Fake Reviews, AI Search & What’s Next
GatherUp April Newsletter | AI Is Rewriting Local Search. Is Your Reputation Ready? Hey, Reputation Warriors! May is here, and so is the moment you’ve been preparing for. AmpUp 2026 kicks off May 13th, and if you haven’t registered yet, there’s still time. This month, we’re also unpacking the growing threat of review fraud farms, […]
Review Recency as Reputation Defense
Does your reputation defense playbook contain every possible tactic for protecting your powerful average star rating? You may already know that 93% of consumers require a 3+ average star rating on your Google Business Profiles to consider doing business with you, according to GatherUp’s consumer behavior survey of 1000+ US adults. The lower your rating, […]
Counting the true cost of unmanaged fake reviews
The marketing habits formed by local businesses can set brands of all sizes up for success and longevity or eventual closure. Good marketing is detail-oriented and consistent, making it a major concern that when you start looking at small-to-enterprise level local businesses in any US city, you can immediately find companies that are quite obviously […]
Review Fraud Farms: How to protect your business from paid fake reviewers
Stereotype fact-check: It can feel manageable to envision review spammers as random people wasting their free time by writing malicious content about local businesses like yours or those of your clients, but the reality is that review fraud is increasingly stemming from lucrative global operations. Review fraud farms are organized business entities, frequently located in […]
Your Reputation Playbook for Spring 2026
Hey, Reputation Warriors! March means momentum. The businesses and agencies that win in 2026 aren’t waiting for reputation to happen to them; they’re building systems, staying ahead of change, and showing up everywhere their customers are looking. This month, we’ve got a lot to be excited about: AmpUp 2026 is officially on the horizon, Google […]
Google Just Changed the Rules of Local Discovery. Is Your Business Ready?
Google Maps just dropped what may be the most significant update to local search in over a decade, and for business owners, the implications are enormous. On March 12, Google announced two major AI-powered features for Google Maps: Ask Maps and Immersive Navigation. Powered by Google’s Gemini models, these aren’t just UI improvements. They represent […]