Researching a business online before making a purchase is part of our day to day lives.
Think back, when is the last time you bought something without looking it up online first? We browse through Yelp before picking restaurants, we scan articles before buying new tech, we’ve all made it a habit to look up reviews before spending money. Although in-person word-of-mouth once reigned supreme, like many other things it’s all gone digital. The ins and outs of any company’s performance, people, and products are often only a click away.
If you’re doing research before trying a new business, you can guarantee that your potential clients are doing the exact same thing. When is the last time you Googled your business? One of the first things that pops up is your Google My Business listing, with your five star reviews shining bright. This is the very first impression that many prospects get for your business. Without those great reviews you may be losing out on business.
How Online Reviews Boost Your Biz
Online reviews have a significant impact on the growth and success of all kinds of businesses. The three main impacts can be boiled down into visibility, conversion, and satisfaction.
Boosting Your Businesses Visibility Online With Local SEO
Simply put, online reviews put businesses on the map. Google, and other search engines and directories like Yelp, showcase the very best answer to a person’s search. This makes them run an algorithm to decide what business is the best answer to the search query. Part of that algorithm is your review rankings, search engines do not want to show off a business with no reviews, or one star reviews.
By increasing awareness of your company to audiences near and wide, the feedback from previous clients strengthens your relevance, distance, and prominence. Those are the three main aspects that strengthen a company’s overall SEO strategy, performance, and ranking. The higher your rank, the more exposure you get! And more exposure online leads to increased opportunities to attract and engage with new clients.
Get More Conversions with Social Cues
After gaining attention with great reviews, those same reviews can help convert potential consumers into real customers! Having the ability to read reviews of what makes you stand out in your industry, how well you work with your customers, and the ins and outs of your performance help to build trust with prospects. Online reviews really can weigh into pushing someone from online browsing into deciding to buy from your business.
We like to call these “social cues” even when they’re happening online. When a prospect reads glowing five star reviews from your real clients, it’s like each and every one of those people are directly telling the prospect to work with your business. The more positive reviews the better.
Learn What Leads To Customer Satisfaction
Once you and your online reviews have attracted and wowed audiences into working with you, their feedback gives you a chance to better understand your customers’ point of view. What part of your work or team are they most impressed by? What opportunities can you take to improve in the future? In continuing to communicate your willingness to grow and improve, your reactions to reviews also indicate what type of partner you are.
Different review websites are popular in different industries. We all head to Yelp or Google My Business for restaurants and local businesses, and we look at Facebook for brands we really connect with. Keep in mind there are more review websites that may be popular in your industry, like Angi or Houzz. Claiming your profile is the first step to making sure that your customers can find your business and leave you a review. Other options for businesses to get reviews are the Better Business Bureau, Clutch, Manta, and Bing Places for Business.
How Do I Get Positive Reviews For My Business?
The value of positive reviews is so high, but getting those reviews? That’s not exactly an easy process. Depending on the size and type of business you could have hundreds of customers each day. We all know that a disgruntled customer is much more motivated than a happy customer to leave a review for your business without you asking. Happy customers, on the other hand, typically continue with their day without stopping to sing your praises online.
Gaining positive reviews for your business requires you to ask for them. From signage in your store, prompts from your cashiers, or just a friendly email to a long-time customer most people need a nudge to write a positive review. Gaining positive reviews from a large number of customers takes consistency in requests, and a reminder or two. Because this can take a ton of time away from your business we’ve added our Review Generator service. This service takes all of the work off your business in collecting those reviews from your real customers. Leave the time and work to us while you get back to that great customer service that leaves clients happy!
Online reviews are a valuable asset for both customers and companies. They can boost your SEO, increase visibility, engagement, and conversion, and provide a stand-alone platform for learning more about your business. At Get Online NOLA we know how to build your whole digital presence to drive more sales and raving fans! Want the scoop on marketing your business online? Sign up for our email newsletter and get the best business tips straight to your inbox.