Reviews are very important for small businesses, especially if it is from Google map local businesses or yelp, it matters for users (To get right solution for their need) and businesses (to provide a business lead) both. It has seen that one negative review made the negative impact on small businesses. Or sometimes business owners themself made a fake positive reviews to grow their businesses. Both are are against the map policies.
Google has updated its map policies to prevent ex-employees from making negative reviews for employers. In the policy document Google has written as follows
Conflict of Interest
Maps user contributed content is most valuable when it is honest and unbiased. The following practices are not allowed:
- Reviewing your own business.
- Posting negative content about a current or former employment experience.
- Posting negative content about a competitor to manipulate their ratings.
It is sometimes common that employees that was fired because of their dishonesty or any other reason left negative reviews for the businesses and in case of small businesses negative reviews breaks the market reputation of the businesses. Some frustrated business owners shared their concern in forums and this led Google to update the map policies.
However, any person can leave negative review on Yelp too. But, business owners may ask Yelp to remove the reviews. But in case of Google maps they can not.
By the way, reviewing your own business or posting negative content about competitor also comes under “Conflict of Interest”. So, Google will not allow them too.
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