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This is significant because we’re seeing exactly how much an algorithm update can impact a business’s rankings. Automatic demotion signals are intended to target obviously illicit activities that most businesses would not engage in, but remember that we have seen other updates (like Medic<\/a>) that have been less clear about who they target. So, although an 89% drop in traffic to an illegal website is an obvious win, a similar reduction for a legitimate-but-inadvertently-targeted business may well destroy livelihoods.<\/p>\n The potential consequences of these processes are frightening\u2014especially considering the lack of manual oversight\u2014so it’s important to not only walk in lock-step with Google’s terms of service but keep up with all algorithm changes. Only a handful of Google’s many updates are publicly announced each year, named algorithm updates occurring each year, but local SEO experts<\/a> can monitor algorithm changes using large sample sizes. Unless you want to risk an 89% loss in traffic, never take Google’s updates for granted (and don’t rely on the Copyright Office to inadvertently reveal how Google’s algorithm updates work!).<\/p>\n Google has published an overview\u00a0of how reviews work on Google Maps<\/a>. It details how the company develops and enforces policies, as well as which processes are automated and which are powered by manual content moderation.<\/p>\n During the onset of the pandemic, we saw how Google had to intervene to alter its review policies. Due to mass negative review campaigns based on vaccination requirements, Google stated that:<\/p>\n We put extra protections in place to remove Google reviews that criticise a business for its health and safety policies or for complying with a vaccine mandate.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n In other words, Google utilises both machines and people to moderate their review platform when any factors outside of the business’s own practices become an influence on reviews.<\/p>\n Why does it matter? When you consider that Google Maps is easily as prominent as other review sites like Yelp and Home Stars, it can be incredibly detrimental when bad actors abuse the platform with illegitimate criticism\u2014and Google’s algorithms aren’t capable of detecting and removing every toxic review. At the very least, every business owner should understand how to flag reviews for manual deletion. Even better, engage in ongoing moderation for spam as well as reputation management<\/a> for legitimate reviews, both positive and negative.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"\/wpe-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/piracy.jpg\")
<\/p>\nGoogle Maps reveals review spam policy enforcement<\/h2>\n
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