Consumers who surf the Internet to find reviews on products and services can run into a major roadblock. Amidst genuine testimonials and user comments, there are phony reviews planted by promotions teams intended to lure potential customers.
Product review and customer websites are designed to create a forum for honest feedback from individuals who have experience with particular products, services, or businesses. Many of these sites require individuals to register in order to comment, a protection meant to eliminate fake reviews or comments left by individuals associated with the product.
Despite efforts to eliminate unethical practices, businesses that are determined to get around the rules can still find ways of asserting their influence. One of the most common (and effective) ways that businesses get around website rules is by hiring comment writers to contribute favorable feedback.
While advertisements for paid comments are regularly found at online communities like Craigslist, many scammers look to foreign sources to hire reviewers.
Spotting Fake Reviews
Anyone can be taken in by a shining review listing all of the unbelievable qualities a product has to offer. Fortunately, honest companies do still exist, tailoring their products to the needs of the consumer. Yet, if it sounds too good to be true – beyond perfect, for instance – it probably is. For buyers who’ve fallen for questionable comments one too many times, here are a few tips on how to dig through layers of over-enthusiastic language to spot a fake testimonial.
1. Poor Language
The goal of scam companies is to make as much profit as possible; so, many opt to hire non-native English speakers or individuals without sufficient writing ability. The result: rave reviews with extremely poor grammar and spelling.
A poorly written review here and there isn’t necessarily cause for alarm. For example, if the product is available in the U.S., but primarily sold in another country, there is the possibility that non-English-speaking customers chose to post on the American website to share information about the product.
However, if the majority of testimonials meet this criteria, it might be time to consider a different product altogether. Try viewing the earliest testimonials you can find. If a company’s initial reviews all appear to be written by non-native English speakers, they likely hired commenters in the early days to jump start sales.
2. Keyword-stuffed Testimonials
It only takes a few seconds of reading a review to notice a pattern of exact keywords appearing over and over again. Keyword stuffing is the weapon of choice for promoters who want to drive their websites up in the search engine to lure in unsuspecting consumers.
It’s easy to detect a keyword-stuffed review when the words fit awkwardly into the text or seem to be slightly off-topic. After all, a genuine review for an LCD TV discusses the product specifications. It doesn’t include the words “cheap TVs” on every other line.
Online shoppers should also be aware of reviews in which the product name itself is typed out in full over and again. At a time when Web-savvy consumers prefer to shorten words with universal acronyms, it’s unlikely for the average reviewer to write out lengthy product names more than once or twice.
3. Attack Mode
Any veteran forum viewer has seen it before: a long list of ecstatic comments is followed by a negative one. Suddenly another long list of comments appears to refute and destroy that single unsatisfied review. Although scam sellers do their best to control public feedback, a damaging testimonial can slip through the cracks once in a while.
The solution? Attack mode. Fake testimonials are planted all around the offending comment to eliminate the reviewer’s credibility, and usually refer directly to the testimonial in question.
A significant difference in opinion about a product’s value isn’t automatically a sign of a fake review. Online arguments are a common element of Internet shopping, as individual buyers are passionate about products they love.
Examine the language of the attacking commenters. If the positive reviews sound extremely similar, it’s because they’re most likely designed to cover all the same points. Look at the dates on the posts. If the testimonial page was inactive for weeks or months before the negative comment appeared, a sudden onslaught of new elated customers should set off your inner scam alarm immediately. If the bad feedback is mysteriously removed after attack mode is launched, be very suspicious.
4. Marketing Jargon
The unlimited number of educational and professional paths available in the Western world means that most Internet consumers are not business marketers. Average consumers use simple, direct language that addresses the basic qualities other customers are looking for. Is the product good or bad? Does it work, or not? Is it convenient or a hassle? Does it look nice, or is it an eyesore? If every testimonials sounds like it was written by a professional marketer or copywriter, it probably was.
A handful of marketing testimonials in a hundred is nothing to worry about. In reality, marketers and business owners are customers, too. They buy products and write testimonials like any other consumer, so don’t immediately assume that such language identifies a scam review. Always look around for other indicators before you click away from a potentially great product.
Make Smart Purchases
There are many ways for scam sites to fool consumers into taking the plunge and buying their product. Not all of these methods are easy to detect; but if buyers keep their eyes open and read between the lines, they can protect themselves from fraudulent sellers. Fake product reviews are never a good marketing tool, and legitimate businesses rarely use them. Remember, if a manufacturer doesn’t have confidence in his own product, you shouldn’t either.
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