Getting that first positive online review may feel like a great achievement…and it is. It’s a great start to gaining public credibility for your company. But, you must push on for more reviews because quantity, quality and newness all matter when it comes to reviews. Here’s why:
Reviews affect SEO
Clients are always asking “How can I improve my local search result placement?” Well, reviews are one of the first things search engines look for. Search engines like Google want to supply their users with the best possible listings in their search results. So, if you have poor reviews (or no reviews) and your competitor has lots of great reviews, the competition will likely pop up ahead of you when a user searches for your services.
Reviews affect consumers
The general consumer has come to expect to be able to find recommendations on just about everything, from what company provides the best service in the area to what dish to order at a particular restaurant. If someone is doing online research about the product or service that you provide, they will be affected by the reviews that are out there and a competitor with more positive reviews is likely to win that person’s business.
Positive reviews affect negative reviews
Everyone gets a negative review once in a while; it just happens. Actually, it can help give credibility to your overall collection of reviews because it’s just not realistic for a company to have purely positive reviews 100% of the time. You can do your best to smooth over a negative review but sometimes there’s no getting rid of that public mar to your reputation. If that negative review happens to be your one and only review, it is going to have a huge impact on your reputation. However, if that one negative review is among many, many positive reviews, the typical consumer is going to realize that it’s not the norm.
In addition to blurring over any negative reviews, a higher number of reviews can also strengthen your business’s credibility. A consumer is more likely to favor a product or service that has a higher number of reviews, even if the review average ends up being slightly lower than a competitor that has a higher average, but a low qty of reviews.
Ways to gather online reviews
Customers won’t typically think of leaving a review on their own. They’ll need some encouragement. This could be as easy as asking them while they’re checking out, once they’ve made a final payment, or when they’ve sent you an email with gratitude for your product or service. The most important thing, though, is to let them know that you’re on Yelp, Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc and that a review will help your business.
Ways to gather reviews:
- Cards with instructions at the front desk
- Instructional videos
- Friendly reminder on the back of your business card
- Card or check stuffers upon paying their final bill
- Signs around your store or restaurant
- Affiliated stickers on your door
- In an email while thanking them for business
- A card inside their shipped order
- A leave-behind if they aren’t around while you perform the service
Still struggling to get reviews?
We can evaluate your business model and provide you with techniques that will work best for your business. We have various solutions and tools that will make asking for reviews less stressful and more efficient.
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