[slfnflctd]

The problem is that Google has become so pervasive that even if you don't initiate any contact with them or use any of their products/services, a bad review on Google can have a substantially negative effect on your business. It's a real problem.

I was recently in charge of hiring various contractors for several repairs needed on a house being prepped for sale, and in almost every case, clearly non-technically-inclined people were practically begging me to leave them a positive Google review. I don't think they would've been doing that if they hadn't experienced a direct impact on their business from those reviews in some way, and I also don't think they would've chosen this situation voluntarily.

[dforrestwilson]

^ This times 1 million.

Per Google's own policy employees, present or former, are not permitted to leave reviews of businesses at which they work or did work. For obvious reasons.

Google ratings impact our search rankings directly.

Read the policy before you start casting aspersions about the justness of an employee review. If Google wants to change that policy, fine. But as things sit they are failing to enforce their stated legal guidelines.

It is also worth noting that Google does not permit reviews of its own HQ. Why not open the floodgates for Google employee reviews on Google if you believe that it should be OK?

[notriddle]

> The problem is that Google has become so pervasive that even if you don't initiate any contact with them or use any of their products/services, a bad review on Google can have a substantially negative effect on your business. It's a real problem.

If this is true, it's because your would-be customers listen to what Google says. If people trust them, it's probably because they are the least bad option for gathering information on a lot of companies.