So you’ve got your fancy new website and slick branding (if not – why not? Click here and we’ll help you out!), but have you got any online reviews?
90% of people read at least one online review before deciding to visit a business or make a purchase. We’re more likely to make a purchase if we’ve seen that others approve of your decision. You can build up significant trust and credibility from positive reviews, and this will all help build up your business’ online identity – it’s not just word of mouth of the company that’s important, its what they’re saying about you!
Online reviews can help your SEO, particularly if they’re submitted by google or bing as most potential clients will look on search engines to find your business first – this is where Google and Bing Webmaster tools come in, where your site details (and reviews!) can be found before even entering your website. This also goes for facebook as a way to get in their top ranks of relevant searches – high reviews can help and also add fresh content to get recognised by the algorithm.
Needless to say, it also helps you stand out against your most local competitors. Reviews provide you with a great avenue to connect with your customers, respond to their review and thank them for taking the time to write it. This will also add extra brownie points for yourself as other customers who read reviews will see your responses.
The way you handle negative reviews is also essential, remember to treat them as a learning curve about issues you didn’t know existed in that way. If you do get a negative review come through, identify the issue and provide a solution as soon as possible and turn that negative comment into a positive one – potential customers will see your honesty, that you’re prepared to solve things quickly and efficiently, that you engage with your customers and ultimately – that you’re human and down to earth.