When a good review can hurt your business

All business owners know that the key to staying open is positive word of mouth reviews. With the advent of the internet, that word of mouth has been done online, and now the vast majority of customers check reviews online before making a purchase decision. I would think that getting a good review would be a good thing in all cases. And you would be wrong.

An online review only works for a business if it is legitimate and is obtained through an honest evaluation of the product sold, the customer service involved, price, and other important considerations that go into making a purchase decision. Unfortunately, there has been an uncomfortable increase in the number of instances where an unscrupulous owner places a review online in the 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 when it comes to spotting imposter reviews and government regulators have become more aggressive in weeding out 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 are caught doing it, there is no way it will translate to something good for your customer base. Trust is a key element in a highly competitive online environment, and when you lose that trust, you’ve likely lost that customer forever.

Fake reviews can wipe out your bottom line. Not only are scam reviews a bad idea, but if a business is caught, there is a strong chance that you are considering fines and penalties. The largest companies have been fined millions of dollars for posting false reviews and false advertising online. Smaller online businesses may not be able to cope with the financial penalties they could incur if caught in a bogus review scheme.

Fake reviews generally sound too good to be true. In the face of a barrage of information online, consumers have become smarter than ever. Many are becoming adept 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 have been misled when they see the reality of your business. And when that happens, they will skew your business with a new set of negative reviews online that will do all kinds of damage to your credibility and bottom line.

Fake reviews kill your 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 won’t be able to deliver an experience that matches their expectations.