What Anonymous Google Reviews Mean for Local SEO

In case you hadn’t seen it, Google recently launched an update that allows people to create an “anonymous” version of their profile that enables them to leave reviews without having their name attached to them.

If you’re like other businesses owners, you might be worried about what this means for your business and your local SEO efforts.

Don’t sweat it — I’ve got the full breakdown, including:

• What anonymous reviews on Google mean
• The wins and losses with anonymous reviews
• What anonymous reviews mean for your local SEO strategy
• FAQs on Google anonymous reviews

So, what exactly do anonymous reviews on Google mean?

Google’s version of anonymous reviews is essentially this: People who have a Google account can opt to change the way their information is displayed whenever they leave a review. 

Instead of using their real picture and real name, they can opt to change their display information so it only shows a selected picture (which could be any kind of photo) and display nickname. 

So for me, instead of my Google review profile having a picture of me and my name next to it, I could put a picture of a flower and use my display name as “The Critical Marketer” (sounds pretty legit, huh?)

So, then wherever reviews I’ve left appear, it will show my flower icon image and “The Critical Marketer” as my display name.

Keep in mind that these “anonymous” profiles are just publicly anonymous — Google still knows who you are on the backend. 

The wins and potential losses with anonymous Google reviews

The launch of anonymous Google reviews offers benefits, but not without some drawbacks. Let’s dive into them:

Win: Sensitive industries can see an increase in reviews

You’ve long heard SEOs preach about how “local reviews are crucial to your local SEO strategy” and how you need to get more. But when you operate in a sensitive industry where people don’t want others to know they used your services, it can feel like an impossible task.

This is especially true if you are a:

• Mental health professional
• Rehab center
• Criminal defense attorney
• Plastic surgeon
• Debt counselor
• Etc.

Even if you provided top-notch service, people may not want others to publicly know that they got plastic surgery, had to go to rehab, or were severely in debt and needed help getting out of it. 

Google’s anonymous reviews can change that.

Now that people don’t have to publicly attach their name to the review, they may be more likely to leave one for you, especially if they had a really positive experience with your business. This is a huge win for sensitive industries because they can now obtain reviews that accurately reflect others’ experiences with their firm, practice, or business. 

Loss: You may need to educate your audience about being anonymous

While the ability to have reviews be anonymous is great, a big drawback is educating others about this option. 

Some of your patients or clients may not know that they can set up their profiles to be anonymous. You may need to spread the word when asking for reviews and let them know that they can do it anonymously.

Even with this capability, they still may not leave a review. 

Win: You get more honest reviews

You’re probably reading this one and thinking, “How is this a win? If people are going to be more honest, it likely means they’ll say bad things about my business!”

That’s definitely possible. But it’s like they say, honesty is the best policy.

Getting honest feedback is a key component to helping you make your business better. 

Think about it like this: Imagine you go to a party, and you didn’t realize you forgot to put on deodorant. You get hot and sweaty, and you start smelling. Everyone around you is talking about how you smell, but no one is telling you to your face because it’s awkward.

But then suddenly, someone tells you they were told to deliver this piece of paper to you. Inside, it says, “I’m not sure if you know this, but you may have forgotten to put on deodorant!” You do a smell check and, whew, they are right.

While it’s tough to hear (and maybe a little embarrassing), you now know it’s a problem and can fix it.

The same applies with anonymous reviews from Google. While you may get some reviews that are harsh or maybe make you feel a little embarrassed, it’s still helpful for you to know where there are problems within your business so you can fix them. 

Ultimately, the honest reviews will help you better understand brand sentiment, which will help you improve your company.

Loss: You’ll likely see more negative reviews

As you could probably predict, more honest reviews will lead to more negative reviews. People don’t often hesitate to post positive reviews, but they will often skip out on negative reviews because they don’t want it tied to them.

Now, with the addition of anonymous reviews, you’re likely to see more honest (and maybe even brutal) reviews of your business.

Win: Increased review volume and detail

A big win with anonymous reviews is that you’re likely to earn more reviews in general since people can post their thoughts anonymously. And when it comes to making decisions, people like to see a lot of different reviews so they can see varying opinions.

The ability to review anonymously means that more people are likely to leave reviews for others to consider.

Additionally, since people can be anonymous with their reviews, they are more likely to be detailed about their experience since it won’t be tied back to them publicly. As a result, you’ll have more thorough reviews and more diverse perspectives that will help prospects, who are considering your business, make their decisions. 

Loss: Skepticism with too many positive reviews

One of the biggest drawbacks with anonymous reviews is that it’ll make people more skeptical if your profile has too many positive reviews. 

People are already skeptical when a profile has strong ratings and the reviews are all people saying similar things. It makes them believe that the business’s friends or family were the ones leaving reviews to make the business look better. 

With anonymous reviews, that skepticism may increase. People may have a hard time trusting your company if you have a lot of anonymous, positive reviews.

What Google’s anonymous reviews mean for your local SEO strategy

So, what does Google’s anonymous reviews mean for your local SEO strategy? Well, here are a few things:

You’ll want to modify your approach to obtaining reviews

If a review attainment strategy is part of your local SEO strategy, you’ll want to modify it due to these anonymous reviews. 

Basically, you’ll want to adjust your approach to let people know that if they want to review your business but don’t want their name attached to it, they can make these changes in their account to share their opinion.

Whether you have signs, hand out papers, or send follow-up emails, you’ll want to include information about anonymous reviews for your audience.

If you’re in a sensitive information industry, make sure this information is prominent, so people know they can share their experience without it publicly tying back to them.

Keep closer tabs on your reviews

Since people can leave anonymous reviews about their experience with your company, there’s more risk of people abusing the system and review bombing your profiles. As a result, you’ll need to keep closer tabs on your reviews to ensure that your profile isn’t getting spammed or that competitors aren’t leaving malicious reviews under anonymous profiles. 

Additionally, it’s a good idea to keep tabs on your reviews because you may get an influx of more positive reviews which you can leverage for your business’s marketing. 

Make sure you’re getting local reviews outside of Google

As I mentioned before, people may become more skeptical of Google reviews on your profile if there are a lot of anonymous people leaving really positive reviews. That’s why it’s important that you’re earning local reviews outside of Google to help give people a well-rounded picture of your company.

Earning reviews on industry sites, Yelp, and other local directories can help those who are skeptical of your Google reviews and want a “second opinion.”

FAQs on Google’s anonymous reviews

How can you set up your anonymous review profile?

You can set up your anonymous profile by following these steps:

1. Open Google Maps on your mobile device
2. Select Contribute
3. Select your name at the top of the page
4. Click Edit Profile
5. Check the box saying Use a custom display name & picture for posting
6. Set your profile picture
7. Choose your nickname
8. Click Save

Can one Google account create multiple anonymous profiles?

No. Each Google account can only have one anonymous profile.

Can you have an anonymous profile without a Google account attached?

No. In order to have an anonymous review profile, you need to attach your Google account to it. 

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