The first thing anyone does whenever they hear about any new product/service is to Google it. If anything new releases or if you’re generally curious about a specific thing out there, you instantly try to find out what others think about it online.
Whether it’s on social media or on other websites, you’re usually trying to find someone who’s going to give you their honest opinion about the matter. Trusting the review is a little tricky though, because how can you be sure whether or not the person online is actually saying the truth? Well, that’s what this article is for.
Here Are 3 Things To Watch Out For When Reading An Online Review:
1- Make Sure it’s Unbiased
We’ve all come across those people who were clearly paid to review a product/service online. They’d write a 2-page review with nothing but miraculous things that they’ve come across by using that specific product. It’s clearly a promotion disguised as a review.
There’s also the extreme opposite of when a person is against the entire idea of that product/service so they spotlight everything bad about it with a lot of exaggeration. The middle ground is where you’d find most of the legitimate reviews that look really honest.
The 2-3 stars that just rate the product/service according to how they experienced it. Be sure to not listen to a person who is biased either for or against in any way, as their reviews won’t really give you the answers that you need.
2- Check The Website’s Purpose
Keep your eyes peeled for the purpose behind the website itself as well, as some are websites made to promote while others genuinely just want to help. Due to honest reviews being so important, some websites dedicate themselves to just that.
Filtering out all the dishonest reviews by being an impartial third party to what’s going on, Moving Company Reviews clearly states “Advertisers and moving partners cannot pay to alter or reorder reviews”. When a website is made just for reviewing what people think about specific matters, they’re usually made to give honest opinions and not to promote (with the right credentials of course).
Websites with the purpose of promoting products will try to promote their products through reviews as well, so try to figure out what the purpose of the website is when you’re deciding if you want to trust the review.
3- Check the Website’s Credibility
There’s a clear difference between when you enter a website that looks secure and a website that bombards you with a ton of ads that asks you to fill in your information to continue and blasts your speakers without consent by playing a loud video automatically.
You have to make sure that the website is secure, you can do so by checking the URL to see if it’s “HTTPS” as it’s the most secure. If review websites aren’t available for what you’re looking for, try finding a review on social media or even on Reddit, as they tend to be way more credible than other shady websites.
There’s No Real Middle-Ground Here
You can’t stop trusting all reviews and you can’t just blindly trust them. You’ll have to watch out for the previously mentioned things as well as just use your own skills of deduction to see if the person you’re about to trust the review of is actually telling the truth. Never settle for just reading one review either, read as many as you can before making your decision.
