The Uncomfortable Truth About Fake Reviews - A Lesson We Must Learn

How a London Mortgage Broker Lost 1080 Google Reviews Overnight and What You Should Learn from It

Buying Google Reviews?

Let's talk about the elephant in the room that nobody seems to address. How on earth can you lose 1080 Google reviews overnight? That's a question your potential clients won't ask. They'll spot it and head straight to your competitors. That's right, we're addressing the uncomfortable reality of fake reviews. Here's a story that every business owner needs to know about.

The Review Story

I want to tell you about an old client, a London mortgage broker, who thought they could outsmart Google by buying reviews. Despite my repeated warnings against this practice, they believed they knew better. Well, they didn't. It took about 18 months, but Google's recent update wiped away those false reviews, leaving them in a disastrous state.

The Lesson Learned

Let's be honest, folks; people aren't daft. They can spot when something's not right. This incident isn't an isolated one; I've seen it happen repeatedly, and it's why I firmly stand against any shortcuts in the digital industry.

Buying reviews might seem like a quick win, but it's more like a ticking time bomb. It's a colossal mistake, and we must face this uncomfortable truth if we want to build genuine trust with our clients.

The Review Future

As the Google update is happening, I expect this mortgage broker to lose even more reviews in the coming days. Also, Google has stated they would start deleting unused accounts in December 2023. Maybe they've started early, or they're getting better at spotting fake accounts in this update?

We'll have to wait and see.

SEO Conclusion:

Let's learn from fakery like this and keep our marketing game honest and robust. If you're tempted by the dark side of SEO and digital marketing, think again. The loss, the embarrassment, the damage to your reputation - it's just not worth it.