I have been asked (even recently) many times by upper management in various private companies, NPOs, and public industries alike to boost local visibility by submitting positive reviews to Yelp, Google, Foursquare, etc. recommending it as a place to work or talking up products/services offered. Often offered a reward for it, in some form or another.
Think of a clerk at your local EBT office submitting a 5 star Google review saying "Excellent customer service and low wait times, [your coworker here] was caring and compassionate, just make sure you schedule an appointment online to avoid the lines!" or "I've worked here for X years and I cannot say enough great things about how wonderful and caring everybody is! I love helping the undeserved in my community!"
Maybe it's a car repair shop doing the same. Maybe it's a fast food franchisee. Maybe it's a boutique store. It's definitely more than just Amazon or TripAdvisor reviews.
I intend to present this proposed rule to my current management and let them sweat, because just this week I was told it is "highly recommended to help offset the fake reviews". I understand the struggle, though. People leave shitty 1 star reviews for spiteful purposes all the time, and that can hurt a small business or encourage unnecessary community discontent.
I don't think there is any good solution on the SEO aspect, but I'm all for banning the scummy practices of astroturfing.
Think of a clerk at your local EBT office submitting a 5 star Google review saying "Excellent customer service and low wait times, [your coworker here] was caring and compassionate, just make sure you schedule an appointment online to avoid the lines!" or "I've worked here for X years and I cannot say enough great things about how wonderful and caring everybody is! I love helping the undeserved in my community!"
Maybe it's a car repair shop doing the same. Maybe it's a fast food franchisee. Maybe it's a boutique store. It's definitely more than just Amazon or TripAdvisor reviews.
I intend to present this proposed rule to my current management and let them sweat, because just this week I was told it is "highly recommended to help offset the fake reviews". I understand the struggle, though. People leave shitty 1 star reviews for spiteful purposes all the time, and that can hurt a small business or encourage unnecessary community discontent.
I don't think there is any good solution on the SEO aspect, but I'm all for banning the scummy practices of astroturfing.