As seen on LinkedIn, by Dina Kelly.
Recently, I was in the market for purchasing a new computer. I’m not going to lie; it had been several years since I bought a computer, and I was in the position where I needed to do some research.
I did a quick Google search, “best computers 2023.” To no surprise there were many sites reviewing different brands, makes and models.
Top 10 lists, Google reviews, and Facebook threads all dissecting various computers. I found myself down a rabbit hole of endless feedback.
“My computer caught on fire within two weeks of purchase,” one person said.
“This is the fourth model I’ve gotten,” another reviewer wrote. “Love it!”
There were a lot of reviews to slog through. Some were helpful, others not. But after reading them—and realizing my current computer wasn’t getting any younger—I took the information I had gained and made a purchase.
This is exactly why online reviews are critical to your business.
With the internet readily available on our phones, tablets, and other smart devices, it’s become the norm for consumers to read reviews about the product or service they are purchasing.
As Chris Anderson, businessman and current head of TED, once said, “Your brand isn’t what you say it is — it’s what Google says it is.”
Online reviews play a significant role in shaping a business in the digital marketplace. They can develop a brand, attract new leads, drive more revenue, and educate businesses on strategies to grow and improve their business.
People read reviews, so what?
Online reviews and testimonials are all about building trust for customers. Especially for the early stages in the buyer’s journey when shoppers don’t have the opportunity to inquire with your company’s staff about a product or service.
One of the benefits of online reviews is that they can attract more people to your business. Reviews can generate conversation and give a voice to your brand; it can also help build your company’s reputation.
Your brand should live on as many places as possible, so customers are familiar with your name, what you represent and the product or service you provide. Reviews across many sites such as Google, Facebook, Yelp, Better Business Bureau, etc., can do the heavy lifting for you, increasing your presence organically (and who doesn’t like things for free?).
Not to mention, you can get some positive PR out of it. When you have a great review, showing it off can be powerful. Instead of promoting about how amazing your product or service is, let the reviews do the talking for you. Featuring reviews on your company’s website, social media, press releases, and marketing strategies can help broadcast your stellar reputation.
Google reviews can be among the most meaningful for your reputation as a provider, they are also helpful for Search Engine Optimization (SEO).SEO is all about helping you increase the amount of traffic you get from those sources. It aims to improve your website’s position in search results pages.
Reviews around the web are factored into Google’s search ranking algorithm which can help drive up your company’s appearance in the search engine results pages (SERPs) — meaning the more reviews you have, the more your brand’s name will appear in more visible locations. It stands to reason that Google is playing favorites with their own reviewing feature. Gaining positive reviews here should take precedent, but Facebook and Yelp are also important as they also have high visibility. Tertiary and industry-specific sites like (e.g., YellowPages.com or SeniorAdvisor.com) should not be ignored.
When you’re ranked higher, algorithms and people alike tend to see your website as an authority in your industry, which also leads to more exposure.
Simply put, more reviews = more $$$.
A study by the Harvard Business School found that online reviews can demonstrably impact your bottom line. Brands that are viewed positively have better sales, but even improving your star rating can have a positive effect on your sales.
Spiegel Research Center’s (SRC) found in their study that, “As products begin displaying reviews, conversion rates escalate rapidly. The purchase likelihood for a product with five reviews is 270% greater than the purchase likelihood of a product with no reviews.”
But really, why does it all matter?
Reviews from real customers are perceived as being more trustworthy than marketing materials, as they provide a more objective perspective on your brand’s products or services.
Check out the following statistics about online reviews presented by Us Digital Partners:
- In a 2019 study, 61% of U.S. online shoppers said the quantity of reviews was important to them.
- According to a BrightLocal study , 87% of customers read online reviews for local businesses in 2020.
- 93% of customers read online reviews before buying a product and 94% of all purchases are made for products with an average rating of 4 stars and above.
Online reviews are the new word of mouth — arguably the best form of marketing your business. It should be an essential part of your digital marketing strategy.
Implement Your Review Strategy
With a solid online review management strategy in place, you have the ability to take control of feedback on the Internet and ensure you look credible in customers’ eyes. Here’s a few things to implement for your company.
For high-volume businesses like e-commerce, there are ways to automatically solicit reviews from customers after they’ve received their item. Shopify has several product review apps you can add directly to your store. There are also SaaS like Stamped.io that can automate it, too.
For lower-volume / high-value businesses, personally reaching out with a message and links to major review sites can help.
You should be mindful of Terms of Service requirements for each review platform because they all have their own sets of rules.
Third-party tools like Podium and GatherUp offer methods of obtaining positive and can help you stay within each of the major review site’s rules.
Having your team respond to reviews shows that you’re attentive when people have problems.
Contact me if you’d like to learn more about how we can help your online reputation!