How to Check If the Online Reviews You Are Reading Are Reliable
Online reviews are easy to find nowadays. Every seller is aware of the immense power that the internet holds. It is capable of altering your opinion regarding anything. It is a known fact that you trust what past customers have to say about the product. The problem with online reviews is that you cannot see the reviewers. They may not be customers at all; they could possibly just be salespeople or marketing people in the disguise of customers, saying what they would want to say through promotions. So the next time you read your customer reviews is careful to verify whether they really are customers. Of course there is no way to verify an online review. However this article does allow you to make an educated guess.
*Watch Who Is Talking: Sometimes it is almost obvious that the online reviews have been posted by the marketers themselves. For instance suppose you were to look at hotel reviews or camera reviews, and you find them in the form of customer testimonials online. One thing is sure, that these reviews have been screened and only the best ones have been published. Simply because no one would want to put up a testimonial which puts them in negative light? So it is simply a matter of not getting influenced by the salesperson.
*Trust Reputed Sites: Branded and trusted review sites are your best recourse. This is true if you are looking for movie reviews, car reviews or book reviews. In these cases you will realize what the product was only after you have purchased it. So just don’t log on to any website looking for online reviews. They are sometimes carefully planted to influence you. Some websites have a reputation of being unbiased and it is best to listen to them.
*Watch The Links: If you were to go ahead and look for online reviews, let’s say insurance reviews. You enter a forum, read an opinion and just below that you find a link redirecting you. It is obvious that the opinion was meant to influence you. Why would a normal user post any links? So understand that it either an affiliate marketer or the marketers themselves. When you log on to get reviews, just look at the number of links that are pasted below opinions. If there are many, you are entering an ad zone and it almost impossible that you get any unbiased advice here. It is best that you go to a different site. Of course for some product reviews like hardware reviews and software reviews sites are hard to find, but there still are plenty of them. All you need to do is first check the reputation of the site you are surfing.
*Negative Content: This is one of the best differentiators between genuine online reviews and disguised promotional messages. Almost any marketer will make sure that there is no negative content about them. On the other hand not all customers may like the product. There are bound to be negative reviews. So their presence in sufficient quantity tells you, you are talking to the right people.
Online review could be disguised promotional messages. It is advisable for you to stay alert and not let them cast an undue influence on your purchase behavior.
