Google Prohibits Rewards-for-Reviews

Google Prohibits Rewards-for-Reviews

Google Business Listings, Latest News, Online Reviews
By Susan Stern - Omaha, NEBRASKA -- An appliance repair shop takes 30 percent off - if you pen a Google review. A dentist office enters you into a contest, and your favorite restaurant gives you a FREE cocktail - in exchange for Google reviews."Wrong, wrong, wrong. Companies offering incentives for reviews - violate Google's Terms and Conditions," emphasizes Omaha branding consultant Susan Stern, of Stern PR Marketing.Businesses giving rewards-for-reviews are a widespread problem from Maine to California. In fact, here in Omaha this marketer has found dozens of metro-area small businesses violating Google's review policy. A quick Google image search found a plethora of inappropriate review incentives nationwide, too. Our digital marketing firm mashed a few together for this informative montage - what not to do.Google's Official Business Review…
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Strict Yelp Review Policy – Don’t Ask

Strict Yelp Review Policy – Don’t Ask

Online Reviews
By Susan Stern --  The social media review giant has one of the strictest terms and conditions on the internet. So, if your in-house marketer or outside public relations consultant is asking customers for Yelp reviews with a link to do so, you'll want to carefully consider what you're doing. "It's clearly unethical when a business offers incentives like a discount or contest entry to write a review. That creates bias, and a conflict of interest. But Yelp's policy banning asking your customers for online review feedback goes too far," notes Omaha marketing firm consultant Susan Stern. Here is a graphic we produced of Yelp's terms and conditions: [caption id="attachment_8489" align="aligncenter" width="603"] Click to Zoom In[/caption] Without a doubt, a business should never offer cash-for-reviews, discounts or contest entries. Doing…
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