Does payment affect rankings and reviews?

Short answer: no. Payment never changes reviews, ratings or the editorial rankings on NorgeGuide. Here is what payment gives, and what it does not.

Reviews and stars

• We do not remove honest negative reviews for money.
• We do not publish positive reviews for money.
• Reviews that break the rules are handled the same way for everyone, whether the business pays or not.

The rules are in Review Moderation. See also Why real reviews matter more than fake ones.

Editorial rankings

Lists such as "best hotels in Oslo" are made by our editorial team. We look at information about the place, reviews, our own editorial check and how easy it is for the guest. The rankings are not for sale, and the rules are the same for everyone. See How the Rankings Work.

What payment gives

Separately from the rankings, businesses can buy priority placement or a premium listing in the catalogue lists. Then:

• the business is shown higher in the lists of its category and city
• the listing is marked with a crown icon and the label "Annonse"
• the business can reply to reviews publicly through a personal manager. Replies are marked as replies from the business.

The crown always means the business pays. Listings without priority placement are shown in the standard order of the catalogue, which does not depend on payment.

Why we work this way

People must be able to trust what they read. Under the Norwegian Marketing Control Act, advertising must be clearly marked, and the Consumer Authority (Forbrukertilsynet) requires user reviews to be genuine. More about the services in What paid services are there for businesses?.

Seen a mistake?

If something in a ranking is wrong or out of date, use the Correct an inaccuracy form.

Related

• What paid services are there for businesses?
• Why real reviews matter more than fake ones
• How the Rankings Work
• Review Moderation
• Paid Services Terms

Sources

• Norwegian Marketing Control Act, markedsføringsloven (lovdata.no)
• Forbrukertilsynet: User reviews in marketing, short version, in Norwegian (forbrukertilsynet.no)