I’m slowly becoming that annoying person who won’t go anywhere without checking the reviews on Google Maps. But I also have my suspicions when the reviews are too good. Apparently, nothing satisfies me. So I was relieved to hear that Google is making it easier to spot fake reviews. Google is now warning affected businesses that “Suspected fake reviews were recently removed from this location.”
Google has previously come under fire from the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which launched an investigation into its handling of fake reviews in 2021. The change in how reviews are handled was first noticed by users of X (formerly Twitter) on the Maps page of a UK company (could be a coincidence).
Google has yet to confirm where the feature will be available, but Search Engine Roundtable reports that Google recently updated a related support page to make it applicable globally.
Google has outlined restrictions that may be imposed on businesses that violate its fake engagement policy. One of them is that “a warning will be displayed on your business profile to let consumers know that the fake review has been removed.” Other temporary restrictions include not accepting new ratings or reviews, and not publishing existing ratings or reviews. If any of these actions are taken, business owners will receive an email from Google with the opportunity to appeal the decision.
Fake reviews can be posted by businesses trying to boost their ratings, but also by people looking to hurt a business’s reputation. It’s unclear whether businesses will get the same warning if they report these fake reviews (because, based on the wording, it certainly seems like the company is at fault).
