{"id":103502,"date":"2012-07-23T16:56:00","date_gmt":"2012-07-23T21:56:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dacgroup.com\/google-local-reviews-2\/"},"modified":"2024-12-19T16:42:07","modified_gmt":"2024-12-19T21:42:07","slug":"google-local-reviews-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dacgroup.com\/en-gb\/insights\/blog\/local-search\/google-local-reviews-2\/","title":{"rendered":"No more anonymous reviews?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Google’s decision last May to replace the Places channel with the new, socially-integrated Google+ Local has led to a new interface and some new features. Among these, some changes were made to the way Google handles local business reviews<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Now, in order to post a review, you need to be logged into your Google+ account. Old, existing reviews were imported anonymously into the system (listed as written by “a Google user”), but all new reviews are posted under your real name and are visible to all of your Google+ contacts and circles. In other words, no more hiding behind a pseudonym.<\/p>\n

Reviews are extremely important to many businesses. According to Google, 70% of Americans say they look at user reviews before making a purchase decision. While there are many review sites, Google’s feature particularly prominently because of the way they show up in the Maps channel and in Search results. It’s been just over a month since Google made the switch, and in this short time, we’ve seen indicators of how it’s affecting the review system — and what kind of impact this may have on local businesses. While it’s early days yet, some things we’re seeing so far include:<\/p>\n