Comments on: Review Spam on Google Maps, 10 Months Later http://www.smallbusinesssem.com/google-maps-review-spam/1352/ Because not everyone can throw thousands of dollars at the 'How do we market ourselves online?' question... Thu, 09 Feb 2012 02:57:14 +0000 hourly 1 By: Review Spam: Will It Be Fixed? (And How To Deal With It Today) http://www.smallbusinesssem.com/google-maps-review-spam/1352/#comment-294677 Review Spam: Will It Be Fixed? (And How To Deal With It Today) Thu, 14 Jul 2011 15:01:19 +0000 http://www.smallbusinesssem.com/?p=1352#comment-294677 [...] type of review spam involves writing negative reviews on competitors’ pages. This has been going on for years, and is sadly common in Google [...] [...] type of review spam involves writing negative reviews on competitors’ pages. This has been going on for years, and is sadly common in Google [...]

]]> By: How Yelp Crushed Citysearch & Yahoo Local … & Why Google Is Stealing Yelp’s Playbook http://www.smallbusinesssem.com/google-maps-review-spam/1352/#comment-277769 How Yelp Crushed Citysearch & Yahoo Local … & Why Google Is Stealing Yelp’s Playbook Thu, 26 May 2011 18:11:21 +0000 http://www.smallbusinesssem.com/?p=1352#comment-277769 [...] really spent much time promoting them, encouraging them, and even cleaning them up in the face of very obvious review spam. Google’s approach to online reviews was, for a long time, much like Citysearch and Yahoo [...] [...] really spent much time promoting them, encouraging them, and even cleaning them up in the face of very obvious review spam. Google’s approach to online reviews was, for a long time, much like Citysearch and Yahoo [...]

]]> By: Joseph Mayone Jr. http://www.smallbusinesssem.com/google-maps-review-spam/1352/#comment-211769 Joseph Mayone Jr. Fri, 23 Jul 2010 02:47:24 +0000 http://www.smallbusinesssem.com/?p=1352#comment-211769 Here's another example: View this page page: http://maps.google.com/maps/place?hl=en&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=rex+roofing&fb=1&gl=us&hq=rex+roofing&hnear=Stamford,+CT&cid=12659089703846427259&dtab=2&ei=mpxITPm0KpGksQOf59jkCw&sa=X&oi=local_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CB8QqgUwAQ on which you will find the following review: customer‎‎ By Katie - Sep 6, 2009 the guy was 83 yrs old did not get up on my roof and handed me estimate he just threw out a price 2 times more then ant other compant‎ maps.google.com Was this review helpful? Yes - No - Flag as inappropriate Now view this page: http://maps.google.com/maps/user?uid=117025730620986319716&hl=en&gl=US Put two and two together and you'll see this "Katie" has bashed many roofing companies yet favored only one. Think she's really used ELEVEN roofing companies? Think she's used the one company she favored in four separate locations? The president of the company that was bashed (false review) maintains he never provided an estimate to any Katie on Sept. 6 of '09. He employs no one who is 83 years old. Here’s another example:
View this page page:
http://maps.google.com/maps/place?hl=en&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=rex+roofing&fb=1&gl=us&hq=rex+roofing&hnear=Stamford,+CT&cid=12659089703846427259&dtab=2&ei=mpxITPm0KpGksQOf59jkCw&sa=X&oi=local_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CB8QqgUwAQ

on which you will find the following review:

customer‎‎
By Katie – Sep 6, 2009
the guy was 83 yrs old did not get up on my roof and handed me estimate he just threw out a price 2 times more then ant other compant‎
maps.google.com
Was this review helpful? Yes - No – Flag as inappropriate

Now view this page:
http://maps.google.com/maps/user?uid=117025730620986319716&hl=en&gl=US

Put two and two together and you’ll see this “Katie” has bashed many roofing companies yet favored only one. Think she’s really used ELEVEN roofing companies? Think she’s used the one company she favored in four separate locations?

The president of the company that was bashed (false review) maintains he never provided an estimate to any Katie on Sept. 6 of ’09. He employs no one who is 83 years old.

]]> By: Marc http://www.smallbusinesssem.com/google-maps-review-spam/1352/#comment-166337 Marc Sat, 22 Aug 2009 18:36:39 +0000 http://www.smallbusinesssem.com/?p=1352#comment-166337 Very good in explaining the truth behind the very thing that is working against the search engines. This has become such a big problem some other competitor will come along and steal these search engines customers one day. Someone that can handle all the mean people out there!!!! Very good in explaining the truth behind the very thing that is working against the search engines. This has become such a big problem some other competitor will come along and steal these search engines customers one day. Someone that can handle all the mean people out there!!!!

]]> By: Johnny http://www.smallbusinesssem.com/google-maps-review-spam/1352/#comment-162953 Johnny Thu, 23 Jul 2009 17:32:38 +0000 http://www.smallbusinesssem.com/?p=1352#comment-162953 It was 10 months old in November 2008, now it's about over a year and a half old. Maybe Google doesn't care about quality anymore? Cause it would be so easy to fix this. check on this google maps result: http://maps.google.com/maps?source=s_q&hl=en&ie=UTF8&q=Milpitas+florist&fb=1&split=1&view=text&ei=Hp5oSoq1EczVsAbS9oW7CQ&sll=37.427978,-121.901158&sspn=0.018112,0.038348&latlng=8251208316390912236&cd=1&dtab=2&ct=rp_review&usq=florist&cad=google.com&pcsi=8251208316390912236,0 It was 10 months old in November 2008, now it’s about over a year and a half old. Maybe Google doesn’t care about quality anymore? Cause it would be so easy to fix this.

check on this google maps result:

http://maps.google.com/maps?source=s_q&hl=en&ie=UTF8&q=Milpitas+florist&fb=1&split=1&view=text&ei=Hp5oSoq1EczVsAbS9oW7CQ&sll=37.427978,-121.901158&sspn=0.018112,0.038348&latlng=8251208316390912236&cd=1&dtab=2&ct=rp_review&usq=florist&cad=google.com&pcsi=8251208316390912236,0

]]> By: Yelp Case Settled, But Bigger Issues Remain For Search & Reviews http://www.smallbusinesssem.com/google-maps-review-spam/1352/#comment-105775 Yelp Case Settled, But Bigger Issues Remain For Search & Reviews Mon, 12 Jan 2009 19:15:46 +0000 http://www.smallbusinesssem.com/?p=1352#comment-105775 [...] rankings, have created long-running spam problems. I wrote on Small Business Search Marketing about Google Maps review spam that survived 10 months before anyone noticed. Florist Detective has written about similar review [...] [...] rankings, have created long-running spam problems. I wrote on Small Business Search Marketing about Google Maps review spam that survived 10 months before anyone noticed. Florist Detective has written about similar review [...]

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