Google Reveals the Method Used to Catch Fake Local Business Reviews

It is not easy to spot fake Google reviews if you are a customer, instead, you know where they appear if you have a business. Google has recently shared a blog that contains information based on their updated machine learning systems that can catch and remove spam reviews, fraudulent business listings as well as fake videos and images. Every customer seeks authentic reviews whenever they are in search of a particular service. What if the reviews are fake or fraudulent? It is noticeable when an abundance of reviews are posted over a short period of time. Our Local SEO services in Kochi can assist your business in gaining more leads through effective techniques and methods. 

Why Is It Important to Report Fake Google Reviews

Reviews from customers are one of the most valuable lead acquisition tools. They are made by your customers as they would review your product and services compared with marketing messaging for gaining more potential leads. Leads who are interested in knowing more about your business trust these reviews and feedback as a guide to proceed with their business or approach with your company. Note that, not every customer review is created or written by customers. Some businesses or individuals fake reviews and content in order to promote their business and brand. Moreover, there are companies that will even think or do fake reviews to get more attention to their services than their competitors.

This can be a great issue for businesses that rely on third-party review services like Google Maps that can attract new clients. As in Google, any online user can fake a review that can be posted publicly upon submission. Businesses can’t just take down a negative review as they have to go through Google’s reviewal process to appeal for a spam review.

How Does Google Find Contributed Spam From the User?

Google makes use of modern machine learning models to get and remove fraudulent and fake content. These models search for specific patterns or unusual content contributed by the user, including flagging forms of potential abuse that have not been seen before.  

Google has implemented automated systems as their front line of defense against spam reviews and fraud actors. It is responsible to review the content before it is posted in accordance to block or remove fraudulent and fake content that is provided to the Google Maps system. They also have a machine-learning model that can scan the published content in order to catch fraudulent content that might have managed to slip through the scan of initial reviews. Google’s systems will normally remove the content that basically violates policies or they would flag it for further and additional review, along with the user account that is associated, way before the content is showcased in front of users. Newly installed systems can block spam content more effectively and quickly. 

They use human moderators for exceptional tasks that the technology can’t reach. Moreover, their policies and way of approach show the deployment of their modern technology that seems to enhance the prevention scale with the help of algorithms on machine learning to tackle fake listings and reviews as well as individual staff which is a vital distinction to remember while creating an online presence. 

The Automated Detection System of Google

They use hundreds of cues that can find behavioral patterns of abuse like shifts in review patterns on a business or abnormal behavior patterns by the user in reviewing a business. For instance, typical user patterns like authentic reviews, photos and videos that have been taken while getting the service, and ratings are the main resources Google depend on while finding spam review content and providing solutions that fight and remove them.

Human Content Moderators of Google

They are basically human analysts, operators, and employees that complement the automated detection systems of Google. They help with the evaluations of provided content that algorithms might not be able to inspect the knowledge of local slang within a review.  

Report Fake Reviews on Google

• First of all, go to Google’s review workflow page to submit a report that is formal. You can directly manage your reviews here

• Secondly, select your type of business from the list. Once you have logged in with your account, you can see a list of businesses where you have to select the location you want to report a review as well as click Continue. 

• You can then check on the reports you’ve submitted by checking on the two options where you can find the status of a review you have previously reported or submit a new report. It is sure that they have already started working on your complaint so you can always check on the status of the report. You can also know about the status of Google’s final decision. The list will clear out any review that has been removed.   

• A list of all of the reviews you have given will show up and you can find the review you have to report by clicking the Report button on the right-hand column. 

• Then, you have to select a reason for reporting the review and a new window will appear to choose the reason for your report to Google. 

• You are all set to return to the workflow tab to Continue. Once you have submitted there would a confirmation message sent to you via email. 

To reiterate, It is necessary to meet the needs of the customers to get an amazing result of growth as a marketer. Knowing about the policy and its consequences helps in letting you invest in accurate resources effectively. Moreover, each site provided is to bolster the overall reputation of your business. This is vital if you ever experience the role of a victim of a review attack on any of the platforms as your presence on various platforms can bring in more customers. You can contact our Seo services in Kochi to enhance your business presence online.