Google, on Wednesday, shared information about how reviews worked on Google Maps and also introduced new content policies that safeguarded the process of posting reviews for business profiles.
Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, Communications and Public Affairs Manager, West Africa, said this in a statement dedicated to keeping reviews on Google Maps authentic and reliable to protect local businesses from fraud and abuse.
Kola-Ogunlade said that it also made the information helpful for users, saying that local guides had helped millions of people worldwide to discover new places by sharing local knowledge and experiences.
“They share reviews, photos and knowledge on Google Maps and influence how millions of people navigate and explore the world.
“Their contributions inform people about what matters to them, make it easier for them to find what they need, and help support small businesses.
“Google Business Profile is an easy-to-use tool for businesses and organisations to manage their online presence across Google, including Search and Maps,’’ he said.
Kola-Ogunlade said this had helped to customise individual businesses, enabled business owners to tell their stories, verified their businesses and edited their online business information.
He said that the Maps User Contributed Content Policy was aimed at ensuring that information on Google Maps was reliable, protecting individuals and businesses from policy violations.
He said that much of the work done to prevent inappropriate content was done behind the scene, saying that today Google was shedding more light on what happened after you hit “post” on a review.
According to him, with more than one billion people turning to Google Maps every month to navigate and explore, Google aims to make sure the information they see, especially reviews, is reliable for everyone.
The communications manager said that Google had created the Maps User Contributed Policy to make sure reviews were based on real-world experiences and to keep irrelevant and offensive comments off Google Business Profile.
“Google will use machine learning models to moderate millions of reviews uploaded using the Google Business Profile tool while its staff would identify the subtle distinction or variation of various expressions of individual posts.
“Machines identify patterns to determine if content is legitimate.
“Issues flagged by machines include offensive or off-topic content; any Google account with a history of suspicious behavior; places with uncharacteristic activity such as an abundance of reviews over a short period of time.’’ he said.
Kola-Ogunlade said it was about a particular place or business or any place that had received recent news or social media coverage that would motivate people to leave fraudulent reviews.
According to him, businesses detecting policy-violating reviews on their profiles can alert Google via the How to remove reviews from your Business Profile on Google.
“Individual Map users can report any violation via the Flag and fix inappropriate content portal. This will see the offensive content removed, user accounts suspended or in some instances, litigation being pursued,’’ he said.
Google Business Profile is an easy-to-use tool for businesses and organisations to manage their online presence across Google including Search and Maps.
This helps customers, individual businesses and enables business owners to tell their story, verify their businesses and edit their online business information.
