Identify Genuine Reviews on Google Business - Which Reviews To Trust?

August 11, 2025

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Fake reviews on your Google business profile can really harm your online community and potential customers. New customers inquiring about Google Business Profile may not even notice if the review is genuine or not. Just reading negative comments about your business can impact their purchasing decision.

It not only hurts your reputation but also makes customers wary of your brand. They will not try your products for themselves because of the perception a fake reviewer created. But how can you detect a fake review from a genuine one?

What Do Online Reviews Do?

Online reviews are a tool at customers’ disposal, which has a huge influence on their purchasing decisions. Online reviews are just user testimonials, where they share their experience of interacting with your business.

But with the prevalence of fake reviews growing every day, it becomes highly complex and critical for businesses to navigate in the competitive environment.

Fake Reviews vs Genuine Reviews

It’s a dead end for businesses when customers don’t trust your brand because of fake and negative impressions on Google. Let’s see how you can identify a fake review on Google Business.

Ample Details and Balance in the Review

The first cue for detecting fake reviews from genuine ones is to look for details and balance. The text-based reviews often rely on either posting heavily positive or heavily negative experiences with the business. When reviews mention different aspects of service, specific features or a personalised experience, they are likely to be genuine reviews.

Validate Reviewer’s Profile

The second aspect to pay attention to is the reviewer’s profile. You will have to check the profile of the reviewer and the history of reviews on other businesses. The lack of history and a profile should be a red alert for you. It means that the reviewer is not genuine.

Time of Posting Review

Other factors to look out for to detect fake reviews are their timing. If multiple negative reviews are posted within a short time, they are more likely to be fake reviews.

What Should Business Owners Do?

Being a business owner, you can encourage customers to leave reviews on the Google review page.
You can create personalised QR codes for customers and send follow-up emails to encourage customers to leave reviews for your business.
Irrespective of fake or genuine, you should respond to all reviews because it shows that you value customer feedback.

To Sum Up

There should be an ample balance between positive and negative reviews. If the business profile is showing only terrible reviews, it might be because they are all fake. Genuine businesses have a mix of both that reflects their positives and negatives from customers’ perception. To enable customers to locate your business easily, you can list it on Virtuous Reviews. List your Business today to encourage more reviews and feedback on your business profile.

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