E-reputation has become a crucial strategic issue for companies, representing one of the main risks. But also today one of the first budgets in communication.
Today, almost half of companies consider e-reputation crises as the number one risk, compared to only 26% in 2010. This development is due to the omnipresence of review sites and platforms like Google and, among other things, to the growing influence and speed of social networks, which make it even more difficult to control the image of companies.
Google plays a central role in managing this digital reputation of businesses, with more than 95% of Senegalese people using this search engine as their main online tool. A study by Statista found that this percentage is similar in several other countries, highlighting Google’s dominance as a news source. This preponderance raises questions about the role of digital giants and the need to regulate social media in order to promote more inclusive growth. It is in this sense that the American justice system qualified Google as a monopoly last August, highlighting the competition issues on information platforms.
Fake and negative reviews
Fake online reviews, whether positive or negative, seriously impact the reputation and economic viability of businesses. They can cause a lack of confidence among consumers, thus changing their purchasing behavior. In fact, more than 80% of consumers read reviews before making a purchase, and a negative review can reduce the likelihood of purchase by 51%. The financial consequences of fake reviews can be enormous, with a drop in revenue of up to 10% for one less star on a review platform. Small businesses are particularly vulnerable, while larger businesses have more resources to handle these situations.
The strategic importance of online reputation management
The reputation of companies is a crucial intangible asset, and fake reviews, especially negative ones, can seriously damage their image. The effects of these fake reviews are not always immediate, but over time they can damage customer trust and lead to a decline in sales. Trust is essential, and once lost, it is difficult to regain, so it impacts future business growth.
Faced with this, solutions exist that can help businesses manage their online reputation by deleting fake reviews, negative reviews and even deleting all reviews as well as associated business listings, such as the famous Google page. MyBusiness. But also the other review pages, we of course think of Google and Facebook.
These are digital reputation agencies, also called e-reputation agencies.
The rise of review platforms like TrustPilot, Google or Gowork poses several legal and ethical problems, because reviews are often not verified, which makes it easier to damage the image of companies. Ethics too because Google and Trustpilot are judges and parties here.
They sell reputation management tools to professionals on their platforms, to enable them to better respond to reviews or even buy keyword advertising to compensate for a loss of appeal and visibility among users.
However, removing harmful content is often met with free speech laws. Solutions like WebCleaner’s services help businesses erase harmful reviews, and even remove review pages.
Defamation and denigration
Defamation is defined as a specific allegation or accusation that harms a person’s honor, regardless of its truth. This notion is in tension with freedom of expression, especially when the first amendment of the American Constitution, country of Google, prohibits the censorship of any expression of an opinion. Google will only remove a defamatory review if it contains racist or sexual remarks, incites terrorism, or if it insults a person by name or reveals personal information about them; This practice is called doxing. Even in Senegal, the definition of defamation remains a fairly vague legal concept.
Disparagement, on the other hand, concerns legal entities, that is to say companies, and it is possible to qualify an attack on the honor and reputation of a company on this basis.
Tour d’horizon
The work of these digital reputation agencies is not just about suppression. In reality, “cleaning” refers to a broader concept that includes boosting a business’s online presence, particularly through Google search results. Actions are not limited to dereferencing or deleting content, but they also include modifications and additions of information, whether obsolete or harmful to the e-reputation of companies.
Businesses can also report suspicious reviews to Google themselves, but detecting fake reviews remains a challenge, despite Google’s use of artificial intelligence.
The legal framework against fake reviews varies, with penalties provided for misleading practices. Ethical questions around fake reviews also relate to consumer trust and fair competition. Review platforms must strengthen their detection mechanisms.
In the meantime, companies like WebCleaner are a solution to help businesses manage their digital reputation. Some can, in fact, delete false negative reviews and thus strengthen the trust of future customers. And even permanently delete unsolicited Google review pages. And it is by cultivating authenticity that businesses can better protect their reputation and build customer loyalty.
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