Review Moderation Done Right

Review moderation should never be used to make a company’s ratings look artificially positive. Customers expect reviews to reflect real experiences, and a review program loses credibility if it appears controlled or filtered.

Moderation is appropriate when it’s based on neutral, consistently applied standards. Reviews may reasonably be moderated if they contain personal information, abusive language, irrelevant content, spam, or content that violates platform rules. The key is that these criteria apply equally to positive and negative reviews.

FTC Guidelines

This approach also keeps brands aligned with regulation. The FTC’s Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule, effective October 21, 2024, addresses deceptive practices including fake reviews, review suppression, and incentives tied to a particular review sentiment. Under 16 CFR Part 465, withholding or discouraging reviews based on rating or unfavorable sentiment can be considered deceptive. In short: a company should not display only positive reviews while filtering out negative ones simply because they’re unfavorable.

How Verified Reviews Help

Bizrate’s methodology reduces the need for heavy moderation in the first place.

Because feedback is collected through verified customer interactions rather than open public submissions, your review profile isn’t dominated by uninvited, complaint-only feedback, and there’s far less gray area to manage. The model isn’t designed to manufacture positive ratings, but you’ll find that it captures a more representative view of the customer journey. Real customers talking about real experiences are just more fair. You can see proof of this on any open review site.