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What is the reason for the deletion of reviews by Google in such a large scale at the present time?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Filtering of reviews has always been a part of Google but the volume has changed. The major cause for the mass deletion of reviews by the search engine is nothing but the very strict review policies and the related conflict with spam detection updates enforcement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the past year, Google has put more effort into faking interactions and engagement concealment. Some of these are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bulk posting of spam reviews<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Incentivising reviews <\/strong>(offering discounts, free products or services, or rewards)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reviews from inactive\/suspicious accounts<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Same IP or device repeated reviews<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The reviewing system of Google is employing advanced machine learning systems to identify patterns that are not human via the internet. Even honest reviews could be caught if they are similar to spam behavior. The local SEO consultant, Rohan Mehta says, \u201cGoogle no longer looks only to the review but it also considers the author, the frequency of his\/her posting and whether the author’s activity seems natural.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n This is what explains the unfortunate loss of real reviews by many legitimate businesses without any prior warning. Yes, this is actually the case and it is what is causing the frustration among people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The issue of the deleting of Google reviews affecting the genuine feedback is one of the most researched secondary themes around this. The automated systems of Google are far from perfect. If a real customer leaving a short review like “Great service” from a new account, it could be seen as suspicious by the algorithm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This situation is very common with:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n New businesses with identical rapid increase in number of review Service-area businesses<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Brands using email or SMS to solicit reviews If there is a sudden influx of reviews and they all seem alike, Google has the tendency to remove them all at once. This is directly related to Google’s review spam detection which now gives priority to a user’s behavioral pattern rather than the user’s intent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you have ever encouraged customers to “please leave us a review,” that alone isn’t an issue. However, if you go overboard or use templated messages, that might trigger filters. This is where the issue becomes quite serious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Google reviews are considered the most important local ranking signals. Losing reviews not only has a negative impact on your reputation but also could lead to loss of visibility in Maps and local search results. Often businesses experiencing disappearance of reviews from their Google business profile notice the following decline:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Google’s aim is to build trust. If it suspects there is any manipulation going on, it does not only delete the reviews but reduces the weights of the remaining ones too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nAre the original Google reviews being removed alongside fake ones?<\/strong>
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<\/p>\n\n\n\nHow do Google\u2019s review policies affect local SEO rankings?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Local pack rankings<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
Click-through rates<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
Customer inquiries<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n