If you noticed a change in your Google reviews, you aren’t alone. Google recently confirmed that it no longer allows anonymous [aka “A Google User”] reviews. Furthermore, as initially reported to Mike Blumenthal, the company removed all previously posted reviews that did not include a name.
“We do not allow anonymous reviews today and we’ve removed legacy anonymous reviews.”
While this swift change by Google may have caught some businesses off guard, it should prove positive in the long run. This update helps legitimize reviews in the minds of your customers. After all, a review from “Stacy Johnson” will hold a lot more weight than a review from “A Google User.”
79% of consumers believed they read a fake review in 2017, so trust is a big factor to consider as online reputation management evolves.
Anonymous reviews may not constitute a large number of your reviews as a whole, but they do impact your total review count and average star-rating that is seen by your customers.
There are many business owners who have worked hard, for many years, to receive Google reviews. Those who did earn positive anonymous reviews over the past ten years could unfortunately see their average star-rating go down, along with their total review count.
Inversely, if your business received a lot of negative reviews from anonymous reviewers, even though your total review count will go down, your average star-rating could go up since these reviews have been removed.
This further highlights the need to have an all-in-one solution to manage your online reputation needs; a tool that allows you to monitor your reviews from top sites in one place and easily reply. That way, when Google, Yelp, Facebook or TripAdvisor makes a change that influences your reviews or ratings, you can see and understand the impact on your business right away and take steps to address it.
In the case of Google, if you lost a significant number of positive reviews, it’s important that you ask your customers to review you on Google and reply to all reviews, new and old. As you earn more legitimate reviews and reply to those real customers – those real interactions will attract even more customers to your business, with the added confidence in the validity of those reviews.
Any Google user can leave a review of a company; there doesn’t need to be an invitation; the Google reviews feature is there for anyone to use.
While Google my business can be a great new feature for businesses because it has been shown, positive reviews can increase sales.
However, there are many companies, which receive less than glowing reviews, or there are the individuals who wish to leave anonymous reviews on Google my business without leaving their names.
Here in this guide, you can find the answers to all these questions and more. If you want to know how to write a Google review without a Gmail account, you can learn that, and if you are a business, you can learn the smart way to deal with bad reviews. [Read the Business Owners Guide to Local SEO]
How Do I Hide My Name on Google Reviews?
It should be noted before heading off that you may find some Google services may not work without you signing up for a Gmail account or Google account. Google maps are one of the most common.
However, it is possible to hide your name if you follow these steps. You will find you are not hiding your name as such, you are signing up for a Google account without creating a Gmail account, and being a different Google user.
Here is how to leave a Google review by using a new name rather than your main account.
- If you have a Google account already, sign out
- Open your browser in incognito mode or private browsing mode [this doesn’t hide everything]
- Any Google service you try to open will ask you to sign in
- Here, you need to create an account using your current email address and not Gmail [create a burner email address or Gmail alternative, Proton Mail a good option]
- Fill in your name or any alias you wish to use
- Add a password and confirm
- Click next and verify the email with the sent code
- Click verify
From here, you can post anonymous Google review that will show your alias rather than your real name. You do, however, need to sign in every time in incognito mode to leave anonymous reviews, and not from your primary account.
One other option you can add to offer more anonymity is to use a VPN service. You can use this through the sign-up process, so the Google sign up procedure will think you are in a different location, as well as leave your anonymous reviews.
Can a Google Review Be Traced?
Anyone who leaves online reviews can have their IP traced by people who have the capability. Google will know your IP when leaving anonymous reviews, and your ISP will see because they retain all your online activity for 2-years in Australia.
If you use a VPN, you can mask your real IP address, as your location will be spoofed by selecting another VPN server outside the country.
Can You Block Someone from Leaving a Google Review?
Google reviews are there to enable the public to voice their opinions, so they can post a review on Google my business, or for other services.
For this reason, it isn’t generally accepted, any business can manipulate reviews to serve their purposes, or anyone leave anonymous reviews.
You will see that in no area does Google offer the chance to delete Google reviews, and thus if a business receives poor Google reviews, then they are there for others to see.
However, there is an option for a business to flag any business reviews they think go against the Google review guidelines. If you flag any reviews, then this goes back to Google who will then consider any moderation.
A couple of things that are worth noting here is that getting a full range of 5-star business reviews may not be as vital as you think them to be.
- Over half of buyers trust products that come with a few negative reviews
- One-third of online consumers understand many online reviews are fake, especially if there are nearly zero negatives
- Buyers are less concerned with negative reviews now than they used to be
If you wish to highlight any particular negative or anonymous reviews, the only way you can go to block it is by flagging the said review.
- Log in to your Google My Business account
- Select the location of your business and click on ‘Reviews’
- Find the review in question and then click on the three dots to open the menu on the right
- Select ‘Flag as inappropriate’
One issue crops up when you get a one-star review with no comment. Such a review can still find its way onto a Google My Business page without violating any policy.
One tactic any business can take with negative reviews is to respond to it. Many consumers are not expecting a reply. In some instances, the consumer may do nothing to change their review, however some will.
Besides, a business can reply by stating they think the negative review is fake; this is the right approach if there is no record of any person making a purchase. While others can see your response, it can help Google decide to remove this review.
Conclusion
It can be favourable for any business to embrace their new reviews, although there does come a time when they need to take action. One of the best is being engaged and reacting to both new positive reviews, as well as negative ones.
Suppose you need to leave reviews, which won’t flag as being fake or overly negative. Using the VPN, option to mask your location and creating a new account using another Gmail alternative is the best way you can achieve this.
Read more: 7 Local Online Marketing Tips for Small Businesses
If you own a local business, you know how important it is for customers to be able to easily find it online. Making sure your Google My Business page is up to date and that your business is generating consistent positive Google reviews are key ways to help people find you. In fact, getting reviews on Google can be crucial to your business’s success when it comes to showing up in Google search results including the “Map Pack”. Likewise, responding to those reviews — both good and bad! — is critical to your reputation.
Download Now: Responding to Reviews Guide & Checklist: How to Take Charge of Your Online Reviews and Earn More Business [Free Resource]
The stats back it up: Did you know customers spend 31% more money with businesses that have great online reviews? Of course, it’s always important to respond to each and every review no matter if it’s positive or negative. Responding to negative reviews helps to repair miscommunications and win back business. Responding to positive reviews helps to nurture those happy customers and win repeat business.
But you need to actually get reviews first — and not having an actual Google account does not mean you or your customers can’t leave a Google review. Read on to find out how to write a review on Google without an actual Google account.
2 Simple Steps to Write a Google Review Without a Gmail Account
You do not need a Gmail account to leave a Google review. Your customers do not need to create an account just to leave a review, and once you educate them on this, you have the potential for a huge increase in reviews and better search engine results.
Whether you are using an iPhone or Android, you absolutely can leave a Google local review without having Gmail. How? Simply follow the steps below:
Step 1. Search for the business you wish to review
Begin by Googling the business you wish to review.
Step 2. Write A Review
Once you have the business pulled up, scroll down past the map until you find starred reviews. You should see five stars with gray outlines — this is the reviews section where you can contribute your own star rating.
After you give a star rating by clicking the number of stars you want, you will be prompted to write more about your experience and share an image if you want.
At this point, you will be prompted to sign in — this is where people get [understandably] confused and think they need a Google account to leave a review. If you want to continue without signing in, simply click on “create account”, choose “for myself” or “for my business.”
On the next page it will give you the option to “use my current email address” instead. No Google account, no problem!
That’s really all it takes!
Final Thoughts on Google Reviews
Getting Google reviews is imperative if you want to boost word-of-mouth referrals online. Can you believe 85% of customers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations?
And that’s not all. Even your negative reviews can result in more trust between your business and customers. According to a 2016 report by Power Reviews, too-perfect reviews can lead to distrust and consumer skepticism. The thinking clearly is if it’s too good to be true, it probably is!
Keep in mind that all reviews are public, and Google will not allow customers to leave anonymous reviews, either good or bad. This means anyone can see what you post in your reviews — not just what you say but any photos you post, other reviews you have posted, and your name on your About me Google page.
With reviews, potential customers can see how their own neighbors liked an experience. They can make decisions based on real events [with the exception of fake reviews]. This social nature requires input from you, the business, and it can be hard to keep up. If you need some help with handling it try review management software to save you time and keep those reviews coming in automatically. The more reviews you get, the more Google will respect you as a trusted brand, and the better you will rank in their search results.
Now that you know how to leave a Google review with or without a Gmail account, there should be nothing holding you back from a great online presence. Start taking authority in your community and boost your local business on Google — the other guys won’t see it coming!
Do you need help getting more reviews and earning more business? Broadly can help. Schedule your free demo today.