You're looking for a new kettle, or maybe you need car insurance, or a plumber. How do you find the right product or service for you? You could ask somebody you trust, but more and more of us are looking at reviews online, and if you run your own business and aren't making sure that you are capturing as many reviews as you can, then you're missing a trick.
You probably know that online reviews are important for your business, but do you understand just how central they are to consumers' buying decisions? Put it this way, research demonstrates that 93% of consumers say that their shopping choices are influenced by online reviews. Potential customers will be influenced by factors such as how highly rated you are in reviews, how many reviews you have and where your reviews are.
For you to compete in the market you need to make sure that you generate reviews, and then manage the reviews you receive. You also want to bear in mind different categories. Every business understands that they need company reviews, but some businesses, particularly those in the service sector, think product reviews are just for 'shops'. However, any service you offer is a product, be it life insurance, bookkeeping or mortgages, and you should aim to generate separate 'product reviews' for each service.
Read on to find out why all businesses can benefit from product/service reviews.
Where your customers look for reviews
It'll be no surprise to discover that the most popular source for online reviews is Google. Around 64% of people state that they are likely to look at Google before visiting the business itself, with many people searching directly in Google Maps – particularly when looking for a local business.
Your Google reviews will be displayed in your Google Business profile, as well as in Maps results and the Google 3-Pack. In addition to an aggregated rating for your reviews (a 'score' out of 5 stars), the total number of reviews you've received is shown. The more reviews you have, the more likely it is that prospective customers will take notice of your reviews. If you're a new company relying on local business showing up in Maps can be very beneficial. However it's worth noting that 'local' does mean very local, usually between 5 and 10 miles, so you'll want to find another way to show up in search results.
It is therefore in your interest to generate as many reviews as you can, but always in places your potential customers are likely to look, e.g. search engine results, Yelp, TripAdvisor and Facebook.
In addition to Google reviews, prospective customers may also see Google Seller Ratings if you run Google PPC search ads. These are combined ratings of verified brand reviews that come from independent platforms and Google Reviews and are displayed in Google Ads. Google Seller Ratings are only generated once your business has collected a minimum number of eligible reviews (usually 100) within the past 12 months.
While Google Seller Ratings can be beneficial, their display relies on you running Google Ads, a marketing campaign and subscribing to a paid review platform. There is an alternative, and that is using the power of product reviews.
As previously explained, product reviews are the reviews from customers for your individual products and services. When you gather verified reviews through a platform such as Reviews.io these can be configured to appear in Google's free search results. While you still need to subscribe to the review platform, this is a cost-effective way to leverage your reviews. Working with a review generation specialist on a programme of generating and ensuring these reviews are displayed is particularly beneficial as they will show at precisely the time that potential customers are looking for what you have to offer.
These reviews can also be shown on the individual pages you have set up on your website for each product or service. All of this improves your search ranking, click through rates and ultimately your profitability.
Getting more reviews
The importance of reviews to the buying process highlights why getting reviews is important, and when you start your business how you will do this is definitely something you should consider. It's also beneficial to have an ongoing programme of review generation. This is because customers don't just want to see lots of reviews, they also value recent reviews. This is particularly important when you are offering services, where changes in personnel over time may impact quality. When customers see reviews left over say the last month, this gives them useful information about how your business is performing now.
Generating reviews can be simple when you interact with customers online. This is because it is simple to send customers a link to a review platform once a transaction is completed. While this can be automated you should also give some thought as to how this process works. For example, you may want to give customers time to use a particular product before leaving a review, you will also want some mechanism that reduces the risk of sending review requests to customers who have complained about your services or your business.
While this appears straightforward, for successful review generation you will need more careful planning and execution and may benefit from early input from an expert. This will let you use different types of reviews from different6 platforms, to maximise the benefit.
Generate don't buy
As reviews are so valuable, it can be tempting to take a short cut and buy reviews. However this isn't recommended. Many platforms have systems in place to detect unusual activity and remove suspicious reviews. Google may not just delete reviews, but could take further action such as suspending your Google Business Profile. Given how important Google could be to your sales, this isn't a risk worth taking.
Managing the reviews you get
We've touched on avoiding requesting reviews when a customer has an unresolved complaint in process, but what do you do if someone does leave you a negative review? The important thing, as with all customer service, is to try and solve your customer's problem. A negative online review can be seen by anyone, which might feel disastrous. The flipside is that anyone can also see how you resolve the situation, so use that to your advantage.
Your review management strategy should alert you to newly received reviews. Responding to any review demonstrates that you are engaged with your business, but responding to negative reviews is particularly important as it can allow you turn the situation around.
Of course, some negative reviews may not be genuine (they may have been placed maliciously to damage your business). If you suspect a review isn't genuine, you should contact the review platform to have the review removed.
It's far better to spend some time devising a review generation strategy that fulfils all your review and SEO needs. As this can be complex and costly if not done well, it's worth speaking to a company who can help you implement an online review generation strategy.
Online customer reviews are key to your customers' purchasing decisions. Don't miss a chance to make a sale by ignoring this important aspect of your business.
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