Local Memo: The FTC Bans Fake Reviews in New Ruling
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In this week’s update, learn about the FTC banning fake reviews; Google rolling out Gemini Live; Google’s August Core Update; and Google’s new experimental AI menu feature.
The FTC Bans Fake Reviews in New Ruling
Fake reviews have plagued the digital marketplace for years, deceiving consumers and undermining honest businesses. After more than a year since its proposal, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) approved a new rule that aims to end these deceptive practices.
The FTC’s new rule, designed to combat fake reviews, targets several deceptive practices.
- Businesses can no longer create, buy, sell, or share false reviews, including AI-generated.
- Companies are prohibited from paying or rewarding individuals for leaving positive reviews.
- Any connections between the reviewer and the business must be disclosed.
- Businesses are barred from using legal threats to coerce individuals into removing negative reviews.
- The new rule also outlaws buying or selling fake likes, followers, or views on social media platforms.
The FTC’s ban on fake reviews is a significant step towards creating a more transparent and honest digital marketplace.
Why This Matters
For marketers, this regulation means a shift in focus towards building genuine customer relationships and fostering trust through authentic feedback. Businesses must audit their current review acquisition practices to ensure compliance.
Additionally, businesses must develop strategies for handling negative feedback, such as deploying surveys to solicit feedback privately and responding to negative online reviews. Adapting to these regulations helps avoid fines, builds consumer trust, and enhances brand reputation.
Combating negative reviews also falls on tech companies and local directories. For instance, in 2023, Google removed 45% more fake reviews than the year before. In 2022, Tripadvisor found fake reviews represented 4.37% or 1.3 million of all submissions.
Google Rolls Out Gemini Live
Gemini Live is Google’s latest innovation, designed to provide a seamless, conversational AI experience on mobile devices. Unlike traditional digital assistants, Gemini Live offers more natural, intuitive interactions, enabling users to conduct free-flowing conversations.
One feature that differentiates Gemini Live is its hands-free operation. Users can interact with Gemini even when their phone is locked, or the app runs in the background, making it ideal for multitasking scenarios. This feature is particularly beneficial for marketers who often juggle multiple tasks and need quick, reliable answers without interrupting their workflow.
Currently, Gemini Live is available to Android users who subscribe to Gemini Advanced, but is expected to roll out to iOS users in the coming weeks. Google also announced it will add new extensions to Gemini Live in the coming weeks, including extensions to Tasks, YouTube Music, and more.
Why This Matters
For digital marketers, the importance of timely and accurate information cannot be overstated. Gemini Live integrates seamlessly with various Google apps and tools, offering a unified platform for all your needs. From extracting relevant data to managing tasks and schedules, Gemini Live ensures you have everything at your fingertips, reducing the need to switch between different applications.
Gemini Live’s advanced AI capabilities also mean it can provide insights and recommendations based on your specific queries. This level of support can significantly enhance your decision-making process, allowing you to stay ahead of the competition.
All of this being said, Google did have a slightly embarrassing live demo fail, highlighting that the AI software is still novel and likely needs further iterating.
Google Releases a New Core Update
Google is currently running an August 2024 Core Algorithm Update, which, much like the March Core Update, aims to promote high-quality, helpful content vs content created to perform well in search.
In Google’s words, 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.”
At the same time that Google began the August 2024 core update, some users noted finding a Google Search ranking bug. This bug impacted many search results, causing confusion for marketers looking to see if the core update had impacted their search results. The bug lasted from Thursday, August 15 until Monday, August 20.
Why This Matters
Marketers must stay on top of Google’s algorithm updates. This update further emphasizes the importance of creating content that is not just SEO-focused but intended to provide value to your brand’s target audiences. You should always write people-first content.
Additionally, now that the ranking bug has been fixed, it’s essential to see how your brand ranks across relevant queries. While the impacts are likely minimal, some brands may see their rankings improve in performance, and others may drop depending on the type of content you have.
Google Releases a New Experimental Menus AI Feature
Lastly, Google has released a new experimental AI feature that can generate a menu from a photo. All you have to do is take a photo of your restaurant’s updated menu, add it to your restaurant’s Google Business Profile (GBP), and select “Generate Menu.”
wp-image-30505 aligncenter” tabindex=”-1″ src=”https://sociai-www.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/21112328/Screen-Shot-2024-08-21-at-12.23.11-PM.png” alt=”An image from Google showing where to add a photo of a menu” width=”661″ height=”595″ />
Courtesy of Search Engine Land
This will then create a menu based on the photos, which potential customers can find in Google Search and Maps.
Good for you if your restaurant brand already has a menu on its GBP! If not, it’s worth checking whether this feature is available in your area. This experimental feature allows business owners and marketers to easily upload the restaurant’s menu without having to manually enter each menu item and price.
Why This Matters
As a marketer, finding ways to save time while attracting new customers to your brand is a top priority, and this new feature allows you to do so. Additionally, customers like to know what to expect when visiting a restaurant, and having an updated and accurate menu on your GBP can help build trust.
