The Importance of Online Reviews for Your Small Business
As a small business owner, having online reviews can be essential to your success. Consumers increasingly rely on online reviews to form opinions about products and services before purchasing. Review sites allow potential customers to see if other people had positive or negative experiences with your business, giving them confidence in their decision-making process.
With more people using internet search engines and social media platforms to learn information about companies, small business owners must recognize the importance of cultivating an effective review strategy. This blog post will discuss why reviews are significant for small businesses and how you can proactively manage the public narrative surrounding your brand.
The Importance of Online Reviews
Online reviews are an integral part of today’s businesses and consumer market. Here’s why:
Build Credibility Through Online Reviews
According to a recent BrightLocal survey, 69% of consumers would feel positive about using a business with reviews describing a positive experience. Thus, reviews can help build credibility for your business. Don’t worry if your reviews aren’t 100% perfect, though. A perfect score from at least 10 reviews might look fishy to potential customers.
The more people share their positive experiences regarding your company, the more trust potential clients reading those reviews will feel. And, since “90% of consumers read less than 10 reviews before forming an opinion about a business,” fresh reviews are pretty important.
Improve Local Search Rankings
Online reviews are among the top factors for local search engine rankings. This is where you want to rank higher than your competitors. When multiple companies meet a search criterion, such as “pizza delivery in my town”, Google will display businesses with better reviews higher on the search result list.
Thus, to be at the top of the organic search rankings in search engines, you must enable customer reviews from Google, Yelp, Angi, etc. Moreover, the reviews you receive contribute to your site’s unique content and your SEO.
Improve Off-Site Rankings
Off-site rankings refer to having an online presence on websites other than yours. When you list your business on popular review websites such as Yelp or TripAdvisor, more clients will be able to review your business, which will draw in more clients. The BrightLocal survey also indicates that 87% of consumers would not consider a business with an average rating below 3 stars.
In addition, ranking high in review aggregators like Yelp will boost your position in search engine result lists. Some review aggregators like CrowdReviews promote unbiased reviews that provide helpful insight into what a business does or offers.
Understand Customers Better
The option to leave reviews for a product or service can boost your credibility and learn the good and the bad about your business. Positive reviews help you learn what to focus on, and negative reviews help improve your services.
According to the BrightLocal survey, 34% of consumers would likely leave a review if requested by email. And 33% of people would leave a review if asked to in person during the business experience or transaction. So, whenever you can, kindly ask your clients to leave an honest review on your Facebook page, your website, Yelp, Amazon, etc.
Increase Sales, Conversion, and Profits
In accordance with the BrightLocal survey, 46% of consumers feel online business reviews are as trustworthy as personal recommendations from friends or family. This automatically increases your chances of generating leads and sales as long as the information your customers put in your online reviews is more positive than negative.
Lastly, another important idea is knowing how to respond to reviews. You should monitor what people write about your company online as a business owner. Address negative comments or reviews promptly and try to offer a solution to the client’s problem. Answer to positive reviews, too.
Clients will know that you appreciate their efforts to leave a review, which might incentivize them to leave a new positive review. The BrightLocal survey also indicates that 88% of consumers are likely to use a business if they see the owner respond to all positive or negative reviews.
Bright Pink Agency Can Help You Find Success Through Online Reviews
Online reviews can benefit your small business in a big way. Thanks to tools such as Bright Review, business owners can manage reviews across locations efficiently. Don’t wait! Start your Bright Review journey today and see how positive online reviews can elevate your business. Try it for free!
