170 million removed reviews. Just last year. Even so, critics say it’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to fake Google reviews. But how easy is it to manipulate a grade? We at SVT Nyheter chose to test, in the video above.
They are used in everything from choosing restaurants, travel destinations, playgrounds and hairdressers, to plumbers, electricians, shops and excursions. Google reviews, or Google reviews as they are also called, dominate the market for rating goods and services online. Nevertheless, the regulation is flawed, according to experts we spoke to.
“When I saw the open trade in fake reviews, I was shocked”, says Kay Dean, former investigator at the US Department of Education.
Purchased reviews
Today, she runs the site and Youtube channel Fake review watch, which reveals suspicious patterns among users and how local companies work to raise their own ratings with Google.
There are sites where you can buy reviews. Then someone logs in with several different Google accounts and writes the reviews you want. Often you can see a pattern where several different fake accounts have reviewed the same company all over the world. A mobile phone company in Sweden, a hardware store in Arizona and a restaurant in London. It is not credible, says Kay Dean.
Can be free to end up high
Ranking high on Google is also becoming increasingly important for businesses.
“If you search for “plumber”, the ones with the most and best reviews will hit high. And it’s free”, says Johan Eriksson, CEO of Insign web agency that works with strategies for small business owners.
Google claims to have removed 170 million fake reviews by 2023. And 45 percent more than by 2022, thanks to new algorithms, according to the company. They do not want to appear for an interview, but Andrea Lewis Åkerman, communications manager at Google in Sweden, writes in an email to SVT Nyheter:
“Through a combination of people and technology, we monitor our platforms around the clock to review content in line with our policies. When we spot fraudsters trying to mislead people, we take swift action, including content removal and account suspension”
