According to BrightLocal’s Local Consumer Review Survey, 87% of online consumers read online reviews when considering a local business to purchase from. If such a great number of potential customers are doing that to determine whether or not a business is good, you most definitely need to have positive reviews.
Customer reviews are much like personal recommendations. They basically give other prospective customers an idea of the quality of your products or services, as well as how you treat your current customers. In other words, online reviews tend to influence buying decisions more than any type of digital advertising and marketing.
So are customer reviews essential to growing your business? The answer is a solid yes. To see a remarkable improvement in your online reputation in particular, you need five-star reviews. Businesses with fewer ratings are more often overlooked, which is the last thing you want to happen. Read on to know more about how five-star reviews can help your business.
Brilliant things five-star reviews can do for your business
1. Boost local SEO
Apart from those keywords and link-building efforts, online reviews can also be helpful for your business’s SEO. And if you want to please Google and rank well, you’ll need to give it relevant, fresh content. One way to do that is through user-generated content (UGC) like online reviews.
Having five-star reviews gives your web listing SEO points, thus boosting your search ranking and making your website more visible. In fact, recent studies by The Local SEO and Moz found that online reviews can help sites get better rankings in organic local search results and Google’s Local 3-Pack.
2. Increase brand trust
Having five-star reviews allows your business to build trust with your potential customers. It creates transparency on multiple pieces of information regarding your business. Studies found that instead of researching details about a business, consumers just read the online reviews to check a local business’s quality.
It’s imperative to note, though, that for you to build trust, you need to continue gaining more online reviews. The more five-star reviews you have, the more sales you’re likely to get. Engage in a follow-up sales process and ask customers for reviews!
3. Better click-through rates
You could be spending thousands of dollars every month for your marketing strategy, but if there isn’t anyone clicking on your links, all your efforts will be for nothing. Today, it’s not enough to just simply rank; you need to stand out in the search engines. And five-star reviews can help you do that.
Having reviews beside your business name can help you impress potential customers and encourage them to click through your site. According to a study, 56% of customers click on businesses that have positive online reviews. The higher your star rating, the more clicks you get.
4. Boost conversions on product pages
Getting quality traffic on product pages won’t do you much good if sales are low. If this is your case, check your pages’ content. Are you using the manufacturer information on your products like other online businesses? If so, you’re doing the same impersonal thing that others do, which often results in customer confusion and trust issues.
Professional marketers recommend putting something more personal that will make you stand out—like product reviews. In fact, according to one survey, 78% of US online shoppers say that product reviews make their shopping experience better.
Having five-star written reviews on your product pages not only makes the customers more informed but also increases buyer confidence. Unlike the typical manufacturer information, customer-generated content (like reviews) is usually more detailed and personal. It provides additional details about the quality, size, and so on.
5. Lead to increased revenue
If you get better click-through and conversion rates, then you’re also likely to have better sales. Several studies and surveys found that reviews empirically have an impact on your bottom line. Also, it’s said that an improvement in star ratings leads to a boost in sales.
According to one study by the Harvard Business School, even a one-star improvement on Yelp.com results in an increase of up to 9% on sales. In a different study, it’s found that good reviews lead to about 18% boost in sales, which comes with other perks such as increased repeat order rates and order sizes. Want to appear first in Google Map search results? Work on being a top-rated business online.
6. Expand brand’s reach
Five-star reviews can quickly spread online, allowing you to expand the reach of your brand. The better reviews you have, the more likely they’ll be shared on various external websites such as TripAdvisor, Foursquare, and Yelp, meaning more potential customers can see you.
At the same time, appearing on such sites is critical for your online presence since Google gathers data from these hubs when creating their results ranking. By having positive written reviews, you increase your chance to have more happy customers who will share their thoughts online, boosting your brand’s multichannel footprint. What’s more, you can even display your five-star reviews on your social media accounts (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter) to positively influence your target audience.
7. Create better customer service
Asking for support from your loyal customers is also helpful in creating an open line of communication with your customers. You can involve them in shaping your company as you continue to collect feedback. They will feel more attached and valued, which creates stronger relationships.
Simply put, customers always appreciate when they’re asked about their opinions on a certain product or service. Plus, reviews give you the urge to continue improving your offers and ensure you’re meeting the current needs and expectations of your customers.
Eight Techniques to Help You Get More 5-Star Reviews
Now that you know how essential online reviews are for improving your business, let’s go to the best strategies on how you can get more five-star reviews.
1. Work with our team
If you already have a good product or service but still not enough reviews to boost sales, then our 5-Star Review Accelerator can help you out. This system will give your business the power to increase your online review count and boost your overall rating. Offering a convenient and fast way to encourage customers to give you feedback, your business can get more five-star ratings with our 5-Star Review Accelerator. Talk to our friendly team to learn more.
2. Ask people for honest reviews
The best way to get reviews for your products or services is to ask. Reach out to your loyal customers and ask if they can leave ratings or reviews. You can do this using your Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter account. Surveys show that seven out of ten customers will give feedback if asked. Make your loyal customers part of your growth by asking for their opinions. When asking, be sure to make it straightforward and be appreciative.
If you have a physical shop, personally asking for reviews would be just as effective. You can hand out business cards, place tabletop signs, or write a short message at the bottom of their receipts.
3. Simplify the review process
Earning more reviews is feasible if you make it easier for the customers to leave feedback. Simplifying your review writing process obviously provides your customers with an effortless job. You can put call-to-action buttons on your site to lead them to your Google My Business or Yelp review page. Or you can send a direct link via email that will bring them straight to your GMB review page.
4. Pick communication channels
The more flexible you are with your communication channels, the more customers you can reach. For one, you can send them a text message requesting feedback, then follow it up via email. Some businesses even provide little discounts too. That said, it’s solely up to you whether you want to use automation or personal outreach. What’s more crucial is putting a process in place to get more reviews.
5. Respond to the reviews carefully
Responding to the reviews is a great way to promote engagement and show your customers that you care. Asking for reviews is one thing, but if you want to keep them coming, you’ll also need to put in the extra effort to respond. Say “thank you” or send a more appreciative reply. In order to respond as quickly as possible, you can set up your Google Alerts.
In fact, a study by the Harvard Business Review found that responding to customer reviews can lead to better ratings. It’s best to create a unique and personalized response for every review to give off an impression that your business truly cares about what your customers have to say.
6. Utilize third-party review platforms
Making use of third-party review sites will enable you to grow the number of reviews while still getting the feedback almost instantly. However, this option is more ideal for businesses that have already established a good product or brand reputation and are confident regardless of what customers will say. Some third-party review websites can even help you gather reviews by sending collection emails or offering rewards, which is beneficial if you’re limited on budget or time.
7. Give simple rewards
Now, if you have the extra money to spare, you can personally reward customers who are willing to give you feedback. You can first try using different rewards such as cupcakes or vouchers or anything that won’t cost you a fortune. For instance, you can potentially boost your five-star reviews by offering a ten-dollar Amazon gift card to the first ten customers who leave reviews. Or, for a better cause, you can donate money to a nonprofit organization every time a customer reviews your product or service.
8. Run a retargeting campaign
Lastly, you can opt to ask for reviews by running ads on Facebook or Google, particularly targeting customers who are already on your email list. Running ads specifically requesting reviews will make it a lot easier for you to get noticed by your existing customers. Besides, retargeting is typically less expensive compared to other online ad methods.
Ready to Get Started?
If you need help in creating or implementing a good review process, don’t hesitate to reach out to Feedback Systems. We offer a range of products and services that can help your business stand out online. You can send your questions or comments here.