Online reviews are a cardinal part of business marketing in the 21st century. Review sites such as Yelp, Google, and Facebook support consumer decision-making in industries as diverse equally hospitality, auto maintenance, and healthcare. One of the first things people practise earlier ownership a production or paying for a service is check its online reviews.

These reviews are frequently averaged into a star rating or a score on a v-point scale. Businesses more often than not aim for a score higher than 4. Perfect scores are usually not ideal considering it's about inconceivable that a business has never had a dissatisfied customer or company.

In fact, perfect scores on review sites are sometimes cause for business organization that a business is paying for reviews. Offer customers or third parties coin for quality written reviews is a practise fraught with ethical and legal problems. Some shady businesses might apply this tactic, but it'southward advisable to avoid paying for reviews entirely.

Yelp CEO Jeremy Stoppelman has gone on record¹ virtually false reviews, maxim that "maintaining the trust of the consumer is critical to our business organization. We live and breathe merely one thing, which is wanting to connect customers with great local businesses, and I don't feel we tin can do that if we don't accept effective ways to prevent gaming of the system."

Information technology's important to remember that these review sites, while they can be an invaluable tool for businesses, are defended to getting consumers the data they need to make smart choices. They are not agape to take action against organizations attempting to manipulate their rankings and reviews by paying for inauthentic reviews.

With that in listen, let's have a look at some of the reasons paying for online reviews is a bad idea. Afterward addressing these reasons, we will consider ways to ethically gather positive reviews and how Weave optimizes the efforts of pocket-sized businesses to collect online reviews.

Paid Reviews Get Defenseless

If you lot're tempted to pay for reviews to boost your business's presence on popular review sites, you lot may desire to reconsider. The companies running these sites are some of the biggest and wealthiest in the world, and their programmers are incredibly capable. They are always at work developing algorithms that identify simulated reviews on their site.

There are a couple ways for these algorithms to pick up on reviews that were bought, not earned. They have the sophistication to pick up linguistic similarities in reviews across the site, so if an author is publishing paid-for reviews in various locations, site administrators tin observe them. If lots of reviews are coming from one IP accost, these algorithms also take note of this user.

Sites accept coders and administrators whose role is to ensure that reviews are but posted past legitimate customers. Hoping that bought reviews will go undetected is a major run a risk. Information technology could stop upward with your business organization being penalized or banned from primal search engines and directories.

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Paid Reviews Harm Reputations

Fifty-fifty if your business avoids getting penalized or prosecuted for posting fake reviews, it could still deal with serious reputation damage. Although review platforms are meant to promote local businesses, they're also capable of punishing those that pause the ethical standards set forth past their site runners.

In the case of Yelp, their administrators create a Consumer Alert banner and feature it prominently on your concern'due south page on its site if information technology finds an infraction such every bit soliciting reviews. This banner remains in place for xc days, discouraging consumers from considering your concern and advertisement unethical behavior.

Google'due south approach to paid reviews isn't quite as overtly dissentious to your reputation, simply it does remove businesses suspected of falsifying or paying for reviews from its search engine results. Because a massive number of consumers use Google's search engine to discover and research new businesses, losing your status fifty-fifty temporarily prevents your business from using this popular platform to build its customer base.

Paid Reviews Are a Legal Liability

The 2 reasons we've mentioned thus far have to practise with negative incentives within the online customs and the companies running review platforms. A tertiary reason is that there is potential for your business concern to be legally prosecuted and fined for putting fake reviews into the public. This legal liability is why review sites are and so vigilant in keeping false consumer reviews off of their platforms.

The Federal Trade Committee, or FTC, is a consumer watchdog. One of its roles is to rid the market place of unfair or deceptive marketing. If information technology identifies your concern as one that actively pays for reviews, it has the capacity to take you to court and event fines.

Your business organization should never attain the point of having to deal with the FTC for publishing inauthentic consumer reviews. It's legally questionable whether or not you'd ever face federal investigation for this type of behavior, but it's best non to detect out. The obvious course of action is to stay away from online obstacles, reputation impairment, and legal complications past never paying for consumer reviews.

Alternatives to Paying for Reviews

The clear alternative to paying for reviews is, well, not paying. In that location are a number of ways to collect and share positive reviews without resorting to dubious practices. Consumers want to get their opinions out there. In fact, they do it all the time!

Ask for Reviews

Lots of consumers are already sharing their opinions online without anyone asking for their thoughts.There's no reason to be afraid to ask for reviews from customers, especially when they're happy with your business'due south service. Businesses miss out on easy opportunities to get together online reviews by non specifically request for reviews. Studies evidence that the best time to request reviews from clients is afterwards a satisfactory engagement.

Your concern can approach review requests in a few different ways. Having a practitioner or other staff verbally ask for a review is one way. Your website is another place where your business can ask for reviews. A third approach is sending out review requests by text, which is oftentimes the most convenient choice for customers.

Appoint with Customers Online

Some other great style to get positive reviews is by engaging with customers on review platforms. Some businesses are hesitant to get out there and communicate with clients and potential clients online. However, chatting with people in a friendly, professional style can lead to conversations that turn into reviews for your business.

When customers mail reviews virtually your business, it'south effective to go into the do of thanking them, specially for positive reviews. This small gesture tin generate excitement and loyalty, besides as boosted reviews. If customers say negative things near your business, it's okay to apologize for mistakes and find out what went incorrect.

Apply Client Feedback

By paying attention to the conversations being had about your business on websites and consumer forums, you and your squad tin can acquire about your strengths and weaknesses. Reviews give you the take chances to double downwardly on the things you're doing well and eliminate what customers see as problems with your business organisation. When they see how your business organization is addressing the problems they've mentioned online, clients are probable to respond with loyalty and praise.

Essentially, the alternative to paying for reviews here is listening to customers and doing what y'all can to implement the changes they're suggesting. Rather than throwing coin toward review drove, focus on improving your customer service. Clients that notice how your business organisation is responding to their ideas can and then exist approached for new reviews.

Weave Lets Y'all Earn Positive Reviews

At present that information technology's abundantly clear how bad an thought it is to pay for online reviews, let's quickly consider how Weave's software helps businesses asking, monitor, and larn from reviews.

Request Reviews

Every bit mentioned to a higher place, a simple alternative to paying for reviews is straightforwardly asking for them. Weave allows y'all and your staff to send review requests by text message, a format that's incredibly convenient for both customers and employees. Your squad tin customize these review requests and directly clients to the review sites that most benefit your business concern.

This method of asking for reviews saves customers from having to sit around and write their thoughts in your waiting room after appointments. Instead, they can employ their smartphone to mail a review whenever information technology'due south convenient. Your employees don't have to worry about transferring reviews to online platforms and can focus on other essential tasks around the office.

Monitor Reviews

It's important for businesses to go on up with the conversations and reviews beingness shared nigh them online. Weave provides businesses with the power to monitor review platforms from one like shooting fish in a barrel-to-use dashboard. You and your squad volition be notified about new reviews on sites like Google and Facebook.

Knowing nearly online review activity empowers your business to discover infrequent reviews that might be shared on your website or social media. It also lets yous respond immediately to negative reviews and report those that seem faux or unnecessarily derogatory.

Learn from Reviews

Weave gives business the power to analyze both qualitative and quantitative data. Y'all'll exist able to keep track of how many reviews are beingness shared and where these reviews come from. You'll too exist able to read the comments of bodily customers.

Reviews provide you with insight you can't become through contiguous conversations. Some customers keep their thoughts to themselves while in your role, and then you never go the opportunity to observe out what your concern is getting correct or what flaws carp your clients. Listening to reviews is a way for business to grow and develop organically.

Contact Weave Today

There's no need for successful businesses to pay for online reviews. The best approach to gathering positive reviews is to earn them. Weave'southward review software is a powerful tool for requesting, monitoring, and learning from online reviews.

Schedule your free demo of Weave's complete toolbox, including its review software, today.