There is no doubt that today more than any other time, online reviews matter. Gone are the days when asking for feedback from customers then displaying that feedback on the internet seemed like a crazy idea.
Research shows that 90% of consumers read an online review before visiting a business. Businesses that don’t provide reviews to their customers risk losing them to those that do. Getting online reviews for your business is one of the most effective online marketing tactics that you can deploy. Positive online reviews can bring immense benefits to your business.
Do you know what people are saying about your business? If not, this is a major problem because you could be losing clients unknowingly. All it takes is one bad review or comment, and your reputation could be going up in flames. Even if you’re not listening to the online conversation, your customers, prospects, and even your competitors are. A reputation management company can be your eyes and ears across the whole internet. Red Spot Design is the best choice for you when it comes to shaping your online reputation.
4 Reasons Online Reviews Matter For Your Business
Online reviews aren’t just for restaurants and movies. In fact, the majority of patients make their decision about which practice to visit based largely on the reviews they read online. So whether you run a dental practice, retail shop, or an eCommerce business, online reviews can have a positive return on your overall marketing. In a nutshell, online reviews are so relevant in the digitalized world that they are a must-have. Here’s why
1. Reviews Drive Sales
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people have been pushed to make their purchases online. They rely on online reviews to decide whether they should use your services or buy your products. As a matter of fact, more than 80% of people have their purchase decisions influenced by what they read in reviews. Therefore, what people say on review sites such as Google or Yelp can either make your business a success or a failure. When you have 5-star customer reviews on your website, you have a high potential of turning more of the visitors into leads.
2. Reviews Create Trust
Customers want to hear the experiences of others that have gone before them so that they know what to expect. In fact, 72% of customers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations from friends and family. This is because the reviews are verifiable evidence that you are good at what you do. A steady flow of positive reviews can build significant trust and credibility for your business. Therefore, the more positive reviews your business has, the more trustworthy it appears and the more customers you get over your competition.
3. Reviews Improve local SEO
Reviews contribute to your website’s search engine optimization. Google and other major search engines and review sites rank each business higher or lower on their local search results based on recent reviews and overall rating score. So the more positive ratings a business has, the higher the likelihood that it will appear top in the search results. For example, if your website has more 5-star online reviews, Google will rank your website higher.
4. Reviews Are A Point Of Interaction
It’s been proven that when customers feel heard, their feeling about a business improves. Online reviews are a point of interaction between a business and its clients. Your clients give you feedback for free and to the point, and you are able to respond to it. Reviews create a forum where you can be frank with your customers and reinforce positive reviews with thanks or promotions. With this free feedback, you get a chance to improve upon your services or products.
6 Ways To Get More Google Reviews
Google reviews are unique because they are embedded directly into the Google search results. So if a customer is searching for a local business, Google reviews could form the first impression the customer gets of your business. It is, therefore, in your best interest to invest a lot of time collecting quality reviews for your business.
However, it is easier said than done. Getting your customers to review you on Google is no easy task. Even for the customers that enjoyed your services or products, it seems like it’s impossible to get them to give you a brief rating or review. If you are a business owner in this kind of pickle, you should find ways to make your customers want to give you reviews on Google. Here are some of the ways to get reviews like a pro.
68% of consumers would leave a review for a business when asked
1. Ask People For Reviews
Asking for reviews one-on-one is one of the easiest ways to get more reviews. You can ask your customers and your past or present business partners or vendors to deliver a review on Google, and hopefully, they’ll go ahead and do that. To make it easy for them to know where to write the review, you should provide them with a Google review shortcut link.
2. Highlight Current Google Reviews
If you appreciate your customers leaving you some reviews, make sure you take a little snippet of what they said, share it on some of your social channels or your website, and give that person credit. This lets other people know that you do care about customer feedback. In turn, they’ll be encouraged to leave reviews for your business.
3. Create A Customer Review Email Template
Another way to go about it is by sending an email to your client with a link to your business’s Google listing asking for a review. It would help if you sent the email immediately after the transaction has been completed when it’s still fresh in your customer’s mind. Make the email as personal as possible and make it very clear that you’d like them to leave a review for your business. This technique will instantly double, if not triple, the number of people that leave reviews for your business.
4. Create A Google Reviews Page On Your Website
Clients who want to leave a review are probably going to visit your website. Therefore, from your website, you can dedicate a webpage to Google reviews. It will showcase all the reviews you’ve gotten, thus encourage new customers and inspire existing customers to leave a review. The page should also contain a link that will take them directly to the Google review section making it easy.
5. Ask For Reviews On Social Media
Social media platforms generate a lot of traffic to your website. Having reviews on these platforms can influence how potential customers perceive your business. Other than getting reviews on these platforms, you should also consider asking for reviews. When you spot positive feedback like a Twitter reply or Facebook comment, you can ask the follower to leave a Google review for your business.
6. Respond To Existing Reviews
As a business owner, responding to reviews, whether good or bad, is an extension of your customer service. People take time out of their busy schedules to leave feedback for your business. The least you could do is let them know what you think about what they said. It shows that you care and respect their time.
Reputation and Review Management
In a world where customer experiences have become a spectator sport, businesses win or lose based on their online review scores making reputation management a priority. Unfortunately, managing customers’ feedback online has proven to be quite difficult for most business owners. With thousands of reviews being posted every day when you’re a business owner, you don’t have time to manage it all on your own.
And that’s where Red Spot Design comes into play. We offer reputation management services guaranteed to help your business manage online reviews and boost your search engine ranking. This, in turn, assists you in building your online credibility and increasing leads that convert to sales. Our system for soliciting, managing, and sharing online reviews has been proven to work for businesses, and we believe it can work for your business too.
We understand that no business can please all its customers all the time. Not every online review will be sunshine and roses, but we promise that one grumpy unsatisfied client won’t destroy your business.
Our review filter process gives your business a second chance to fix any problems and recover unhappy customers before they vent online. As such, we end up collecting more positive reviews and preventing bad reviews from going public. So please leave it to us to do whatever it takes to protect your online reputation.
Whether you own a small business or a large enterprise, we make managing your online reviews effortless. Our expert team will implement a customized strategy to generate positive reviews and attract more customers to your business.
At the end of the day, you can’t control what customers say about your business, but you can do more than hope and pray. So what are you waiting for? Get started with us today!