Yes, You Can Buy Google Reviews, But Here’s What You Should & Shouldn’t do

Are you feeling the pressure to have a stellar online reputation? I get it. In today’s digital age, your Google reviews can make or break your business. It’s no wonder that the temptation to buy Google reviews is real. But hold up! Before you pull out your wallet, let’s talk about what buying Google reviews really means, the legal and ethical implications, does it have any effect on your local SEO and most importantly, what you should do instead.

What Does It Mean to Buy Google Reviews?

First things first, let’s define what we’re talking about here. When we say “buy Google reviews,” we’re referring to the practice of paying someone (usually a third-party service) to write and post fake 5 star reviews about your business on Google. Sure according to Brightlocal’s statistics, 94% of online consumers say that negative reviews have a negative impact on their purchase decisions, but, it does not mean that you have to buy Google reviews that will further harm your reputation and have an unfavourable effect in your Google My Business SEO. These reviews are not from real customers and do not reflect genuine experiences with your business.

Is It Legal to Buy Google Reviews?

Now, you might be wondering, “Is it even legal to buy reviews on Google?” The short answer is no. Buying fake reviews is against Google’s guidelines and can result in serious consequences for your business. In fact, it’s not just Google that prohibits this practice. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) also considers fake reviews to be a form of deceptive advertising and can take legal action against businesses that engage in this practice. These consequences can have a major negative impact on your local SEO ranking factors and ultimately degrade your rank on near me searches.

How Can Buying Google Reviews Hurt My Business?

You might think, “What’s the harm in a few fake reviews? It’ll just give my business a little boost.” But trust me, buying Google reviews can do more harm than good. According to a statistics by Brightlocal, 62% of consumers have a zero tolerance regarding fake reviews and they tend to avoid those products or services that contain similar and non-insightful fake reviews. 

Here’s how it can affect your business:

1. It’s unethical: First and foremost, buying fake reviews is simply unethical. It’s a form of deception that misleads potential customers and undermines the trust that is so crucial for any business.
2. It violates Google’s guidelines: As I mentioned earlier, buying reviews violates Google’s guidelines. If caught, your business could face serious consequences, such as having your reviews removed or even having your business listing suspended.
3. It can damage your reputation: If customers find out that you’ve been buying fake reviews, it can seriously damage your reputation. They’ll feel deceived and will likely lose trust in your business altogether.
4. It doesn’t address real issues: Fake reviews don’t provide you with genuine feedback from real customers. This means you miss out on valuable opportunities to improve your business and address any real issues that customers may be experiencing.

Why Do Businesses Buy Fake Google Reviews?

So, if buying Google reviews is so harmful, why do businesses still do it? Statistics can be an important part of your strategies, and according to a survey by Power Reviews in 2021, almost 99.9% of online shoppers have a tendency to read customers’ reviews before making a purchase. There are also a few other common reasons to buy Google reviews:

1. Pressure to compete: In today’s competitive market, businesses feel pressure to have a large number of positive reviews to stand out from the crowd. You might also feel the pressure to boost your business by buying Google reviews.
2. Lack of genuine reviews: Some businesses struggle to get genuine reviews from real customers, so they resort to buying fake ones. Especially when you are starting new and want your sales to grow, the thought of buying fake reviews would probably pop up.
3. Impatience: Building a strong online reputation takes time and effort. In this cut-throat world where your business reputation can have a significant impact on your business’s sales and online presence. Some businesses are impatient and want to see results quickly, so they take the shortcut of buying reviews.
4. SEO Benefits: Reviews can influence search engine rankings. More positive reviews can potentially boost your business’s visibility in search results, leading to more organic traffic. In order to raise their ranking on search engines, businesses often tend to buy Google reviews.
5. Mitigating Negative Feedback: Businesses might use fake reviews to offset genuine negative feedback. By artificially inflating positive reviews, they aim to balance out or drown out negative opinions.
6. Attracting Customers: Sure fake reviews can have a harsh effect on your business’s reputation but businesses often go for increasing their number of reviews to attract customers. According to the statistics by Brightlocal, 55% of Consumers often go for products and services that have a higher number of reviews when making purchasing decisions. 

Buying Google reviews often leads to violating Google’s guidelines that can rank your website low in search results pages and degrade your business’s performance. But, because of these selective reasons people put their businesses at risk and have to deal with various repercussions.

What to Do Instead of Buying Google Reviews

So, if buying Google reviews is off the table, what should you do instead? The key is to focus on mastering Google review automation and generating genuine reviews from real, satisfied customers. Here are some strategies to help you do just that:

1. Provide Exceptional Service

The foundation of any strong online reputation is consistently providing exceptional service. Go above and beyond for your customers, and they’ll be more likely to leave a positive review.

2. Ask for Reviews

Brightlocal’s statistics claims that more than 87% customers are willing to write online reviews. So don’t be shy about asking your satisfied customers to leave a review. You can make this request in person, via email, or even by including a call-to-action on your receipts or business cards.

3. Make It Easy

Reduce friction by providing clear instructions on how to leave a review. Having simple an easy steps to post reviews can motivate customers and also increase your website user experience. Consider including a direct link to your Google review page in your email signature or on your website.

4. Respond to All Reviews

Show your customers that you value their feedback by responding to all reviews, both positive and negative. This demonstrates that you’re engaged and committed to customer satisfaction.

5. Leverage Reputation Management Tools

Consider using a reputation management platform like Semrush and Ahrefs to streamline your review generation and management process. These tools allows you to easily send review requests, monitor your online reputation, and respond to reviews from a single dashboard.

Generate Genuine Google Reviews Instead of Buying Fake Reviews

At the end of the day, the best way to build a strong online reputation is to focus on generating genuine reviews from real customers rather than to buy Google reviews. This means providing excellent service, actively seeking feedback, and engaging with your customers.

It’s also important to remember that building a strong reputation takes time. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t see a flood of reviews right away. Consistency is key. Keep providing great service and encouraging reviews, and you’ll see your online reputation grow organically over time.

Clear Violations of Google’s Guidelines

When you buy Google reviews, you’re not just engaging in an unethical practice – you’re also directly violating Google’s guidelines. Google has a strict policy against fake reviews, and they make it abundantly clear in their restricted content guidelines that all reviews must be authentic and genuine.

Google states, “Make sure that any reviews or testimonials about your business are honest, relevant, and from actual customers. You cannot solicit or encourage fake reviews, and you cannot offer incentives in exchange for reviews. Google may take down reviews that violate these policies.”

When you pay for Google reviews, you’re generating inauthentic and disingenuous reviews that misrepresent your business and promote fake engagement. These fake reviews paint a misleading picture of your business, deceiving potential customers and violating the trust that Google works hard to maintain on its platform.

The consequences of violating Google’s guidelines can be severe. If Google detects that you’re buying reviews, they may take action against your Google Business Profile (formerly known as Google My Business). This could include removing the fake reviews, suspending your profile, or even permanently removing your business from Google’s listings.

Imagine the damage to your online reputation if your Google Business Profile suddenly disappeared. You’d lose all the visibility, traffic, and credibility that comes with being listed on Google, making it much harder for potential customers to find and trust your business.

Furthermore, even if Google doesn’t catch you right away, the fake reviews you’ve purchased will always be a ticking time bomb. Google is constantly improving its algorithms to detect and remove fake reviews. It’s not a matter of if they’ll catch you, but when. And when they do, the fallout could be catastrophic for your business.

The bottom line is buying Google reviews is never worth the risk. It’s a clear violation of Google’s guidelines, and the potential consequences far outweigh any short-term gains. Instead of trying to cheat the system, focus on providing excellent service that genuinely deserves glowing reviews. It might take more time and effort, but it’s the only way to build a strong, trustworthy online reputation that will stand the test of time.

Conclusion: The End of Debate

In the end it all matters to your business’s reputation and overall sales. Buying reviews can be a short cut formula to enhance your product or service reach and sales but it can have negative repercussions to your business. Although the statistics and data can give you second thoughts and you might be considering buying Google reviews, however in the long run it will have an adverse effect on your business survival.

We have also discussed that buying Google reviews is:

• Unethical
• Violates Google’s guidelines
• Damage your reputation
• Doesn’t address real issues

However, if you have recently opened your business and are struggling to attract potential customers then you might turn to buying Google reviews. Instead, you can try these tips:

• Provide Exceptional Service
• Ask reviews to your current customers
• Make your reviewing interface simple and easy
• Respond to every reviews to assure they are being heard
• Use review management tools to ease and smoothen your process.

So what are you waiting for, grab these ideas over buying Google reviews and excel your business ethically!