As bloggers, we often take the word of other bloggers in regard to products which will enhance our blogging experience. Especially those products that will make our blogs easier to run. Here is what you need to know however, before you buy; 3 tips to spot fake product reviews.
Fake Product Reviews
We all know that spammers have gotten the best of us in the past. With that knowledge, Google, WordPress and all the big dogs have put in place special measures to help this issue. Spam comments are annoying, time consumming and link you to bad neighborhoods. So what aout that hot new seo product your about to purchase? How do you know if the reviews are legit?
A quick summary of the issue is this; people, rather companies, will post ads in forums for fake reviewers. They do not specify “fake reviews” needed; they simply say they need 200+ reviews posted on different sites over the course of a week or two. They offer compensation of $50-$200 to do so.
The problem with this is the internet becomes full of crap. Full of fraud products and people who make money unethically. Not a new concept I know. However, if you are running your business or blog ethically, these reviews can cost you money, time and advancement.
Fake reviews have become so prevalent, companies are now hiring people to detect fraud and research scam reviewers. Places like Yelp, that depend on user ratings, have upwards of 30% fake reviews. (Bloomberg Business) Not only do reviews help sell product or services, but some of these review sites pay good money per review. For example, TripAdvisor pays $80 per review should you reach elite status.
One of the key things I tell people about online marketing products, is before you buy realize this; that review you are reading is either paid or an affiliate post. Plain and simple, people are getting paid to write about that product. So what should you do? For one, read more than one review. Secondly, check out people like, Ana Hoffman who tell the truth. There is a reason she is one of the most trusted names in the blogging world; and the product review below is just an example.
Now that we have that out of the way, let’s look at 3 tips to spot fake reviews. This data comes from research conducted by Microsoft, Amazon and Google. These three teamed up to conduct fraud research based on a specific computer model used to detect semantic deception.
The Results
- Deceptive reviews will typically involve the writer talking about themselves a lot. For example, “I bought this product because I wanted to make my blog stand out.” A true review will more then likely state the facts from a 3rd person opinion.
- Fake reviews will usually write out the full name of the product. For example,”I bought XYZ product from ABC creators because I…..”
- Fake reviews will be full of keywords and pronouns, adverbs. For example, “we stayed in one of the extreme suites and let me tell you, it was beautiful. It was very comfortable and welcoming.” A real review will typically describe the physical space, location, etc. For products, a real review will discuss the inner workings and results of use. Not just “what it does.” They will use nouns and verbs most of the time.
While I do not think there is a provem method to detect a deceptive or fake review yet, you can arm yourself with a bit of knowledge before you buy. No one wants to deal with buyers remorse or spending hard earned cash on junk products. If you only read one review, then shame on you.
With the amazing results you can achieve by simply using Google, there should be no reason people fall prey to scam products. There is a plethora of information available at your fingertips so long as you do your due diligence.
