In today’s connected world, people constantly turn to the internet for information. Whether they’re looking for a product to buy or a service, they will undoubtedly do research online before deciding to go with your business. Studies show that 90% of people who looked at online reviews before deciding to work with a business were influenced by what they found. So how do reviews influence a company’s reviews success? Let’s break it down below.
Sales
When someone is at the point of reading online reviews, they’re in the process of narrowing down their choices to find the best product for their money. According to studies, 88% of people trust online reviews as much as recommendations from their family or friends. That means, the social proof that many positive reviews provide is often enough to drive a sale. A study from the Harvard Business School found that a one-star improvement in online ratings can boost revenue from 5%-9%.
SEO
Many business owners know how important search engine optimization (SEO) is to their success. According to Moz, “Reviews represent an ongoing conversation your customers are having about your business on the web,” which is a major contributor to SEO success. A search engine will consider them relevant content since they are unique, and they will help your business rank higher for keywords within the reviews. Businesses that rank higher in search results will also receive more traffic.
Trust and Credibility
Having positive reviews online shows that other people trust your business. This credibility is important for growing businesses as it will continue to attract more customers or clients to trust your organization. Negative reviews are unavoidable, but if you focus your efforts on providing great customer service and getting enough positive reviews, it will balance out any not-so great feedback.
Communication
Speaking of customer service, reviews are a great way to stay in touch with your customers. It’s a good idea to respond to all the reviews you do receive, positive or negative, so you can build a conversation around your brand. Customers will suggest changes that are needed, and you can use the feedback to improve.
Marketing
Reviews can work as a kind of free advertising for your business. They can lead to more people jumping on the bandwagon and writing more reviews. If your business has positive reviews on multiple sites, that will increase your brand awareness and keep it top of mind.
A final note for you to consider, you can increase the number of customer reviews you have by reaching out to your consumers more often. Ask them to note what they did or did not like about their experience. Poll individuals via social media to see what they want to see next or mention your review section in monthly emails. Any of these methods can increase the number of reviews for your business.
Author Bio
Golda Criddle is the Marketing Manager for ReviewInc, Reputation and Review Management Software that generates, monitors and manages your online business reputation all in one dashboard, so you can focus on running your business. ReviewInc optimizes and improves your online reputation and is the undisputed price performance leader in the reputation management industry.