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Yelp Cracks Down On Fraudsters

by KingOfContentMarketing
8 replies
Did you know that 20% of reviews on Yelp never see the light of day?

As Fake Reviews Rise, Yelp, Others Crack Down on Fraudsters | Digital - Advertising Age

"One thing is certain: In a world increasingly filled with online commentary, likes and reviews, law enforcement is overmatched. The law in the U.S. is that if you've been paid to endorse a product or service, you must disclose it. The FTC fined Legacy Learning Systems $250,000 in 2011 for paying fake reviewers based on sales they generated."
#cracks #fraudsters #yelp
  • Profile picture of the author iAmNameLess
    From our statistics, Yelp doesn't post about 50% of the reviews for our clients. Yelp is a rip off... when I received a call to advertise and turned it down, they took away 14+ positive reviews, to show one negative.
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    • Profile picture of the author Michael Shook
      There are so many review sites that the competition for conversion to the paid side is heating up. I would not put my last client on the paid side but I did not get punished for that.

      I did use a bunch of smaller sites and there were even a couple of decent local only sites that have provided some prospects - custom home building, so its not like he is getting 100 searches a day.

      IMO the crackdowns are just getting started now that the next big thing in circulation to the masses to sell as a service is rep management.

      That will die down after a bit too, not the need for it, just the folks who figure it is quick money, but the reviews are still going to stay hidden, that's my opinion, but I don't know why they would bring them back on the free side.
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    • Profile picture of the author chemo38
      Originally Posted by iAmNameLess View Post

      From our statistics, Yelp doesn't post about 50% of the reviews for our clients. Yelp is a rip off... when I received a call to advertise and turned it down, they took away 14+ positive reviews, to show one negative.

      The Better Business Bureau does the same thing! If you don't pay for their membership, your business gets a poor rating

      chemo38
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    • Profile picture of the author cash89
      Originally Posted by iAmNameLess View Post

      From our statistics, Yelp doesn't post about 50% of the reviews for our clients. Yelp is a rip off... when I received a call to advertise and turned it down, they took away 14+ positive reviews, to show one negative.
      Yelp is so corrupt it's crazy. I've had so many reviews removed. They are a rip off and frauds. They are also way overpriced. I'm going to scoop up as many unstatisfied yelp customers... i mean victims as I can.
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    • Profile picture of the author Aaron Doud
      Originally Posted by iAmNameLess View Post

      From our statistics, Yelp doesn't post about 50% of the reviews for our clients. Yelp is a rip off... when I received a call to advertise and turned it down, they took away 14+ positive reviews, to show one negative.
      The hid a bunch of ours as well. You pay to play with Yelp. These were real reviews from customers who we know. Everywhere else they posted the reviews were fine but on yelp they are hidden.
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      Aaron Doud - Sales & Success
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  • Profile picture of the author Rus Sells
    There's a lot going on in the Review and Reputation management space today. Much of what's being promoted on forums is a form of Astroturfing which is Illegal to say the least.

    Not to mention the stuff sites like Yelp pull. However their TOS does state that all content posted is theirs to do with as they please. This is most likely why positive reviews get removed after they are turned down for paid advertising.

    Done right review and rep management is an awesome service to provide small businesses, it has huge SEO benefits without all the extra work we are used to providing for SEO.
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  • Profile picture of the author HighRiskJohn
    And Yelp wonders why Google is placing them lower in searches?
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  • Profile picture of the author Mike Elias
    There are plenty of LEGIT ways of utilizing Online Reputation Management for your clients.

    Yelp is a beast that MANY people try to manipulate with "fake" reviews, unfortunately. This could be due to the fact that their "real" reviews often get filtered and they're looking for ways to get something to actually stick, or they have a tarnished reputation due to poor customer service/care/neglect, etc.

    The latter type of client would need a COMPLETE overhaul in their entire customer management department or they will likely continue spiraling to a steady decline/downfall, which could ultimately result in closing their doors for good.
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