Are you rewarding customers for their Google Reviews? If so, there may be trouble ahead...
We help manage dozens of Google Business Profiles for a range of different businesses.
In the last 24 hours we’ve received several email reminders from Google about their Business Profile policies (summarised below), concerning how it's never been more essential to keep your Profile trustworthy and reliable.
These reminders seem particularly focused on reviews.
Their headline guidance was to:
1. Keep your information accurate and up-to-date
Make sure everything you publish accurately represents your business and what it offers.
2. Play fair with the competition
Never post negative content intended to harm the reputation of your competitors.
3. Welcome genuine customer feedback
Accept all reviews, positive and negative. Don't selectively solicit positive reviews or pressure customers, employees and other affiliates of your company to leave a particular review.
4. Don't reward for reviews
Certainly don’t pay for reviews or offer incentives like discounts or freebies for reviews.
So what does this mean for your business?
Well, it's on this last point that I regularly see so many businesses violating Google's terms.
How many local cafes and restaurants have offered you a free coffee or dessert in exchange for a review?
How many plumbers or electricians have followed up on their service for you with a "how did we do" email offering money off their services for a review?
By all means invite reviews but, as it's against Google's policies for businesses to offer incentives in exchange, it's only a matter of time before such practices will negatively impact your business.
Sure, it may be a while before Google identifies instances of this at every 'guilty' business, but they're inviting users to report inaccurate or inappropriate reviews.
And only last month Google culled millions of reviews, so we know it's coming.
If (like us) your business relies on Google reviews - and your Google Business Profile - then this is probably one boat you don't want to rock!