For most of us, the Internet is first and foremost a source of information. We use it to find answers to our questions, find details about products we are interested in buying, and even learn about new places before visiting them.
In this virtual world where everything is accessible with just a few clicks, online reviews are a trusted source of information. Unless you have sinister reasons for distrusting them. After all, anyone can leave a review on any website without verification. Even so, most of us put a lot of stock in online reviews; after all, someone must have used these websites before buying something or visiting somewhere right?
Online reviews have become such an important part of our lives that the impact they have on the purchasing decisions of consumers cannot be ignored. Here are some questions you should ask yourself before trusting an online review:
Increased Reliance On Online Reviews
The Internet grew exponentially in the last decade, and we have seen a massive increase in the number of people who use the Internet as their primary source of information. According to a study conducted by Pew Research Center, a whopping 77% of American adults used the Internet in 2018, compared to just 9% in 1995.
This makes online reviews very important, as many people today use the Internet as the first point of contact when they are looking for information about a product or a service. Online reviews are nothing new, and they have existed even before the advent of the Internet. Many businesses would print customer testimonials on their brochures and advertisements, and many others would publish reviews in magazines and newspapers.
Despite this, online reviews are more widespread these days, with many products/services having their dedicated website. This makes it easier for people to publish their opinions online and for others to find them.
Fake Online Reviews
Fake online reviews have become a problem in recent years. While it is true that anyone can write a review for anything on any website, the increasing popularity of the Internet has led to a rise in businesses paying for false positive reviews.
This has led to the creation of fake negative reviews as well; businesses that have been paid off to leave false negative reviews on their competitors’ websites. There are several strategies for spotting fake online reviews, and you should be vigilant whenever you read a review on the Internet. Read through the review thoroughly, and try to look for signs of falsity.
If a review is too good to be true, it probably is. This isn’t to say that all online reviews are fake; many are genuine, and there is no quick and easy way to tell which is which, especially if you don’t know the person who left the review.
7 Questions To Ask Yourself Before Trusting
1. Why Does This Online Review Matter To Me?
Reviews are important, but you should know why this particular review is important to you. Are you trying to decide between two products? Do you want to check out a new restaurant?
Perhaps you want to go on a virtual tour of a place you are planning to visit. With so many options at your disposal, it is important to know why you are interested in a particular review. If you are reading reviews to decide which product to buy, it’s a good idea to keep in mind that the most helpful reviews will likely come from people who have the same needs and concerns.
If you are looking for a laptop, for example, you probably want to find reviews from people who are interested in buying a laptop and not those who want to find out more about the latest smartphone.
2. What Is The Reviewer’s Track Record?
It is important to know if the reviewer has any previous experience reviewing products or making recommendations. Some sites provide a review profile that contains information about the reviewer’s preferences, previous purchases, and feedback about products and services. In some cases, you might even find reviews written by the same person on several different websites.
While this is not always a reliable method of verification, it can help you understand the reviewer’s track record. If you are wondering whether the reviewer is qualified to comment on a product, look for information about their background.
Did they make the purchase you’re reading about? Do they work in the industry that offers the product? If they do, this information can help you understand their review better.
3. Does The Online Review Have More/Fewer Positives And Negatives?
Another aspect to consider when reading reviews is the balance between the positive and negative aspects of the review. A review with a lot of positives and no negatives might be hard to trust, since it is unlikely that someone would not find something wrong with a product or service that they use.
A review with only negative aspects is likely to be less trustworthy since people are more likely to highlight the things they don’t like rather than those they do.
A review with a moderate number of positives and negatives might be your best bet when trying to decide whether to trust the review. It is likely that this reviewer has examined the product or service in detail and has expressed an honest opinion about it.
4. Does The Reviewer Offer Any Unique Insights?
Reviews that offer insight into the product or service being reviewed are often more trustworthy than those that only report factual information like price and model number. If you are reading a review that examines the product or service in detail and provides examples of how it might be used, the review is likely trustworthy.
If you read a review that offers only a general overview of the product or service and doesn’t include any unique insights, it is probably a review that was meant to help the reader make a purchasing decision.
5. Does The Online Review Match With Other Reviews?
While no review can be considered completely reliable, a review that matches the tone and sentiment of many others is more likely to be trustworthy than one that stands alone. If you notice that several different reviews about the same product or service have similar traits, these reviews are likely reliable.
If, on the other hand, you notice that one review stands out from the others, the reviewer may have a unique perspective that might not be trustworthy. It is especially important to watch for reviews that seem to be in direct opposition to other reviews about the same product or service.
While one review might be completely fake, it is also possible that the reviewer who wrote the negative review has a very different experience and needs from the reviewer who wrote the positive review.
6. Is There An Opportunity To Try Before You Buy?
Another aspect to consider when reading reviews is whether there is an opportunity to try out the product or service before making your purchase. If you are reading reviews about a restaurant, for example, you probably won’t be able to experience the food and service for yourself before deciding whether or not to eat there.
In this situation, it is important to find out whether the reviewers were able to try the product or service before reviewing it. Since some products and services cannot be tried before buying, it is important to look out for reviews that offer this information.
If you read a review written by someone who has eaten at the restaurant you are considering, for example, you might be able to ask them questions about their experience that will help you decide whether or not to eat there.
7. Can You Verify Any Of The Claims In The Online Review?
Another factor to consider when reading reviews is whether you can verify the claims in the review. If the reviewer claims that they were able to eat at the restaurant they were reviewing and they were not charged for the meal, you might be able to verify that claim by checking the restaurant’s policy on reviews.
Similarly, if the reviewer claims that the product or service they are reviewing has a specific feature, you might be able to test that claim for yourself. If the reviewer claims that the new laptop they purchased has a long battery life, for example, you might be able to test that claim by running a few tests with the laptop.
Summing Up
Reviews are an important part of the Internet and maybe a credible source of information for most people. While reviews can be very helpful, it is important to recognize that they are not infallible.
To properly use reviews, you need to be able to recognize a few warning signs when they are presented. If a review seems a bit too good to be true, if there are inconsistencies between reviews or if a review seems overly negative, it might be best to take it with a grain of salt.
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