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Module 8 · Lesson 8.4 · What not to do · 3 min

Fake reviews, mass content and link exchanges: why they backfire

Lesson 8.4 of the free AEO and GEO course: the off-site shortcuts to avoid. Fake reviews (with Italy's Consumer Code and Law 34/2026 for restaurants and tourism as an example), mass-produced content, bought or traded links and fake forum accounts, with Google's and Reddit's rules. This is not legal advice.

The video for this lesson is coming soon to YouTube. Meanwhile, the full transcript is right here.

Transcript

0:00Introduction

Lesson 8.4: what not to do.

0:04The shortcuts

Off the site, there are lots of shortcuts, and someone will offer them to you. Fake reviews, mass-produced content, bought or traded links, fake accounts in forums. They all share the same problem: they fake a trust that isn't there. And sooner or later, someone notices.

0:23Fake reviews

Let's start with fake reviews. In Italy, for example, the Consumer Code always treats them as a misleading practice. That goes for whoever writes them, and for whoever has someone else write them. Fines range from 5,000 euros to 10 million. For restaurants and tourism, since April 7, 2026, Italian Law 34/2026 adds precise rules: a review counts if it comes within thirty days, from someone who really used the service, and not in exchange for discounts. And buying or selling reviews is banned. And on Google Maps, paid reviews, even when paid with a gift, get removed.

1:04Mass-produced content

Second shortcut: mass-produced content. Hundreds of pages or guest posts, written only to take up space. Google calls it scaled content abuse: many pages generated mainly to manipulate search rankings. We covered it in Lesson 5.4.

1:22Bought and traded links

Third shortcut: links. For Google, link spam means creating links mainly to manipulate search rankings. The examples are clear: buying or selling links to climb the results, and excessive exchanges, the you-link-to-me-and-I'll-link-to-you kind.

1:39Fake accounts in forums

Fourth shortcut: fake accounts, pretending to be happy customers in forums. Reddit's rules forbid it. And communities notice: a thread that exposes a company stays online, and can end up right in the AI answers.

1:55Why they do damage

To sum up, why they do damage. Google puts it in writing: sites that break its policies may rank lower, or disappear from the results entirely. Fake reviews can lead to fines, and they get removed. And AI engines summarize what people say about you. If what people say is a scandal, that's what they summarize.

2:17Your task for this module

Your task for today, and for the module: in the External sources tab, complete the list of the ten outside sites the engines cite for your questions. Then pick three, and write a clean plan for each one: a listing to complete, a community to take part in, or a publication to pitch.

2:47Next module

Module 8 is done. In Module 9 we go back to measuring: same questions, same engines, to see what has really changed. See you there.

Your task

In the External sources tab, complete the list of the ten outside sites the engines cite for your questions. Then pick three, and write a clean plan for each one: a listing to complete, a community to take part in, or a publication to pitch.

Track it in the course worksheet.

Sources

Checked 19 October 2026.

  • This is not legal advice.
  • Italian Consumer Code (Codice del Consumo), art. 23, paragraph 1, letter bb-quater (Normattiva): always considered misleading is «sending, or commissioning another legal or natural person to send, false consumer reviews or false endorsements… in order to promote products» (our translation); art. 27: fines «from 5,000 euros to 10,000,000 euros». These are Italian laws, presented in the lesson as an example from Italy; no other country's rules are added.
  • Italian Law no. 34 of 11 March 2026, arts. 19–20 (Normattiva), for restaurants and tourism, in force from 7 April 2026: a review is lawful if it is posted within thirty days by someone who really used the service, and not in exchange for discounts or other benefits; «the purchase and transfer, on any basis… of online reviews are prohibited» (our translation).
  • Google Maps, user-contributed content policy: «Fake engagement is not allowed and will be removed», including «Reviews or ratings that have been paid for, directly or in kind».
  • Google Search Central, «Spam policies for Google web search», updated 28 August 2026 (https://developers.google.com/search/docs/essentials/spam-policies): «Scaled content abuse is when many pages are generated for the primary purpose of manipulating search rankings»; «Link spam is the practice of creating links to or from a site primarily for the purpose of manipulating search rankings»; examples: «Buying or selling links for ranking purposes», «Excessive link exchanges ("Link to me and I'll link to you")»; «Sites that violate our policies may rank lower in results or not appear in results at all.»
  • Reddit Rules (https://redditinc.com/policies/reddit-rules), rule 5: «Be authentic… do not intentionally mislead others or impersonate an individual or entity in a deceptive manner.» (Lesson 8.1.)
  • CiteProof: the history of cited sources and the comparison with the starting point (The Brand page: how the AI engines see your business, Read the AI answers: the Queries page).

End of module 8: the quiz

Five questions on the “Off-site” module. Get four right and you pass.

Take the module 8 quiz