Why Online Reviews Are Important
“What is the importance of reviews even if I already have sufficient customers?”
In a nutshell, this is beneficial since it will make it simpler to get more business in the future.
Every year, BrightLocal conducts a local consumer review study. This comprehensive study is examining the motives and behavior behind why people read online reviews. The goal is to assist businesses with refining their promotion and observe how their customers make major purchasing choices.
Since 2010, a survey of more than 1000 participants from the United States has been carried out by BrightLocal to assess the effects of online feedbacks for local businesses, and the outcomes are astonishing.
Many people rely on Google when looking for a local service provider, regardless of whether it’s for plumbing, contracting, garden maintenance, or childcare.
In a very short period of time, they have obtained someone’s name, address, telephone number, and the details of the service. The most recent customers have provided glowing testimonials via word of mouth.
An increasing amount of individuals are regularly checking out online reviews. It has been estimated that more than nine out of ten people check out online reviews before opting for a local business.
The opinions expressed in reviews of local businesses have a significant impact on customers’ decisions. Reviews may be the most crucial factor of an online search, since the majority of people read them, and more than half confess that they are what determines whether they will do business with a certain company or not.
It is essential for entrepreneurs to make sure that their existing customers are content in order to gain more customers.
It is evident from the research that online reviews can be the determining factor between success or failure for a business. You have to have a lot of great, up-to-date reviews on the internet in order to become more profitable.
In addition to that, let us take a look at a fresh capability that Google is experimenting with. Google is continuously making modifications to their search engine to guarantee the outcomes delivered to their customers are as pertinent as can be.
When you search for an organization in certain sectors, you could observe the introduction of a new filter in the results that are presented in the form of a map. This filter allows you to arrange businesses according to their reviews.
WHAT THE RESEARCH SAYS
Is there any evidence that customer reviews affect sales?
The Short Answer: Tons of it!
Previously, we noted that BrightLocal is the most prominent company in terms of researching customer reviews. The following are the outcomes of the 2016 Consumer Review Survey and potential topics to be aware of.
KEEP REVIEWS PLENTIFUL: BUT HOW MANY IS ENOUGH?
The more online reviews that a local business has, the more secure it will be.
Customers take in a review and quickly form an opinion about you. Approximately 55% of shoppers will choose what they want to purchase after reading between 1 and 6 reviews. Some may read up to 7 or 8, but usually no more than 10 reviews will be consulted before settling on an option.
If the latest reviews that customers have read are not positive, they are unlikely to stay around long enough to read any of the other feedback. It is essential to maintain reviews that are timely, up to date, and good.
KEEP REVIEWS POSITIVE: THE STAR SYSTEM
The star rating system has become a widely accepted mark of trustworthiness on the web. If a rating is greater than three stars, you should be in good shape; however, if it is lower than three stars, you are likely in trouble.
The quick rating system provides customers with instantaneous information about whether they can rely on a business, what kind of feedback others have left, and what you have accomplished in the past.
A rating of three stars is good, not great. But a perfect rating is not always necessary.
Most people agree that it is highly improbable to always have the best ratings of five stars because people who have had a negative experience tend to be more likely to write reviews.
The findings illustrate that only 8 percent of people expect top-notch performance, meaning most people are content with a business that offers ranking between three and four stars.
KEEP REVIEWS RECENT: OLD NEWS IS OLD NEWS
You must have a minimum of 7-8 favorable reviews appear first on your list, and these reviews must have been written recently.
The research from BrightLocal shows that the majority of consumers (73%) prefer reviews that are newer than 3 months, with a quarter (22%) only looking for those that have been written within the last two weeks. Approximately 95 percent of consumers don’t pay attention to assessments that were made more than three months ago.
KEEP REVIEWS TRUSTWORTHY: AVOID SPAMMING
Word of mouth marketing is advantageous as it is based on trust of its users. When a close associate, such as a friend, family member, or colleague, informs you of a skin care product or a great mechanic they’ve found, you’re likely to take their word for it and put your trust in them.
Any person from any location can submit online reviews, but these have been shown to provide a dependable and trustworthy source.
A post on the internet can instantly form relationships with virtually anyone on the planet. A great majority of people view online reviews with the same trustworthiness as a personal suggestion.
How to Get (More) Reviews
Real Word Question: “Alright, I believe you. So how do I start getting reviews?”
The Short Answer: Ask!
What steps can you take to generate accurate, upbeat, and dependable feedback for your small business on a regular basis?
Just ask. Really – that’s it.
It has been found that the majority of consumers (70%) will write a review when they are requested to do so.
If you question 10 customers a week to write a review for your company, you’ll most likely get approximately 7 new appraisals a week, creating an uninterrupted supply of newly updated (and hopefully constructive) reviews to promote future services.
Making a request twice is generally the most effective method of obtaining a reply. You can ask for a review in person and then send a follow-up email to confirm the request. If you receive praise, respond with a message including a link in which they can leave the feedback on sites such as Yelp, Facebook, and Google.
Studies have indicated that most buyers are more than happy to contribute to the success of a company that is expanding, especially if their own personal experience has been positive.
KEEP IT SIMPLE
People are not likely to take the initiative to make a distinct account, move through diverse pages, or complete a lengthy form only to provide their opinion.
Make it easy!
The success of your online presence relies upon how people view you, so make it easy for any one to provide their opinion about you in different locations.
We facilitate the acquisition of local business reviews for our clients by using a Review Funnel.
Voice Search Benefits for Local SEO
The transition to voice search offers local companies the possibility of reaching potential customers who are in their immediate area when they search “business close to me” regardless of how high they rank compared to challengers in regular or mobile searches.
For Google to be able to make use of the “near me” feature effectively, the business data must be precise. The most critical data for area businesses is their Name, Address, and Telephone Number. This basic step is one of the most critical elements of any Local SEO promotional plan.
Moz Explains:
Local SEO focuses on increasing the visibility of companies which serve clients by providing face-to-face services in their local area. These establishments can either be situated in a physical building, such as a grocery store or dentists office, or they can provide a service within a particular geographic region, for example an electrical contractor or domestic cleaning service. This includes asserting a company profile, making sure a branch of a business is detected in a neighborhood search on Google (a task known as data concerning the venue or taking charge of citations). Taking care of online reputation also includes controlling ratings and reviews posted online, staying engaged in community social media activities, and more.
Your Local SEO Strategy Should Include:
- Maintaining your Google Business Profile
- Acquiring the correct citations by making sure you show up accurately on Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing, and business directories
- Management of customer ratings and reviews
- Social media promotion and interaction
- Content creation in the form of blogs, videos, web stories, and images
- Website monitoring and maintenance, including occasional updating of meta descriptions and title tags
Your Google Business Profile
Your Google Business Profile offers an opportunity for businesses to market offers, link their website, give facts about their business, and share their contact details so that potential customers can access them quickly. It also links up with Google Maps, thus having an exact location is very important for people who use the “near me” search option on their voice assistant. This is an enormous advantage for those who utilize Google’s platform and companies.
Reading “The Ultimate Guide to Optimizing Your Google Business Profile” will provide more information.
Google Maps, MapQuest, and Business Directories
I’m sure I’m not alone in utilizing Google Maps while on holiday or after changing residences, only to get to a vacant structure instead of the bistro or store I had to visit.
It only requires a minor spelling mistake for an address to be recorded online incorrectly, and it might take months to work out. It is not a guarantee that the address and contact information you have provided in one directory is consistent across all listings.
It is important to keep the “owner” tag on your business listings even though this might be a drag. Even when bringing in a specialized SEO marketing agency such as SMA to generate and keep track of your citations, you are the main person in charge of the listings.
Which Local Citations Are Best for Local SEO?
The only means of guaranteeing this is to manually enter each listing into a directory. The best part is you control the cost. While time is money, many listings are free. Even the ones YEXT manages have free options.
As the owner of a listing, it is advisable to store your login information so that you can adjust the details when you switch services or add new products. You will get an extra advantage if you include your details in company listings. Every directory is an additional backlink for your website. For instance, Angi’s listings included companies in its directory in regards to the instance of the plumber.
By the year 2022, The Moz website has listed Linking Signals as one of the 8 aspects which influences Local SEO ranking.
It is critical to opt for directories that correspond to your company’s specialism and will enhance the credibility of your website. Read more about why here.
It’s essential to understand that numerous organizations take their assessments from Yelp and City Search. Yelp supplies data to Apple Maps, Bing Places, and MapQuest, as well as other services. City Search deploys reviews onto approximately twelve separate directories, which is a common tactic. By selecting appropriate references, for example the principal review sites, an entrepreneur can enhance fewer references and amplify their total citations.
Review Sites for Local Businesses
Yelp
A considerable amount of literature has been produced regarding Yelp’s debatable methodology and the manner in which the platform leaves business owners perplexed and bewildered. Despite this, it is clear that the review and advertising site has a big role in encouraging visitors both on the web and in person to visit small businesses, with an average of 40.47 million visits a month. Your Yelp reviews show up in organic search. It’s unavoidable, so take benefit of it.
It is possible for your company to appear on Yelp without you being aware of it. If it is listed, you can claim it. You can ask Yelp to include your business if it’s not already on there. I strongly suggest that you look into whether or not your business is listed. After you’ve signed up for or listed your business, keeping your Yelp business account active provides a number of benefits. It gives you the ability to:
- add photos and update business information
- respond to reviews which allows you to create content on the site that can impact SEO
- add keyword-rich descriptions, which are also good for SEO
- advertise and offer deals
It’s important to understand how Yelp works. Yelp is similar to a virtual version of a noticeboard featuring reviews and appraisals of different businesses. Content generated by users cannot be managed by the business proprietor. Yelp users can post opinions about companies, locate happenings in the area, and look for deals on the website. It functions more like a platform for connecting people than a list of contacts. Members can remain in touch with and feel included in their near surroundings by leaving feedback and guiding those closest to them towards superior businesses (or alerting them to negative incidents).
