Reviews have become increasingly important to customers. Before they do business with you, they will at least do a quick Google search to see what people are talking about you. They may check your site for testimonials, visit your Facebook or Yelp page or scour Angie’s List or TripAdvisor. In fact, 90 percent of consumers read online reviews before visiting any business website. While customer reviews are important, you should also consider getting employee powered company reviews. Here’s why you should pay attention to reviews of your company.
Reviews Ensure Positive Information about Your Company is available online and Easy to Find
Search engines, mobile apps, Facebook, and other platforms usually place reviews in a prominent place. A simple Google Search for “plumbing services” will turn up local businesses with their online rating clearly displayed. If you’ve been satisfying your customers, this should make you happy. It means even potential customers who have never heard about you will know your reputation from the start.
Reviews Help with Off-Site Search Engine Optimization
Online review sites like Yelp and TripAdvisor have large databases of information which they have built over the years. Search engines give priority to these types of sites in their results pages. If your business is small, its Facebook or Yelp page may rank higher than its actual website. Your company’s name may also show up as part of a list if someone searches for “bakers in Miami”. You can get on the first page of Google simply because of the positive online reviews your customers and clients have posted. The more of these reviews you can get, the higher your chance of getting on the first page.
Reviews Help with On-Site Search Engine Optimization
Enabling reviews on your site can boost your business’ organic search ranking. Each new review increases the amount of content published on your site about a product or service. This means you gain authority and relevance which are both key to page rankings. If your site is properly optimized, you may be able to get into Google’s rich answers which are above the fold. This gives you even more visibility.
Reviews Influence Decision Making
A 2014 survey by BrightLocal found that 88 percent of customers trust online reviews as much as a personal recommendation. They don’t know most of these people posting the online reviews but they believe them. This should tell you how important online reviews are. Even if you do excellent work, lack of online reviews can prove to be detrimental. You may be ignoring 88 percent of your clientele or customer base.
Reviews Result in Higher Conversions
Even bad reviews have a role to play here. It is how you respond to them that counts. Many people are suspicious of businesses with only 5-star reviews. Are they paying fake reviewers? Are they deleting poor reviews? These are all questions that potential customers have. A blend of good and bad reviews seems more realistic, especially on sites like Facebook or TripAdvisor. Appearing authentic can have a positive effect on conversion. Of course, if you really do have only positive reviews, that’s not a problem.
Many companies fear enabling reviews because they think people will share negative experiences. However, the benefits of company reviews far outweigh the risks. Bad reviews present an opportunity to look at what you’re doing wrong and work to improve customer relations.
