Don't miss out on the latest from Birdeye.Get our newsletter. Research shows that 92% of customers look at reviews before making a purchase decision. Though it might feel like ancient history, it really wasn’t too long ago. Google’s prohibition on anonymous reviews is more than a mandate for consumer transparency. Many third-party review websites offer a widget or embed code that you can add to your website. Customers considering your service want to know that you are engaged; they want to see that you are appreciative of customers who send positive feedback, and they want to see that you take the concerns of dissatisfied customers seriously. This is an opportunity for engagement with your fan base on social media, as well as a way to draw attention to what customers have to say about your business. In the age of online reviews, customers can gauge a business’s reputation more easily than ever. "I believe it is extremely unfair that people are allowed to anonymously attack honest, hardworking small businesses," Dr Kabbabe told the ABC at the time. Anonymous reviews appeared posted as “A Google User” on Google My Business profiles. We now require user authentication with a Google or Facebook login. First, let’s take a step back and talk about what the trust economy is. With Birdeye’s automated review requests, you can send a text or email to your customers as soon as they have left the building. Here is some more info that others will see: The name on your About me page; Other reviews you’ve written on Google Maps; Photos you’ve added to Google Maps; Tip: If you’re a Local Guide, you can get points by adding reviews and ratings to Google Maps. It’s now prohibited for businesses to offer incentives, such as discounts, to customers who leave a review. Review platforms wanted to make leaving a review easy for anybody, but that came at a cost: the integrity of the system. Google leads technological efforts to make the globe available at our fingertips, but there are a number of parties who want to swat prying eyes away. This is when businesses selectively request reviews from customers who they are sure will leave a positive review. Because of Google’s new review gating policy, businesses need to make an effort to ask all customers for feedback, not just a select group. "It has a significant impact," Mr Seeto said. In April 2018, Google officially ended the practice of “review gating”. In the trust economy, customers make transactions with businesses and institutions that they feel comfortable dealing with. This is when businesses selectively request reviews from customers who they are sure will leave a positive review. Customers can be sure that the reviews that help them make purchase decisions reflect genuine experiences. For the trust economy to function properly, customers need to be able to trust reviews. Authentic customer reviews are essential for any business, and when you consistently execute a plan to generate positive reviews and promote them, your business will stand out in search results, on third-party websites, and social media, thus earning you more customers. To get the most value from the reviews feature on Google My Business, not to mention your listing as a whole, make sure your profile is complete and provides robust information to prospective customers. Any kind of review is super important when it comes to customers wanting to buy your product or spend money on your services. "I'm in the office every day, I sit next to my receptionist and my staff — why would we say something like that [as claimed in the review]?". "Unless you want your concerns and enquires to be met with hostility. After all, these practices motivate customers to leave positive reviews, not unbiased reviews. Birdeye profiles, which display local business reviews from all over the Internet, once allowed customers to submit reviews without leaving a name. Customers will only trust online reviews if it’s clear the reviews are authentic and represent an unbiased view of the business. Competitors could hypothetically leave dozens of fake reviews on a rival’s page. In addition, Google has deleted all previously-posted anonymous reviews. Here are a couple of things you can do to stay ahead of the curve. Newspapers and other media have long been held liable for the content they publish, but internet platforms such as Facebook and Google have argued they are not publishers. In the same study, BrightLocal “compared the average star rating of reviews with a named author and anonymous reviews and found a difference of 0.2 stars.”. So what do anonymous reviews have to do with the trust economy? We are dedicated to preserving an authentic review ecosystem for both businesses and customers. It’s not just Google and it’s not just Birdeye. It was in 2009 that Dr Duffy found searches for her name on Google resulted in the display of extracts from — and hyperlinks to — material on the Ripoff Report. Google no longer permits users to post anonymous reviews on the Google My Business platform. However, remember that you DON’T want to incentivize customer reviews. Former SA health department researcher Janice Duffy successfully sued the internet giant for defamation and won $100,000 in damages, plus interest, in 2015. Not only is this strategy unethical, it can lead to hefty fines. Other reviewers have given his business five stars. At Birdeye, we are strong supporters of the trust economy. Mr Seeto said "Emma Anderson" was not a client, and nor were "Sharmane Harris" and "Brett Williams", who left wordless one-star reviews about the same time. The exchange of goods and services has always required an underlying foundation of trust. Two years later she launched a civil lawsuit against Google in the South Australian Supreme Court. More importantly, businesses cannot effectively respond to feedback if it’s left from an anonymous reviewer. "Wouldn't bother, my first time using them and I know I'll be going back to my old accountant.". "Ninety-five per cent of the search market is Google. Barrister launches court action to unmask Google reviewer she suspects is rival lawyer. "And for a small business it's so damaging.". Trustworthy reviews benefit both businesses and customers, which is why preserving an authentic review ecosystem is important. The transition to the trust economy does come with a few setbacks. Since the primary account was connected to Google, there was somewhat more accountability than the previous system. The trust economy allows businesses to turn feedback into action. Earlier this year, Melbourne dentist Matthew Kabbabe, who alleges he was defamed in an anonymous online review, convinced a Federal Court judge to order Google to unmask an internet user called "CBsm 23". The Complete 35-Step Guide for Entrepreneurs Starting a Business, 25 Frequently Asked Questions on Starting a Business, 50 Questions Angel Investors Will Ask Entrepreneurs, 17 Key Lessons for Entrepreneurs Starting A Business, 4 Ways to Increase Your Positive Yelp Reviews, 16 Key Issues in Negotiating an Employment Severance Package, 10 Expert Social Media Tips to Help Your Small Business Succeed, 5 Steps to Building a Million-Dollar Business With No Employees. Having advance knowledge of a customer’s poor experience will allow you to respond to the customer outside of a public forum. You can’t add an anonymous review. The removal of anonymity signals the need for businesses to generate authentic reviews from real customers. Your 5-star reviews aren’t confined to the original platform. Lean Startup Plan: Which Is Best When Starting Your New Business? Let your customers refer your business to family & friends. To win in the trust economy, businesses need to stay on top of feedback and maintain customer trust. This could be as simple as a business card with a call-to-action and a few simple steps for leaving a review on Google My Business or another important platform. Are there certain aspects of the customer experience you want to highlight? Mr Defteros successfully sued over web searches that brought up his name in relation to associations with Victoria's gangland figures. In the early days of the review ecosystem, it was easy for anybody to leave a review. Yes, businesses are being forced to change old practices like offering incentives for customers to leave reviews. In a client survey conducted by BrightLocal, only 3% of Google reviews were anonymous. I've asked staff: 'Did it happen?'. A trustworthy review ecosystem allows businesses to collect real insights from real customers. They also Still, business owners would often have no idea if the person who left the review was a real customer. Your “promoters” will rank your business as a 9 or 10, while passives rank it as a 7 or 8 and detractors rank it as a 0 to 7. When new reviews are published, your website will automatically populate the latest ratings and reviews. Since review gating is now prohibited by Google’s policies, you need to ask all of your customers for reviews. We’ve also introduced tighter review content relevance requirements and enhanced spam and slander detection algorithms.