One of the goals of any SEO program should be to also rank in the GMB/Maps section. Due to its high position on the Google search results page, ranking in the maps is a surefire way to generate calls and cases for most attorneys. One of the main factors for ranking in maps is Reviews. Reviews are important because great reviews helps to establish trust with Google. I am constantly reminding my clients about the importance of getting great reviews. Getting Google reviews is so important that there are a number of companies (Podium, Birdeye, etc..) that specialize in helping businesses get reviews from previous clients.
Unfortunately there are many firms that are violating Google Guidelines when it comes to reviews. Most attorneys have a sense this is happening. I always hear things like “How the heck did that clown get 250 Five Star reviews, he has been open for just 6 months and he is a terrible lawyer” But how can you prove a firm or their SEO company is cheating at this?
Lets look at a real world example. Below is the GMB listing for the Search “West Chester Personal Injury Lawyer” . Besides violating Google Guidelines by adding the phrase “Personal Injury Attorneys” after his business name, the 2nd result, Hyde Tebay Legal, is clearly showcasing a number of questionable reviews.
Currently the firm has 19 Five Star Reviews. So how do I know that many of those are likely not from actual clients? The first clue is the substance of the reviews. When you start reading many of their reviews, you will notice that they are very short and non-specific. Now in a normal review profile you would expect some short reviews, but you would also expect a number of well thought out missives from appreciative clients.
Obviously the fact that 16 of their 19 reviews feature a non descript sentence or two does not mean the reviews are not legitimate. The proof is in who is leaving those reviews. If you click through to the Google profile for one of the reviewers of Hyde Tebay, say Kirk Kelly, you will see Kirk is an active reviewer. He has left positive reviews for Sagets Formal Wear, Washington & Washington (another Philly area law firm?), Chester County Hardscaping, Chester Couples Therapy, Kellerman Tree Service, Silver Sound DJ, Inspire Contracting, Certified Stucco Inspection, Systech Design (Industrial Dust Collection), eNet Web Services, Skyview Remodeling, Certified Stucco Inspector and many other local companies. So what? Well the issue is that seven of the reviewers who left a review for Hyde Tebay also left reviews for Certified Stucco Inspector, Sagets Formal Wear, Skyview Remodeling, Systech Design, etc… But Alex.. that is a pure coincidence. Just because 7 people happened to use Hyde Tebay AND write a review for them AND those same seven people also used an Industrial Dust Collection company and wrote a review for them, does not mean they are not legit! You don’t need to be a mathematician to understand the astronomical odds for this to happen once, not to mention the fact that all 7 reviewers reviewed all of those companies above.
So what would explain all these companies getting reviews from the same people? Well the one thing they have in common is that every website listed above was built by eNet Web Services, a local SEO company based in West Chester. In fact the address that Hyde Tebay is using for their office address is the exact same as eNet Web Services ; 200 Church St. Suite B West Chester. While Hyde Tebay is using “Suite B”, I have independently verified that no such suite exists. Below are some pictures of 200 Church Street. You will notice there is zero signage for a law firm and no Suite B.
This example features the trifecta of GMB spam: Questionable reviews, fake business address and adding keywords to their business name. What is infuriating is that this subterfuge is working and they are currently ranking in maps for a number of high value keywords in West Chester. Unfortunately this is not an isolated incident. We are seeing an epidemic of firms benefitting from these type of “black hat” SEO tactics in the map listings. Google works because people trust it. While its disappointing this firm is outranking other law firms with real reviews and a real office, I am confident that Google will eventually catch this. One thing I have learned about Google is that once you lose trust with Google it is VERY HARD to get it back.
How Can You Fight GMB Spam
The quickest way to fight spam is to suggest an edit to the Google business listing itself. But outside of that, Google offers a way to flag fake reviews like the ones above.