look at reviews before making a decision. Most even decide based on the overall rating, and if it is below 3/5, they won't even visit the establishment!

What should you do as a merchant if you want to attract as many customers as possible with integrity? The solution seems simple: get real, sincere, and authentic reviews. But the task is difficult as customers often turn a deaf ear.

One of the most effective ways is to get a review before the consumer even leaves the establishment. You can, for example, present a review card that allows you to secure 5 stars in just a few seconds, with complete honesty. No fraud, no wasted money, no fake reputation!

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