Every business owner knows that the key to staying open is positive word of mouth reviews. With the advent of the internet, that word of mouth has turned online, and now the vast majority of customers check online reviews before making a purchase decision. You’d think getting a good review would be a good thing in every case. And you would be wrong.
An online review only works for a business if it is legitimate and is obtained through an evaluation of the product sold, the customer service involved, the price, and other important considerations that go into making an honest buying decision. Unfortunately, there has been an uncomfortable increase in the number of instances where an unscrupulous owner places a review online in hopes of garnering more positive attention and more sales for their business. It’s a bit like playing Russian roulette because consumers have become more sophisticated at spotting imposter reviews and government regulators have become more aggressive in removing fake posts.
Here are several reasons why a good review can backfire if placed as part of a fake review strategy:
Fake reviews destroy trust. If your business is reported for using imposter reviews and you’re caught doing it, there’s no way it’s going to translate to anything good for your customer base. Trust is a key element in a highly competitive online environment, and when you’ve lost that trust, chances are you’ve lost that customer forever.
Fake reviews can kill your bottom line. Scam reviews are not only a bad idea, but if a business is caught, they are very likely to face fines and penalties. The largest companies have been fined millions of dollars for posting fake reviews and false advertising online. Smaller online businesses may not be able to cope with the financial penalties they could incur if they get caught up in a bogus review scheme.
Fake reviews usually sound too good to be true. Faced with a barrage of information online, consumers have become smarter than ever. Many are becoming experts at spotting reviews that sound contrived or too good to be true. Even if you manage to attract customers based on glowing scam reviews, customers will know they’ve been scammed when they see the reality of your business. And when that happens, they will skew your business with a new set of negative online reviews that will hurt your credibility and your bottom line.
Fake reviews kill local search performance. If your reviews are tagged as fake, your local search performance will suffer and your online visibility will drop like a stone. You’ll miss out on valuable opportunities to connect with new customers, and you won’t be able to deliver an experience that matches their expectations.
