How to Write an Anonymous Google Review?

In the fast-paced and advancing world of the Internet, digital marketplaces are more crucial than ever. Evolving as the market and clients do is the only way to keep up and retain your customers, old and new. The digital landscape is now full of innumerable platforms to establish and showcase your business and products.

One such useful and efficient platform is Google’s marketplace, which uses Google Business Profiles, previously known as Google My Business, to allow businesses to build and maintain personalized business profiles. With several added features and benefits of Google Business Profile, it also allows incorporating other Google applications and platforms like Google Reviews and Google Maps.

In 2024, being a customer also comes with many responsibilities, including making ethical purchases, supporting responsible businesses, and refraining from unethical brands. In this landscape, your reviews and feedback on your experience with these businesses can be pivotal in guiding others and fulfilling your responsibility as a responsible customer.

What is a Google Review?

A Google review is user-generated content by individuals who share their experiences after dealing with or purchasing from a business listed on Google. It is publicly visible and appears on Google reviews, maps, and search results. Google enables a five-star system for users to rate their experience, and they may also provide written feedback.

These reviews help potential new customers make well-informed decisions. With Google’s enormous impact and reliability, these reviews can influence a business’s online presence and reputation, eventually impacting its success.

Why do Customers Leave Anonymous Reviews?

Customers may leave anonymous reviews for several reasons. However, Google updated its policies on anonymous reviews in 2018. According to which no one can leave a review without their name. It was done to save businesses from shading each other by leaving multiple anonymous reviews on their competitor's pages and impacting the credibility of the business and Google.

Although the intent behind this policy was to save businesses from spam and unjustified negative reviews, it also created some problems for customers looking to leave an anonymous review. Customers may choose to leave an anonymous review due to privacy or other concerns. For instance, offering advice to a business, but you may need to be more comfortable with revealing your identity while doing so.

How to Leave an Anonymous Google Review?

With Google’s latest policies against anonymous reviews that seek to permit fairness and originality, complete anonymity isn’t possible. However, there are ways around this to protect your privacy to a good extent while leaving an anonymous review on Google.

●  Tweak your name on Google. Change your first and last name on Google to a nickname, pseudonym, or simply ‘Anonymous.’ That way, you can protect your original identity while leaving a review.

●  However, a business may flag your review if it appears fake to them, and Google will review it and delete reviews that it deems illegitimate or if it violates Google’s terms.

●  With a different name, your IP address does not change and can be tracked by Google.

If you do not have a Google account, you can still leave a review on Google by following the steps below:

●  Go to Google Maps and search for the business for which you want to leave a review.

●  Go to its “Reviews” section and “Write a Review.”

●  A pop-up will appear to let you ‘sign in’ to your Google account.

●  Go to “Create an account” and select “For my personal use” in the subsequent window.

●  Select “Use my current email address instead.” This way, you can use another email address not associated with Google and a temporary email for Google to leave a review.

●  Google will send you a verification code via your entered email. Enter that code and fill in the rest of the details. Then, follow the given instructions.

●  You can now leave a review on Google Maps with your current email.

●  “Post” and publish your review on Google Maps.

●  Through this method, your review will use the name and profile picture associated with the email you entered. You may choose a different name and photo to remain anonymous.

How to Avoid Getting Your Anonymous Review Deleted?

If you wish to leave an anonymous review and do not want to risk it getting removed by Google, you may keep a few things in mind while leaving an anonymous review:

●  Be respectful and honest. Provide accurate details in a respectful way that shows the value of your review for future customers.

●  If you have had a bad experience and want to leave a negative review, you should still use respectable language. Present your review as constructive criticism rather than bashing the brand. Else, it may be seen as a fake malicious review by Google with the intent of harming the business’s reputation and will get removed.

●  Focus on relevant and specific details of your experience. Keep it timely and share examples from your experience. It will show the relevance and usefulness of your review, even if anonymous, to the business and Google.

Conclusion

Google reviews can significantly impact a brand’s image by providing details of its customers' experiences to potential new customers. It can also affect a business’s search ranking on Google, especially with relevant content from the review. Google My Business rank checker tools can be used to track the search ranking of business profiles’ performance on Google. Google reviews are also important for customers to make well-informed decisions. Customers may choose to leave anonymous reviews, however not entirely. Google’s flagging policy of anonymous reviews ensures that fair and legitimate reviews can be suppressed with unidentifiable reviews that are respectable and useful.