I was at a local pizza place the other day and there was a small handwritten sign by the cash register that said “Leave a 5-star Google review, get a free can of pop.”

Eager to save the outrageous $2 cost for a beverage, I left a 5-star review before having a bite of my pizza.

That got me thinking about the authenticity of Google reviews. I’ve worked with people who have enjoyed many years of happy employment, only for it to end on bad terms ending in a 1-star review for the employer.

I’ve overheard people at restaurants threatening to leave a bad review if a perceived issue isn’t rectified to their liking. Or in the case of the example at the start of this article, companies incentivizing customers and/or staff to leave good reviews (which upon further review, is a violation of Google’s Platform Policy).

So just what does a Google review mean? I know that when I am out of town and looking for a place to eat, I often read a bunch of reviews before deciding where to go. Same when choosing a contractor, healthcare provider or even selecting a new pair of sunglasses.

Detailed reviews are usually the most authentic. The good ones will explain the rating and let the viewer know where the company excelled and where there was room for improvement.

The bad ones can be equally telling, though you only get one side of the story. And I am torn if a company should try to defend themselves (while drawing more attention to the negative post) or just let it be.

You can run into a blitz — when a company makes a concentrated effort to bury poor reviews and increase their overall rating. By looking at the dates of the reviews, you can generally see if this is the case.

This is more common with smaller companies, as a company with 1,000+ reviews isn’t going to suffer much of an impact by having a few people leave bad reviews.

Where does that leave us when it comes to Google reviews? Somewhere in the middle.

They can be influenced or manipulated, but they are often fairly accurate. For as many bitter ex-employees leaving negative reviews, it is balanced by friends and family members of a business owner leaving their own positive reviews.

When selecting a trucking service provider, I recommend sharing honest reviews about the service you received, especially when you are pleased with a product or service. If I have a negative experience, my preference is to try and deal with it privately so that a poor review doesn’t have to be posted (though when it is warranted, I’ll leave the poor review!)

Thanks for reading. I hope you leave me a 5-star review!