A lot of businesses these days recognize that getting online reviews is an important thing to do, but aren’t really sure why. The most popular response is usually, “my competitors are getting reviews, so we probably should too.” However, there are really 3 main reasons beyond this as to why online reviews are so important for your business.
Why Online Reviews Are Important For Your Business:
1. Online Reviews Influence Consumer Decision-Making
Getting digital reviews for your business is becoming increasingly relevant as consumers are becoming more comfortable researching businesses online. Think about it, what’s the first thing you do before trying a new restaurant? Most likely you’ll consider checking out the online reviews. Online reviews are becoming so influential that now 88% of people trust reviews as much as personal recommendations and 48% will visit a company’s website after reading positive reviews.
2. Online Reviews Help With Search Engine Optimization
Not only do online reviews help attract customers to your business, but they also help your website and Google Maps listing rank higher. This is because the Google Algorithm is designed to reward businesses that provide a positive experience for consumers. If a business has a lot of positive reviews, they are more likely to be trusted by Google and rewarded with a higher ranking. In fact, reviews actually influence up to 10% of the ranking on local searches.
3. Online Reviews Give Your Business Credibility And Increase Trust
Having reviews provides customers insight into what a business or product is actually like, rather than just what the business thinks it’s like. Reviews provide a look behind the curtain, allowing customers to see the real value of a business. However, businesses can get caught up in this notion and start only posting the 5 star reviews and hide any negative feedback that comes their way. But, if all of the reviews are positive, potential customers may feel that the business is trying to hide something. Every business or product has flaws, and it’s impossible for every experience to be perfect. So if potential customers look at your reviews and see zero negative comments, they may become suspicious. In fact, this may even cause them to second guess whether or not the positive reviews are real at all. That’s why digital marketing agencies recommend posting all reviews, both good and bad, because it helps your business look more legitimate and shows that you have nothing to hide.
Where Should I Get Online Reviews?
Now that we know how influential online reviews are, the next question is, “where should I get my online reviews?” Most businesses automatically think of Google when creating programs to boost online reviews. Although Google is the #1 site for online reviews, it’s best to get them wherever possible. As a best practice, digital marketing agencies will recommend giving consumers the ability to review your business where they are most comfortable, including Google, Facebook, Yelp, Yellow Pages, and other online review sites related to your business field. So next time you’re trying to get reviews for your business, don’t depend solely on Google reviews.
How Many Reviews Do I Need?
There really is no exact number of reviews a business should have. Although, most digital marketing agencies recommend a good place to start is to make sure you have more reviews than your competitors. As mentioned above, a large part of organic rankings for local businesses on Google are determined by reviews. Therefore, if you have more reviews than your competition, you’re more likely to rank higher. However, businesses with over 50 Reviews will see an average conversion rate increase of 4.6%, so this may be a good initial goal to aim for.
For more information on getting reviews for your business, check out this case study about an online reviews strategy that helped our clients reach the #1 Google Maps Ranking.
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The Marketing Garage is an award-winning Toronto digital marketing agency that has extensive experience in cultivating effective digital marketing strategies. We help businesses in many different sectors across North America fix their online marketing and branding. Our data-driven mix of SEO and digital marketing process is like no other.
