You have probably read product or service reviews online. I know I have. You also have spotted fake ones or perhaps ones that just really make little to no sense. A lot of people rely on reviews from both blogs and other review sites to determine if a product or service is well worth the money.
There are reasons why people do fake reviews:
- They were paid by someone else to do it.
- They want to make money through paid to post programs.
- They want to make money through affiliate advertising.
Do I have to list more? As you can see, it all boils down to making money.
However, it does more than make someone money. Fake reviews on sites or blogs:
- Have little regard to their own readers and do not care to provide honest reviews.
- Have little regard to actually working with companies to feature a worthwhile product.
You basically lied while earning money. The economy might not be that great, but when people have money to spend, they will spend it on products and services that they can trust.
And what happens if your readers call you out on a fake review? Retracting your post seems really unprofessional and pretty much a turn off for readers. Remember, that article could be deleted, but how many places did that article get pinged? How long does that article stay in the search engines? How about- how long will it take for you to regain your reader’s trust?
That is what you should be focusing on.
What can you do to avoid writing a bad review that might be construed as fake on your blog?
Well, the obvious would be to write a real honest review. Try the product or service first or do not attempt to write about it at all. If there is any pay involved, or affiliate programs attached, Without focusing on that, make be thorough and try to cover as much as you can like: product description, first thoughts, expectations, end result of product or service’s use, and final thoughts.
It might take a little more time to blog a real review, but in the end, you are letting your readers know where their money is best spent. Being helpful = #win!
Great point. It seems that many bloggers are just looking for a quick buck instead of building credibility with their readers for the long term. This is very shortsighted in my opinion and it is very easy to sniff out a bogus review these days. The bloggers who post them are not very skilled.
Nice article Nile. I will tell you as a online retailer you struck a cord. We sell insoles and I personally write an insole review with a goal to one day having the opportunity to have worn them all. The goal is not only to give a brief overview for online readers -but to have personally known the pros & cons so when consulting with a customer (usually via phone or email) we can identify the personal attributes that will make one insole work for an individuals need versus another.
What’s frustrating is to see reviews and even articles spun out with the intent of keyword building for sales. I wonder how many affiliate marketers actually get a sample (or pay) for a product for every product they sell to honestly try out? I’ll bet few.
Not sure there is much we can do about it? Except, I know for one your article has made me stop, reflect on what I’ve created, and what I can do to make it the best review everytime.
well i know people do fake review but it is the only opportunity for them to get higher pagerank for website.
Hi Nile,
I really appreciate reading an article about integrity. People sometimes go to extremes to try and make money with fake reviews. I’ve seen many of these types of posts and the truth is, I ignore them. I think it is fairly easy to spot the fake ones.
I think the most important statement you made is, Fake reviews on sites or blogs “Have little regard to their own readers and do not care to provide honest reviews.” People who write fake reviews will attract, “fake people.”
Raena Lynn
Thanks for writing this article Niles! Like many people I used to look for reviews online before trying new products or services, but not anymore. Even book reviews at sites like Amazon can be deceptive because often reviews are left by friends or colleages.
I love review sites, because they save me time and give me a heads up on whether or not I’m investing my time and money wisely.
But if they’re fake reviews, you are right, Niles. They not only obscure their true purpose, they also mislead people into possibly wasting their money on products they did not get proper information about.
That said, honest reviews can be of great value to your readers, especially if you also give them previews or tutorials to use in conjunction with the product.
So true Nile, it’s amazing what people do these days to make a buck.
I agree with you completely that the internet has been over run by a bunch of biased reviews.
Great post, thanks for sharing 🙂
Personally I think the paid review blogs is a big money making industry often times it will work in favor of publisher and investors as well. Though just like what you have said Nile it will work against the advertiser if the review is not well written and fake. Readers are becoming more intelligent they can easily determine whether a review is fake or not.
Hi Nile,
thanks for this interesting article, I was wondering how do we get serious reviews on our sites from serious people that have visibility so that we get visibility too?
How can we obtain using the review idea a win win win situation for everyone?
Thanks again;)
Thanks for writing this article Niles! Like many people I used to look for reviews online before trying new products or services, but not anymore. . Readers are becoming more intelligent they can easily determine whether a review is fake or not.
You are right Nile, The fake reviewing has affected the lives of buyers as well as sellers much more deeply and I am a real life user who got into the trap of it. Because of the some fraudsters who chose the way of fake reviewing, the Good folks i.e. the real sellers with good quality services/products(but with low budget) suffer a lot. For Ex. You may prefer to buy from authorized seller from Amazon but would think twice before buying anything from some smaller e-commerce sites. In fact this paid reviewing has deeply made us not to believe on anybody! That’s why Now a days I prefer to get a brief observation about scams and complaints about any online shop before buying anything from their site!
What can be a worse for reader than to read and trust a fake review, its sad that sometimes some blogs publish fake testimonials and reviews. As a consumer/customer we want to read real reviews which can help us make the right decisions so its important to write honest reviews.
I think you’ll find that a lot of people get paid to speak positively of a product or service due to the fact that they get paid to do so, which we all know of as affiliate marketing
I personally find reviews extremely helpful and perhaps one f the first things I search for before purchasing any product or service. It does have to be appropriate with pro’s and con’s in order for me to consider it genuine.
Unfortunately, fake reviews will always be a part of online marketing and advertising. It’s hard to have a blind eye towards it, but in the end it all boils down to the service you provide whatever it may be. Eventually, the fake reviews will be noticed and the folks with legitimate reviews will prevail.
Unfortunately, fake reviews will always be a part of online marketing and advertisement. Eventually they will be exposed and the folks who work hard for real world reviews will prevail.
Hi Nile, Thanks for this article that shows the integrity of blogging. I take blogging seriously. It never even occurred to me that bloggers would use fake reviews. I am not one for automated comments. I must say I totally agree with Reanna that Fake reviews will get you Fake results.
Honesty, integrity and being ethical on our blogs will only attract people that are worth working with. I enjoy syndicating other people because it is always a learning curve and sometimes leads into a great friendship or Joint Venture. Like they say “honesty is the best policy”
Blessings,
Donna
Thanks a million, i have fallen victim of fake review,the information you provided here is an eye opener. i will always visit for another interesting information
Hello Nile,
Your article confirms what I have thought for a while.
Testers as well as Reviewers should be neutral and not be on the payroll list
of companies.
Back, when I was living in Germany, I was asked to participate in product reviews/ surveys many times – after qualification for the particular product. I remember that my test results were not always positive. And that is the purpose of it.
These test results were designed for the company and not the public.
I guess that has changed.
Anja
Hi Nile, I often search out information before buying or joining. It’s rather frustrating why people will write fake reviews. I see in your great article why they feel compelled to lie. We must remember that dishonesty can come back and bit your behind. Integrity and honesty are always the most excellent way!
Bless you!
Lynn
I agree to your point Nile. I don’t really know what people are up to with writing fake reviews besides getting the heck of a price for their nonsense work. Usually, I’ve encountered this kind of posts on supplements and other dietary drugs saying they became this, that…even, services.
Well, these days, we really have to search deeper for reputable reviews if we want to have reliable source of information before getting the desired product and services.
Interesting Point! Most of The Bloggers Write Fake Reviews by Earning Handsome amount of Money From Paid Programs! I have Similar sort of experience in Paid Programs i Find Most of The bloggers were writing Fake Reviews regarding products!
Nile,
Once again, great post! Love it! Fake product reviews really make me sick. It truly sickens me when I type in {the name of the product or software program} and the word “review” after it in google, hoping that I’ll get some legitimate reviews. Sometimes I do. Oftentimes, I just get some FOOL that just gives a rave review on the product that his network marketing company just “happens” to be selling, or some product that has an affiliate link on his wall, etc. You can even sell a product and do an honest review of that product as long as you realize that you can destroy your reputation in a few minutes of deceptive reviewing practices!
Thanks for the heads up!
— Jupiter Jim
Hi Nile,These are certainly some great point you have stated here, most bloggers are just looking for a quick buck as soon as possible, this is why fake reviews are so rampant.
Nile, I appreciate you are talking about this topic. In the travel industry, often times I need to educate my clients on that. They usually believe everything they read on the reviews and they can miss a wonderful getaway because of that. I agree with Raena you can easily spot the fake ones.
I that that most of us are question the product reviews that we read. Unfortunately, so many people seem to lack integrity in this area. Like Lynn, I believe that karma catches up with the false reviews eventually.
Good post, Nile! I remember the first time I ever heard that celebrities endorsing products in TV commercials are not always speaking the truth… i.e. they haven’t really tried the product… I felt so cheated. Sometimes it’s harder to tell on the internet if a review is genuine or fake, but it’s good to be reminded that we NEED to use caution and discernment when reading reviews online. Thanks for that reminder.
Willena Flewelling
Nile-
You’re addressing a very important topic in this post, and I hope your readers are really paying attention.
Let me take what you said one step further…. Not only can your “fake review” totally ruin your Brand by making your visitors distrust you, it can actually get you in big trouble legally!
In the US, the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) a little while back, began requiring what’s known as “Material Disclosures”. This was directed, presumably, at all of those “fake reviews’ by program affiliates.
Bloggers need to disclose their MATERIAL CONNECTION if posting a review. That is, they should clearly state to their readers that they will be compensated if you purchase the product they are reviewing.
The point of this is simple- a Consumer will trust a true Independent Review of a product more than they will trust a review of a product where the reviewer gets paid if the reader buys the product.
That’s not to say that if you’re an affiliate, you can’t review a product. You can- but you need to disclose your material connection AND it would be more beneficial in my opinion, to not act like it’s an independent review in the way you word it and only add a tiny disclosure.
Instead, share your thoughts about the product and your honest experiences. People are cool with that. It’s all about being transparent and trustworthy!
Hi Nile! Fake reviews will always have bad karma. I think if someone is involved in it , he should be aware that it is against God’s law. A fake review is a LIE.
Respects for your belief in God but to call it like a sin and saying against god is some thing really new to me. Affiliate marketing is another thing i guess in this post the author is saying not to write reviews without knowing much about the product, and mostly staying this to good blog owners like her who have a constant number of reader who follow their blog.
I think the most important statement you made is, Fake reviews on sites or blogs “Have little regard to their own readers and do not care to provide honest reviews.
I am so with you on this one. I have seen a lot of pros and cons on this, but you truly cannot write a real review on something you have never used or experienced! Sooo what I see is those who have reviewed the majority give negative reviews. Well that could be just as bad. I decided then you will not see a review from me. You will see an endorsement of something I have used and I have favorable things to say.
It really depends. Companies should be informed that even if you do take a product it does not necessarily mean that you’ll give them raving reviews if their product sucks. There goes a bit of compromise like not posting anything at all. But then again there is affiliate marketing and a lot of people earn from those so well. We all gotta earn.
Very true indeed! A lot of consumers nowadays rely on the web to obtain reviews on products they would like to purchase and giving a fake or bogus review is uncalled for. It isn’t fair to the consumers. We do not want to send the wrong message to others and remember that what we say on the net can be read by thousands.
hello
nile
fully agree with u information you provided here is an eye opener. i will always visit for another interesting information thnx for this featured article nice share
this is why i stopped doing reviews an stuff. i couldn’t keep lying about crap that i thought sucked ass and weren’t very good ideas to begin with. and you know telling the truth in the blog world never pays off… >.>
Great post. It’s really ashame how hard it is nowadays to find honest and accurate reviews/information on the internet today. Especially on blogs and in comments. I like to think that the honest/good guys always win, but it’s hard to believe. I tend to think that readers will eventually always migrate to the blogs that provide them with quality and useful information and leave those that take advantage of the system.
It is a shame that people write fake reviews. It might be a way of life. I am a tour guide and I have seen some of the craziest reviews competitors write about each others on some of the travel forums. It’s a shame.
I agree i hate those sites with fake reviews !
Every time i google a product and review ( e.g Hostgator review ) i get fake sites with fake reviews filled with Referral / affiliate links
it’s so disappointing that people got deceived by fake a.k.a “paid” reviews. this happens also on vacation travelers.
Great publish and blog! I do not have time for you to read every publish right now however i have book-marked it as well as added your Nourishes, then when I’ve time I’ll be to find out more. Please continue the truly amazing work.
I think the most important statement you made is, Fake reviews on sites or blogs “Have little regard to their own readers and do not care to provide honest reviews.” People who write fake reviews will attract, “fake people.”
I agree with you completely that the internet has been over run by a bunch of biased reviews.Well that could be just as bad. I decided then you will not see a review from me….
http://www.findghar.com
This is an interesting topic and I see alot of varying opinions on the value of reviews. I try and stay away from creating reviews or rating products in such a way as to influence the reader’s decision to buy that item. But, since my site includes info on products as a resource, I try and just describe in objective terms the product or service. Then maybe include some clearly identified info from the company itself and let the reader decide if it’s valuable to them.