When purchasing goods or services online we often search using a search engine and then jump straight onto the reviews page. Seems like the most sensible thing to do, right? That way you can get a fair and unbiased view of whether the company is good or not, right?! Well, in theory, yes, but there are definitely things to take into consideration here. 
There have been problems uncovered with online reviews as of late, with lots of people losing trust in many online reviews. While they have strongly founded claims and concerns, it doesn’t mean all online reviews are bad. So, we’re here to break it down for you and answer the question: how much can you trust the online reviews? Read on to find out everything we discovered when researching online reviews and review sites.

Problems With Online Reviews

Here’s what happened: companies quickly realized that you are very drawn in by those 5 little stars next to their name or product, and rightly so. It’s a quick and easy way to get an idea of how much you can trust them. However, this is where the problem arises: trust. Many of us look at those 4.91 stars and simply trust that the product must be amazing, but are we being lied to? In short, the answer is a resounding yes. Companies very quickly started adding fake reviews from multiple fake accounts to boost their numbers. If you saw one coffee shop had 4.8 stars and the other had 3.7, where are you going to go for your coffee? The problem is, fake reviews are harder to spot than you think, which is why companies get away with it! 

Impartial Reviewers

There is one solace in online reviewing in the form of independent reviewers who are unbiased and impartial. Some people just enjoy testing new products and then writing honest product reviews. These people are not affiliated with any of the products they are selling, nor are they competing with any other product. This means that you can read a well-written, properly tested product review of basically anything you want. Plenty of these people make videos, take great photos, and test the product for a long time before writing. If you can, seek out these product reviewers’ takes on something you’re considering buying. 

Real Reviews, Crazy Ratings

There is also the issue of fair and unbiased reviewing by guests or patrons of a business. Surveys have shown that when people experience what they perceive to be a 3 to 4-star service they aren’t very likely to leave a review. However, when they receive what they believe is a 1 or 5-star service they are far more likely to rate and review a business. This means you end up with half the reviews completely tearing a business apart, and the other half giving it five stars! It is very hard to navigate and understand which of these reviews is really worth listening to as a 1-star reviewer is usually extremely upset, and a 5-star reviewer may be overly praising one certain aspect of their experience. 

Amazon, etc.

The problems get even murkier when you go on marketplace sites such as Amazon, eBay, and others. The problem with these sites is that many companies are resellers, selling the exact same product to you, but competing to be the most noticed and busiest seller. How do they do that? Fake reviews. Can a $3.99 pair of headphones really be a five-star product? Probably not. You will find that two companies selling the exact same product will have vastly different reviews. This probably means the higher rated company has either created good reviews on their own product or have deliberately negatively reviewed their competitor’s products. Sadly, fake review spotting websites online have found that up to 70% of Amazon reviews are fake. This can be quite a daunting statistic to absorb when trying to shop online. But let’s talk about how to push through the fake reviews.

What To Look For

So, what should you be looking for to make sure you aren’t sucked in by fake reviews? And who should you trust? As we mentioned, our first recommendation would be to look at independent sites to get their take on a product. If you are shopping at a bigger retailer, it’s hard to spot which reviews are biased or fake. Firstly, look out for a company that has nothing but five-star reviews. There is almost no way any company could be that perfect! Dig deeper and try to find their products elsewhere, see if you can find any more legitimate-looking reviews on forums or blogs. Secondly, look out for reviews that leave a very automated-sounding comment. For example, there may be lots of reviews that say almost the exact same thing but with a different name attached. Discard these as well.
Overall, the key is to be meticulous when it comes to trusting online reviews. Don’t believe the first thing you see - dig deeper onto various review sites, reviewers, bloggers, and forums. Check out independent reviewers, and read those Amazon reviews carefully. Good luck!

WRITTEN BY

Daria Brown