Why some company representatives feel that the fastest way to the top is to trash the competition is beyond me, but more and more do it every day online. Whether it’s review pages, blogs, or even Facebook, no one seems to be exempt these days from fake reviews or comments. Not only can these negative reviews be detrimental to your online reputation, but also your bottom line.

Let me be as frank as possible for a minute. This is not working. You are not fooling many, if any, no matter how sly, tricky, or brilliant you think you are with your made-up review or comment. Did you know it is possible website owners can look up your IP address to see where your post comes from? You may think this is an excellent way to get one over on your rival, but actually, it does nothing but make you look petty to those of us that can spot your fake review. Even if you happen to get away with it for a bit, you’ll look dumb at best when word gets out. You (and probably your company) would be removed from the site you are posting in the worst-case scenario. I suppose we all need to agree to stop doing this, all right?

I guarantee, going to your boss and having to clarify that the reason your hotel is no longer listed on a standard travel website is that you logged in from work and posted fake negative reviews about your rival having an outbreak of bed bugs is not going to benefit you or your business. Additionally, it will likely get you fired in the process. The reason is that most companies don’t feel that posting numerous negative reviews is funny in any way. Likewise, packing your website with glowing reviews with everyday marketing talk is just silly. The words you use to trigger web crawlers are easy to spot by those with a decerning eye.

There is an old saying, “Live in such a way that no one would believe it if anyone were to talk poorly about you.” This is a philosophy much more manageable to pursue than seeking to sabotage the rivalry. If your rival is running their company this way, and you’re trying to trash them online, guess who’s going to look bad? Trust me when I tell you it is not them that will be looking bad.

The Methods

An estimated as many as 30% of online reviews will be fraudulent or paid for by 2025, according to technology consulting company Garnter. So as a customer, how do you choose the true one from the manufactured one? Here are a handful of tips:

1. Pay attention – As a customer or a site owner, in a short period of time, take note of someone posting multiple reviews, mainly if they are favorable or unfavorable towards a particular product or organization. Take a peek at where a recommendation comes from for site owners. The same town as a hotel for your client? This could be a rival, not a visitor from the past. However, realize that people will use a hotel in the same town they live in from time to time. In other words, don’t discount them just because they come from your zip code.
2. Look at the date – If a find a review that is published prior to the product being reviewed is launched, it is probably not authentic. This doesn’t happen too often, but it can happen. Make sure to take appropriate actions if you find a review such as this.
3. Check Out Other Feedback – Take a look at the user profile on sites like Amazon, Yelp, or TripAdvisor and read other reviews they have written. They’re probably untrue if their only reviews are praise for a particular location or product or concerns about a specific area or product.
4. Be Wary of Black and White – Pay special attention to reviews that are all positive or negative. Sometimes, particularly with consumer goods, with just about everything, people can find pros and cons. It might be worth taking a closer look if the review is packed with nothing but glowing praise or utter hate.
5. Look at The Lingo – Keep an eye out for obscure words from the industry that the regular reviewer will not likely use. Most restaurant guests, when talking about their favorite restaurant, would not mention “delectable cuisine.”
6. Watch Out for Customer hijacking – We all saw the “I tried this thing, hated it and purchased the {insert competitor product here} promptly, and I LOVE it! For 25% off, go buy it here now!” The review. Is anyone falling for this? This also refers to reviewers who, in their analysis, leave a connection to their blog—instant loss of reputation, bad tactics to establish ties.
7. Watch Out For The Crazies – It is challenging to take these reviews seriously, let alone view them as reliable, whether they write in all caps, use poor grammar, often swear or place seven exclamation points at the end of each word (or right smack in the middle for extra emphasis!!!!!!!). Legit or not, you’re just not going to buy anything they sell.

Is it worth checking out online reviews, with all of the review fraud out there? The response, luckily, is yes. Wanting credible and valuable reviews, several platforms are focusing on cracking down on fake reviews. Sites such as Yelp, Google, and TripAdvisor continue to focus on identifying their fraud, even enabling other reviewers and organizations to post questionable reviews to be moderated. Currently, Yelp reports that a whopping 20% of reviews sent to them are never released due to reviews not meeting their requirements for content. For your business, what does this mean? Nice stuff if you’re correctly running your company, especially if it is not your competition.

Conclusion

In the long run, the well-run, trustworthy company that looks out for its clients will always come out ahead, so keep up the excellent work! Following these steps will not only preserve your company’s integrity, but it’s online reputation as well.