How many times have you gone to a restaurant or a nearby shop based on the reviews on Google Maps? Chances are they might be fake and the company plans to put an end to this malaise on the platform. Google has started to get strict with businesses who indulge in these activities and warns them about being publicly shamed for posting fake reviews.
End Of Fake Reviews?
Google will be on the prowl for businesses that put fake reviews for the users and put restrictions on the culprits that can impact their overall earnings. The company is setting up a Fake Engagement Policy that includes measures like removing reviews or even blocking the new ones temporarily and even put a warning sign for the users telling them, “fake reviews were deleted from the profile.”
These rules are already in force for businesses in the UK but Google’s recent changes suggest the practice will be applied globally from here on.
The policy also includes any practice of getting reviews written by offering money or freebies. Google will even hunt down profiles that can manipulate the ratings of a place by making one person write from multiple accounts to inflate the numbers and its ranking.
Better Days Ahead
The company doesn’t tell us how it plans to identify such business profiles who might have indulged in these practices for many years. But it is likely that any profile having a public notice on such unethical activities will not only encourage people to stay away from them, which in return could be the catalyst for the business to engage with the users in the right way.
Maps is used widely by billions of users, including those on iPhones in some regions but the platform has always needed new additions. For instance, Maps couldn’t tell people when they have to take a flyover, instead calling it a ramp which confused everyone. But the company finally altered the feature to be more effective. It even has AI-based features on Maps now and more likely to be introduced in the near future.
Comments
0 comment