Reading online reviews has become an integral part of shopping nowadays. So, it’s no wonder that 91% of people in the age group of 18 to 34 rely on these reviews just like personal recommendations.
Yelp records traffic of above 170 Million monthly. Therefore, businesses are always looking to come out on top to get that search traffic first hand. However, many end up not playing fair.
Today’s buyers emphasize more on genuine reviews than company promises.
42% of buyers don’t opt for a brand with a poor online rating. 45% of buyers said they read a review on yelp before making a purchase.
The importance of positive online reviews in influencing purchasing decisions contributed to establishing a dark arena where review wars take place. Both customers and genuine businesses have become the target of fake yelp reviews.
Since reviews play pivotal roles to affect the perception of a person, thorough research is necessary before making a purchasing decision. Many online review websites are filled with fake reviews to attract customers.
Most of the people read only the first few reviews on google or other platforms like Amazon to finalize their decision. But, it’s essential to note down that many companies place the real negative reviews at the bottom. That’s a psychological trick.
Also, they intentionally make people read fake positive reviews to gain a good impression.
So, as a smart buyer, it’s your responsibility to save yourself from falling in the trap of such fraud businesses.
Moreover, you should also know how to Deal with Fake Yelp Reviews in various ways if you are a seller, and someone is badmouthing you. You need to find fake negative reviews about your business and deal with them!
Various Ways Companies Acquire Fake Yelp Reviews
Using VPNs:
Many businesses make use of a VPN (a virtual private network) and create fake IP addresses.
They get the IPs for the same city for which they need fake reviews for their business. Therefore, they may look genuine.
Creating Multiple Email IDs:
Creating many email ids is another way to post false reviews by these businesses. They have teams creating multiple fake ids to generate reviews backed by fraud and not performance.
Hiring Professional Review Writers:
Some businesses don’t want to post fake reviews on their own. So, they hire professionals to do that work for them in return for money.
Importance Of Dealing With Fake Yelp Reviews
Save Yourself from a Waste of Money:
If you don’t spot fake reviews, you can end up wasting your hard-earned money. Fake, glowing reviews of fraud businesses can influence you and make you biased.
So, don’t forget to double-check whether a review comes from a genuine reviewer or not.
Help Genuine Businesses to Grow:
There are many start-ups, which are working very hard to provide top-notch values to customers. Unfortunately, many of them don’t have enough positive reviews.
If you identify fake reviews and make people aware of it, these genuine brands will get a chance to serve more people. Thus, you can also make a digitally-social contribution by exposing fraud companies.
How to Deal With Them
Double-Check Reviewers’ Profile Pictures:
Just click on the profile photo of the reviewer and start a reverse image search of the same. Many fake reviewers set stock photos as their profile pictures.
But, it is not a definite way to spot a fake review. You should double-check their credibility.
Find Out Other Reviews Posted By That Reviewer:
Now, it’s time to find out other reviews by that person. Click on his/her profile and check which businesses that profile has reviewed.
If you find the person has posted reviews for multiple states and multiple companies of the same niche, you can perceive it as suspicious activity.
Thoroughly Read Their Reviews:
Fake reviews are not comprehensive in most of the cases. Fake reviewers conclude their posts in some shortcut, compelling lines. They don’t explain the features and benefits of the products and services. So, it should be an alarming sign for you.
However, sometimes they can be detailed and sound genuine. However, if they are too long, stay away as no one has time to write such long reviews. Period!
After you have figured them out, collect the data and screenshots and contact the concerned website like Amazon Support or Google support in case of reviews on such sites. With evidence based on above factors, the support should take them down.
Wrapping Up
Now, you are aware of various strategies to deal with fake yelp reviews. Since you are going to invest your hard-earned money in a purchase or listing your business, you must be sure about quality results and monitor for negative review attacks.
Many people don’t know about these conspiracies. They believe whatever they read online. If you are still stuck with fake reviews even after implementing above strategies contact our team at CrawlBots. We would be happy to help!
Share this information to spread this post as much as possible to prevent people from falling in the trap of false reviews on yelp.