Review aggregators - they seem like a great idea until this happens...

There are many solutions out there that offer this facility: a feed of reviews from selected sources to display on a business's website  - often called 'review aggregating'. Let's have a look at just one example to see the fatal flaw. This one happens to be a Trustist client, but it could just as well be a Reputation.com client or one from any other aggregator.

The flaw is further highlighted in a comparison with Trustpilot on Trustist's own website:

'Auto Post to Google Posts' - which means exactly that: every single review received will be automatically posted to Google. Not only that, every review on Google will be displayed on the business's website, as they have been in the example at the top of this article.

So an innocent bystander might not be surprised that they offer this 'benefit' to businesses...

...except that allowing a business to cherry-pick - 'pick positive reviews' (our italics) to 'showcase on your website' - is not only positively misleading for potential customers, it is illegal in the UK. It goes against one of the two core tenets of the CMA regulations which are designed specifically to prevent businesses conniving to use reviews to mislead potential customers.

Who benefits?

We are not surprised that Trustist makes much of one of its clients: Timpson, the high street shoe repair/key cutting business. Let's see where the added value is for Timpson, in Timpson's online marketing director's own words:

In other words: the value is overwhelmingly for Timpson Plc. And we get that. Head office gets a dashboard that they can consult at a glance to get consumer feedback on any one of their 1300 stores and 100+ franchises. But the individual stores? That's a very different story. We took our local Timpson and looked it up on Trustist. This is what we found on the website that is linked direct to Timpson's Kensington High Street listing on Google ...

So we did what any potential customer might do, and clicked to read the reviews. This is what we got...

Aggregated reviews? Sure. All the reviews for all the 1400+ locations aggregated. Helpful? For Timpsons? - maybe. For consumers, who want to know what kind of service they are going to receive from their local Timpsons? Not so much. So they are going to resort to our old friend Google...

Oh dear!

The solution

Businesses have two options. 

1. If the local reputation of the individual business or branch is immaterial, as it may well be with a business like Timpsons (where else are most of us going to get a heel replaced or a key cut?) then use a widget to embed Google's own reviews (just search 'embed Google reviews' and you'll find free solutions aplenty). 

2. If each location's individual image is vital - as it is with the professions: law, financial, medical and services such as estate agency and recruitment, to mention but a few - then a properly moderated review management system is not just necessary, it's absolutely vital.

The key message here - as so often in business - is to spend time in research and/or taking professional advice (we'll set you on the right course in a matter of minutes).

Further reading...

• Moderation - a full explanation of this vital service