Did you know 90% of customers have said that online reviews affect their buying decision? Considering the impact of customer reviews on the ability for your goods and services to move out the door, business owners need to start taking customer reviews seriously. Aside from helping customers choose the right products and service, online ratings also have a bearing on your SEO.
Search Engine Ranking
In terms of local SEO, good online ratings help bring your company’s website further up in search engine results. As illustrated by Google’s snack pack, reviews are featured prominently in the results, to help potential customers decide which business offers the goods and services best suited to their needs.
Google, Yahoo and Bing aren’t the only search pages that show reviews. If you run searches through Google Maps, you will notice that the search results are also accompanied with the orange stars that mark customer satisfaction.
Conversion rates
Having positive reviews will feed a cycle of conversion where high ratings will lead to more sales, and so on. Having the little orange stars also automatically draws visual attention to your search listing, giving an advantage of being easily noticed. More click throughs to your website increases the opportunity of potential business.
Authority/trust
Reviews are an external component that affects your business in a way you can’t control. Because of this, it can objectively be seen as a neutral third-party source that is truthful and authoritative. Use this to your advantage by ensuring you are delivering quality products and services to your customers which can be reflected in user reviews. Remember, building authority and trust also builds your brand’s reputation.
Getting reviews
As a business operating in modern times, having a website is essential. What you can do to boost the number of reviews is ensuring that purchases are followed by friendly reminders to leave reviews, or even establish a rankings program similar to loyalty incentives that will give customers small, but always welcome benefits such as discounts, free shipping, or samples. However, it should be kept in mind that these reminders or incentives should not be used to reward those who only give positive reviews.
Although online reviews are more important for organic search rankings, and thus an extrinsic factor you may have little control over, optimising your website for reviews and promoting customer ratings through friendly email reminders is an easy way to encourage gain those orange stars.
