Positive reviews are every business’s best friend. A glowing Google review can serve as invaluable social proof, encouraging other potential customers to trust your business. And we don’t have to tell you what that trust can do for your conversion rates.
So, with that in mind, it’s understandable why you might feel tempted to buy Google reviews. But taking a shortcut to success comes with a price.
In today’s guide, we’ll reveal where and how people purchase Google reviews. We’ll also discuss the risks of making such purchases and touch on the value of genuine feedback from real users.
Where Do People Buy Google Reviews?
We’ll start by addressing where people are actually buying more Google reviews than they actually have. Below, we’ve listed some popular sites that offer their customers seemingly high-quality reviews.
- Get Reviews Buzz
- BUY SMM USA
- Digital Reputation Matters
- BlackHatWorld
- Fiverr
It’s worth mentioning that some people look to Facebook, Upwork, and Freelancer to find good Google reviews they can buy.
We don’t recommend perusing any of these sites for a good deal. After all, your online reputation will be at risk if you do.
How To Buy Google Reviews
Although we strongly discourage you from doing so, we’ll explain how people buy fake Google reviews. This explanation is purely to help with your own research and knowledge of compliance.
- Interested parties will start by choosing a platform in which they will search for sellers. These platforms include the ones we mentioned earlier.
- They will then sift through sellers until they find one with tempting offerings and do some background research.
- Once happy, they will place their order and make payment, usually through PayPal. Depending on whether the seller offers bundle packages, the cost of these reviews typically ranges between $5 and $50.
- The seller will then complete the order, often leveraging VPNs to conceal their IP address.
- The interested party will then wait for their reviews to appear.
Sounds really simple, right? That’s the thing - real success is not easy to come by, and unfortunately, you can’t buy it. Authentic success comes from satisfied customers who have nothing less than genuine experiences with your brand.
4 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Buy Google 5-Star Reviews
You know that we don’t condone buying Google reviews, but you should know why. Below, you’ll find out why you and your business are really better off steering clear of bought Google reviews.
1. It’s Illegal
Across the world, many countries won’t look too kindly upon the purchase of Google reviews. In fact, there are laws that prohibit buying false customer feedback in locations like the US and the UK.
But buying reviews is a victimless crime, right, so what’s all the fuss about? Well, it counts as false advertising and consumer fraud. Just think, you’re manipulating your customer’s idea of your brand on the basis of false information. Buying Google reviews isn’t victimless, after all.
Combine that with the fines and criminal charges you could face, and it’s really a no-brainer.
2. It Won’t Win You Any Points With Google
Google doesn’t even like anonymous Google reviews, so you can imagine how it regards false ones. Any purchase of fake customer testimonials directly violates Google’s terms of service.
Plus, Google is really cracking down on the detection and removal of false reviews. In other words, if you think you can get away with it, think again.
Through updated machine learning models, Google can flag suspicious word patterns and duplicate content. These models can also spot when an account leaves a substantial amount of reviews in a short space of time.
It’s not a matter of if. When Google catches these reviews, you’ll face account suspensions and terminations, and it will remove the review anyway. Ultimately, your search rankings won’t change, but your brand’s reputation will, and not in the way you want it to.
3. It Breaks Your Customer’s Trust
Nowadays, customers are becoming increasingly aware of reviews that seem fake. After all, there are tons of tips and advice out there to help them spot deceptive testimonials.
Thanks to Google’s machine learning models, even those who don’t know how to spot a false review will soon know.
When your customers find out about your fake reviews, you’ll lose their trust and, thus, their custom. With the power of word of mouth, your bogus reviews could quite easily cause irreparable damage to your brand.
4. It Isn’t Your Only Option
Increasing your business’s visibility, sales, and conversion rates is no walk in the park. We get it.
But there are better ways of achieving your goals without turning to unethical purchases. Email personalization, responding to both positive and negative reviews, improving your offerings, doing WiFi marketing…the list is endless!
Do People Buy Negative Google Reviews?
Yes, there are those who buy negative Google reviews for a number of different reasons. For starters, negative reviews can help your positive ones seem more authentic.
You can also buy negative reviews on sites like FollowerZoid to damage your competitors’ reputations. The idea is that, with that stain on your competitors’ brands, more customers will come to your business instead.
Whether you’re buying a positive or negative review, it is still deceptive, manipulative, illegal, and non-compliant. In the end, it’s best to avoid both.
The Value of Genuine Customer Feedback
Everything is better when it’s genuine. It may take you longer to get genuine feedback, but there are immense benefits when you do. Let’s take a look at some of those benefits.
It Leads to Real Improvement
Real customers will genuinely experience your offerings. This means that they can then provide feedback that could actually make a difference.
With real positive reviews, you’ll know what you’re doing well and can use that great feedback to motivate your employees.
Even negative feedback is great for your business. Negative reviews will show you what you can improve or add to your services. Acting on these reviews will enable you to create better customer experiences, something that you can’t do with dud testimonials.
It Inspires Long-Term Growth
Manipulating your customers against your competition or in favor of your brand isn’t sustainable. Sooner or later, you will face the consequences of buying false reviews, which will halt your growth immediately.
With authentic reviews, this isn’t something you will have to worry about, which means you can grow your business consistently.
It Strengthens Your Brand
There’s no point in engaging with phony reviews, but that isn’t the case with real ones.
You can engage with real reviewers, addressing both positive and negative feedback for all to see. When you do, you’ll simultaneously demonstrate your dedication to customer-centricity. That’s how you truly build a strong brand reputation.
Should You Buy Google Reviews? Grow Your Business With Beambox Instead
Buying sham reviews, positive or negative, will never help your business grow in the long term. However, we can’t say the same for Beambox.
Beambox excels at exceptional WiFi marketing solutions that benefit both your guests and your business. Your guests will enjoy your customizable login page designs, password-less entry, and reliable internet speeds.
While your guests enjoy seamless WiFi, you’ll collect invaluable customer data that will revamp your approach to marketing. Through behavioral segmentation and traffic analysis, you’ll be able to tailor your promotions to your guests’ interests.
Don’t buy Google reviews; rely on Beambox to do your marketing research for you. There is no shortcut to success, but there is a shortcut to the consumer data you need to be successful. Start your free trial with Beambox today and build your excellent brand reputation the right way.
FAQs
Is it legal to buy Google reviews?
Purchasing fake reviews is considered an unfair trade practice, which makes it an illegal act. If you were to buy fake Google reviews, you could face fines, blacklisting, and even criminal charges.
Can Google detect fake reviews?
Yes, Google’s AI-driven detection systems can flag and remove suspicious online reviews. Google also has a human team of assessors who look for generic language and the reviewer’s history of providing feedback.
Can you pay someone to leave Google reviews?
While you can physically pay or incentivize someone to leave a Google review, we strongly advise against this. Doing so violates Google’s terms of use, which can lead to account suspensions and terminations.
