Streets Ahead: FTC Reviews Ruling and Google Core Update
In this week’s Streets Ahead update, SOCi looks at the FTC’s new ruling on reviews and the Google august core update.
FTC Launches New Rule to Combat Misleading Reviews and Ratings
The News Fake reviews have been a longstanding issue in the digital marketplace, misleading consumers and harming reputable businesses. In response, after over a year of deliberation, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has approved a new rule aimed at curbing these deceptive practices. The FTC’s rule focuses on eliminating several types of fraudulent behavior. This decisive move by the FTC is a major effort to foster greater honesty and transparency in the digital marketplace.
Why This Matters For marketers, this new regulation requires a shift in emphasis towards cultivating genuine customer relationships and building trust through authentic reviews. Businesses must now assess their existing review-gathering practices to ensure full compliance with the FTC’s rules.
Moreover, businesses should implement strategies for addressing negative feedback, such as using surveys to gather private feedback or responding thoughtfully to public negative reviews. Complying with the new regulations not only helps avoid penalties but also strengthens consumer trust and boosts brand reputation.
Tech companies and local directories also play a role in combating fake reviews. For example, Google reported removing 45% more fake reviews in 2023 compared to the previous year. Similarly, in 2022, Tripadvisor found that fake reviews accounted for 4.37%, or 1.3 million, of all submissions. Yelp shut down 278,600 user accounts in 2023 for various Trust violations. It also removed 207,300 reviews containing inappropriate or harmful content such as hate speech.
Google Launches August Core Update
The News Google is currently rolling out its August 2024 Core Algorithm Update, which focuses on prioritizing high-quality, valuable content over material designed merely to rank in search. This update aligns with previous efforts, like the March 2024 Core Update, to improve the relevance and usefulness of search results.
According to Google, this update “continues our work to improve the quality of our search results by showing more content that people find genuinely useful and less content that feels like it was made just to perform well on Search.”
Coinciding with this update, some users noticed a Google Search ranking bug that affected various search results. This bug, which caused confusion for marketers trying to determine if the core update impacted their rankings, lasted from August 15 to August 20, 2024.
Why This Matters Marketers need to keep a close watch on Google’s algorithm updates, as they can significantly affect search performance. The August 2024 Core Update highlights the growing importance of creating content that prioritizes value for your target audience rather than being solely optimized for SEO. Focus on developing “people-first” content that genuinely addresses user needs and interests.
Now that the recent ranking bug has been fixed, it’s important to assess how your site ranks across key queries. While most changes will be subtle, some brands may notice improvements in their search visibility, while others might experience a decline depending on the quality and intent of their content.
