Why Buying 5-Star Google Reviews Could Cost You Everything

Have you ever read a glowing review and thought, “Is this even real?”

You’re not alone. In 2023, Google cracked down on 45% more fake reviews than the year before. Despite these efforts, fake reviews are still rampant across the internet. So, why do businesses continue to buy 5-star Google reviews? And, more importantly—what are the hidden risks that no one’s talking about?

If you run a business or trust online reviews when making decisions, this is something you need to be aware of.

Why do Businesses Buy Google Reviews?

Buying fake reviews can seem like an easy shortcut to boost your business’ reputation and attract customers. After all, positive reviews increase trust, and higher ratings can lead to more sales. Reviews are also a huge ranking factor. But as tempting as this may be, the risks far outweigh the rewards.

The Biggest Risk: Google Filtering

One of the largest risks when buying reviews is Google’s review filter.

Craig Campbell, a digital marketing expert, highlighted on his podcast that the biggest risk with fake reviews is getting filtered. Google has a sophisticated system to detect unnatural patterns, and if it seems that your account is consistently generating suspicious reviews, it can increase the strictness of its review filter.

Buying Google Reviews Can Make it Harder for Real Reviews to Publish

If Google detects fake reviews, it can lead to more genuine reviews getting filtered out as well. Essentially, even the legitimate, positive feedback from real customers may not show up on your profile anymore. You’ll lose credibility and could end up damaging your online reputation. 

I have personally witnessed this happening to businesses – you do not want to be in this situation. 

Buying Fake Google Reviews is Getting Harder

The good news is that buying fake reviews appears to be getting harder. I’ve been listening to a lot of podcasts and videos from people who buy and sell reviews. People are complaining about how difficult it is. This means Google might actually be getting better at catching what reviews are real and which are not.