Being "online" and visible is important now more than ever. During the Covid-19 pandemic consumers have spent more time online researching, learning, ordering, and shopping than ever before. Any business regardless of size needs to create a dependable online reputation and use online reviews strategically even if it means getting some bad reviews. For a small business, it's a must. It's time to take control of your online reputation and not let customers build it for you in random places. Online reviews are playing a larger and larger role in digital marketing and sales. Customers (potential and current) are constantly reading online reviews to discern if they should buy a product, hire a company, visit a destination, or eat at a restaurant. 

How can online reviews help your business?

Online reviews in general can help provide an accurate profile of your business or organization to potential customers. As a result, this can increase the confidence and trust your audience will have for your organization. Like it or not, online reviews are becoming a key component of your company’s overall reputation in the public eye. According to a BrightLocal study last year, 87% of customers read online reviews for local businesses in 2020.

1. Reviews increase your presence on the web

One of the most obvious benefits of online reviews is that they help you to get noticed by more people. Reviews can kick start a conversation about you and give your company a face and a reputation (Of course, this can have both positive and negative effects, which we will discuss later in this post). 

2. Reviews can benefit your search engine rankings

Reviews can be very helpful for SEO and SEM, especially on Google. Online reviews are factored into Google search results which help to drive your appearance in the search listing. In fact, according to a Moz study, online reviews make up 15.44% of  Google ranking factors. That means the more reviews you have, the more your name will appear, helping to increase your search engine rankings.

3. Reviews help to improve your business and customer service

Not sure if your marketing messages are resonating or if your product is satisfying the needs of your customers? Online reviews can help verify if your efforts are working or wasted. Hearing about a customer’s first-hand experience with your product or services allows you to assess where the gaps are and where more effort can be given. This can help improve your customer service team and support for your customers.

Let's Talk About Responding To Your Published Reviews

Why Is Responding To Reviews So important? 

A Harvard Business Review study from 2018 found that there was a direct correlation between businesses responding to reviews and improved ratings. The study examined the reviews of thousands of hotels on TripAdvisor. The hotels that responded to both positive and negative reviews experienced 12% more reviews, causing their ratings to increase. According to the study, “once hotels started responding, they experienced a sharp drop in the rate of short negative reviews.” 

The bottom line is to respond. While it’s near impossible for a business to completely avoid any negative reviews, the Harvard study proves that responding to negative reviews can result in a positive outcome. I have helped many business owners build their online reputation and customer reviews through review-based sites and Google Reviews. Feel free to reach out and schedule a phone consultation with me.  

In closing, if you run a business, it’s time to embrace online review sites and use them to your advantage. Word of mouth happens online now, and businesses finally get to add their voices to the conversation. Better yet, leaning into the world of online reviews might be the only marketing plan a business needs these days.