BUSINESS REVIEWS ON GOOGLE: REAL OR FAKE?

If you are a small business owner, you certainly understand the value of online reviews, especially the reviews that are published on Google! I have first-hand experience as the owner of a one-man resume writing business (Resume Phenom LLC). I am proud to say that I have received 190 reviews on Google over the past 10 years, with a perfect 5.0 rating. To say I am extremely proud and grateful is a severe understatement. 

Over half of the people that call me will usually take a moment to inform me that the main reason they called me was because of my great reviews on Google. Honestly, I would probably not even still be in business if it wasn’t for all of the positive Google reviews that people see when searching for resume writing services in my local area.

I appreciate the reviews as a business owner, but also appreciate them as a customer. I check out the reviews whenever I plan on doing business with a small or local business. If I see several negative reviews, or a rating under 3.5, I tend to stay away.  

If I see a perfect 5.0 rating, I certainly am more willing to try the business out, BUT not always. 

Unfortunately, many businesses nowadays are producing FAKE reviews. Some businesses will even advertise services on websites like Craigslist, in which they will offer $5 (via Zelle or CashApp) if you take a couple seconds to post a positive review on Google for their business. They are asking for reviews from people that have never even used their services or products! It is sickening to see this happen, but, hey, if people can earn a quick $5 for a writing a post on Google that only takes them 30 seconds, then many will take advantage of this easy opportunity for quick cash. It’s only $5, but every dollar counts in these days of high inflation!

If the reviews from random Craigslist strangers are not bad enough, there are also the “sketchy” reviews from people who are likely the business owner’s friends. Sometimes, the reviews from these friends seem legit, but many times, they are written in such an obvious manner that they seem very “forced” and non-genuine.

It is quite easy to tell the difference from the legit reviews and the “not-so-legit” reviews. Let me give you some examples. Below, I will provide two of the LEGIT online reviews that I recently received on Google for Resume Phenom LLC, my resume writing business:

LEGIT REVIEWS

“What can I say about Brian? He is outstanding, he worked with me on my dead-on arrival resume. My resume only got me rejections and I was extremely frustrated and depressed then I found Brian and he took away all my worries. I received my professional resume back from Brian a few days ago and I am mind blown. He took it from zero to a thousand, this man is a miracle worker and deserves infinity stars. Thank you so much Brian for my perfect resume; I can't wait to start using it. I highly recommend this man, the quality of his work shows. There are no tricks.”

“My experience communicating with Brian for a resume was wonderful. Even with how many requests he seems to get, he set a reasonable timeframe for when I would hear back. He even followed up when I had been distracted during my job hunt to make sure we got it through.”

Ok, now let’s look at two reviews that appear less genuine. These are actual reviews of other businesses, but for the sake of not giving any businesses a bad name, I replaced the original business names with my own. If my business was receiving fake and ingenuine reviews, it would likely look something like this:

SKETCHY REVIEWS

“I recently had my resume revamped by Resume Phenom LLC, and I couldn't be more impressed with the results. From the moment I reached out, the service was professional. Resume Phenom LLC not only revamped the layout and design of my resume but also ensured that it highlighted my skills. I strongly recommend Resume Phenom LLC to anybody in need of a new resume. Thank you, Resume Phenom LLC, for your exceptional service!”

“I booked Resume Phenom LLC to write a new resume for me. Resume Phenom LLC created a resume that EXCEEDED my expectations! Amazing work by Resume Phenom LLC! Thanks!

So, do you see the differences? With a REAL review, you often see more details being revealed about the customer’s experience. In addition, the customer will often mention the specific name of the person that helped them rather than the company name. These reviews feel very personal and credible.

But then look at the bottom two reviews again. How many times does the customer have to mention the business name in the review?? It reminds me of a professional NASCAR race car driver that is required to mention all of his sponsorship’s names when conducting an interview with the media.

When you see a review that CONSTANTLY mentions the full name of the business, there is fairly high chance that the review is fake. This constant mentioning of the business name is likely being used to improve the SEO and online presence of the business. It is very possible that the review was written by the business owner, but submitted by a friend.

BULK REVIEWS IN SHORT TIME SPANS

When trying to spot fake reviews, one other thing to look for is how spread out the dates are. If a company has 100 reviews on Google, have they all been received gradually over several months or years? OR, were all 100 reviews received within the same two-week span? 

When you see a large chunk of reviews received in only a short time span, but then ZERO reviews received for the next three or four months, then this is a huge red flag. 

There is a strong possibility that the owner of the business created several accounts to write reviews for his business and/or persuaded friends to all write reviews (even friends that have never used the business’ services) within a short time frame to rapidly “kick-start” a positive image.

They could also be utilizing the previously mentioned Craigslist method in which they acquired several reviews from random strangers seeking a quick $5 Zelle payment.

CONCLUSION

Be VIGILANT when reviewing online reviews of businesses. Online reviews of local businesses are still VERY valuable to both business owners and customers, but, unfortunately, there are more and more fake reviews being published every day. Don’t be fooled!