Local SEO & Google My Business Product Expert

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Three Key Changes to the Google Review Guidelines

Google reviews policy ended Dec 2017
Google reviews policy ended Dec 2017

In mid December, Google quietly rolled out an upgrade to the customer reviews filtering algorithm.  It was intended to take out a lot of review spamming that has been going on.

Around the same time, Google also quietly removed the old Google My Business Reviews Policy page, making much of the reviews guidelines part of the Google Maps content policy.

The new review guidelines include a broader range of no-no’s, all of which are common sense. There are the usual suspects such as no hate speech, no adult content, no confidential info, no copyrighted or illegal content, etc.

Subtle but significant changes to the guidelines

1. Former/current employees are no longer able to leave reviews

This is finally explicit.  Not having this clear has caused a fair bit of frustration when a former employee gets the sack, leaves a horrid review and then Google refused to take it down. If you’ve ever been in this situation, sing out and let’s try to get that resolved.

2. Don’t offer or accept money in exchange for reviews

This is a confusing change, as the old guidelines stated “Don’t offer or accept money, products, or services to write reviews for a business” . This version specifically says just money in one article. Yet Google keeps the more broad wording incentives, in another help article.

So does this vaguery mean discounts and other inducements are OK? Depends on the overriding law of the land.

If you’re in Australia the ACCC guidelines state:

Incentives should only be offered in exchange for reviews of your business (its products or services) if:

  • incentives are offered equally to consumers likely to be complimentary[sic] and consumers likely to be critical, and positive and negative reviews are treated the same
  • the reviewer is expressly told that the incentive is available whether the review is positive or negative
  • the incentive is prominently disclosed to users who rely on affected reviews.

In the US, the FTC isn’t as detailed in its offering of guidance, but follows along the similar lines.

If there is a material connection between an endorser and an advertiser, that connection should be clearly and conspicuously disclosed unless it’s already clear from the context of the communication.

So after that, I’d still say even though the wording is changed, it’s not really a change.

3. Don’t solicit reviews from customers in bulk

This one is also concerning, because there isn’t clarity about what “bulk” constitutes.  Logically you’d say don’t email out 200 customers a day and get 10 reviews in a day and expect any of them to stick.  While that makes sense, we’re wondering how Google will determine whether something is a “bulk”.

  • Is it a link in an email that gets used “too frequently”?
    If so, is it then the click of the link that sets the trigger or the review left by using the link?
    If you happen to be using Gmail or Google Apps for your mail, know that Google follows links in emails (we tested it). So a another option could be the number of times that link gets known to Google.
  • Is it the volume of reviews left based on historical trends? If that’s the case, then how does a business get started? I’ve seen Google wipe a handful of reviews for a business that took a couple of months to accumulate. The listing had been around for awhile, and the business owner “woke up” to the importance of reviews. That’s good right?  Maybe not so much – you can imagine the frustration of getting the reviews and then having them wiped overnight.

My advice in with reviews is to start slowly, build naturally.

  • Offer multiple options (website, google, facebook, yelp, etc).
  • Start with a handful of invitations a day or week, and work your way up to a larger number over a period of several weeks.  If your business is seasonal, let the volume be reflective of the seasonality of your business.
4. Missing: mention of kiosks

(#4 here because despite it’s appearance, #2 isn’t really a change)

In the older guidelines Google had expressly stated

If you’re a business owner, don’t set up review stations or kiosks at your place of business just to ask for reviews written at your place of business.

The “new” guidelines don’t mention kiosks. Nevertheless I still believe they’re a no-go because of this wording on the Get Reviews on Google page:

Let them know that it’s quick and easy to leave business reviews on mobile devices or desktop computers.

And we know historically, Google checks the devices where reviews are written. If it sees multiple reviews from the same device, it filters them out.

Local Guides

Local guides in particular are incentivised to add photos and longer text in reviews.

If you find your listing suddenly receiving more reviews than usual and you’re not sure why, check to see if it’s coming from Local Guides.  If it is, double check the photos. We’re seeing a rise in the amount of photo spam coming from fake LG profiles, often associated with reviews.

Links to key articles about reviews & review content

(now spread between Maps and GMB support documentation)

This article summarises the most significant changes to the guidelines, and intended to cover the vast majority of situations with a fairly quick read. Joy Hawkins has already done a good post about the nitty gritty details.

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Google extends Review Notifications

review notice emailDuring the 3rd week of June, 2017,  Google quietly extended the review notifications for listings from just the primary owner, to any user on the listing with review notifications enabled.

This has been a much requested feature, and we’re delighted it has rolled out.

Exceptions

As with every rule, there are the seemingly necessary exceptions:

You won’t receive review notifications if:

  1. The listing was verified in bulk (even if it’s on a single listing account now)
  2. The account has more than 100 listings on it, even if the listings have not been bulk verified

Not available

Still pending is the ability for bulk listings to be able to turn on notifications for specific listings.

There was a temporary glitch with the notices that meant every bulk listing was sending notifications.  While popular with some, it was resoundly howled down.

Don’t hold your breath for this sometimes requested feature.

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If even God can’t get it right…

Customer reviews – they make some go weak at the knees. The knee-knocking usually comes from two schools of thought:

  • Thinking it’s too hard. Done right, it becomes part of your marketing and customer service and is simple. That’s a discussion for another post.
  • Fear of negative reviews.

Let’s tackle the last one.

First question to ask yourself is – do you give good customer service? If you can’t answer that with a resounding yes then why are you in business? If money is your only motivation, then things will catch up with you anyway and you should be afraid.

If you give good service (usually shown by repeat customers), letting people know you appreciate reviews will encourage positive reviews. You’ll certainly ask for more than you get, but Australians are getting used to the idea of reviews and are no longer as uncomfortable with giving them as they used to be.

The next bit is understanding that “haters gonna hate” and maybe it’s time to “shake it off” and laugh a little.

Here are some ripper extracts of reviews from the 7 natural wonders of the world:

Aurora Borealis

auroraThe aurora borealis, or northern lights, are naturally occurring lights that bring about a spectacular light show across the sky. They can appear as waves across the sky or as a diffused glow lighting up the horizon. “Red and green auroras” by Arctic light Frank Olsen, Norway – Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons.

1-star-reviewno lights
2-star-reviewthey are fickle and what we saw on second attempt was a bit underwhelming
1-star-reviewwe think they are a bit over rated

Grand Canyon

Grand CanyonThe Grand Canyon, a massive gorge created by the Colorado River, is located in the state of Arizona in the United States. While it’s not the steepest or longest canyon in the world, it’s recognised as a natural wonder because of its unparalleled scale & size paired with a brilliantly coloured landscape.
Grand Canyon view from Pima Point 2010 by Chensiyuan – Own work. Licensed under GFDL via Commons

2-star-review If you’ve seen just one picture, mystery is gone
2-star-review I came… I saw… I used the porta potty
1-star-review Whoopity doo, Grand Canyon… Can you say “overrated”
1-star-review I’m going to write a bad review because nobody else has….

Great Barrier Reef

great barrier reefAs the world’s largest coral reef, the Great Barrier Reef was wholly created by living organisms and supports one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world. It includes over 900 islands and 2,900 separate reefs. It is the only wonder of nature that can be seen from outer space. The reef stretches 2,600 km (1,600 miles) along the northeastern coast of Australia and it covers over 344,000 sq km (133,000 square miles).
GreatBarrierReef-EO by NASA, by MISR – Licensed under Public Domain via Commons.

1-star-reviewReef was disappointing and not what was expected
2-star-reviewCan see better coral via Sydney Aquarium

Mt Everest

everest Mount Everest is located in the Himalayan mountain range on the border between Nepal and Tibet, China. It is the highest mountain on earth with the summit reaching a peak of 8,848 m (29,029 feet).
Everest North Face toward Base Camp Tibet Luca Galuzzi 2006 by I, Luca Galuzzi. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.5 via Commons.

2-star-reviewbetter views of mountains on a commercial flight over the Alps.

Paricutin

paricutinParicutin is a cinder cone volcano in Michoacán, Mexico. As a fast-growing volcano, reaching three-fourths of its size within the first year, it was established as a natural wonder because humankind has witnessed its birth. It’s been dormant since its last eruption in 1952.
Paricutin by Karla Yannín Alcázar Quintero (photographer) – Scanned paper photo. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Commons.

1-star-reviewthe crater was an anticlimax. It was just a big hole with warm, sulfur-smelling steam coming out of it

Victoria Falls

victoria fallsVictoria Falls, named after the reigning queen at the time by the Scottish explorer Dr. David Livingstone, is the largest waterfall in the world. This natural wonder spans 1.7 km (1 mile) and 108 metres (360 feet) high. The locals call it Mosi-oa-Tunya by the locals which means “smoke that thunders.”
Victoriafälle. Licensed under Public Domain via Commons.

2-star-review… Barely saw any animals…
2-star-review…being there during high water season, most of the trail was covered in mist…

Negative reviews are a possibility. The reality is, people can talk about your business online anyway, so you’re safer being part of the conversation and knowing what’s being said. No-one has 100% happy people all the time – just ask Mother Earth.

Oh, and the last wonder, Harbor of Rio de Janeiro – it’s excluded because we couldn’t find any comments on the natural wonder itself, only of the city.