The Power of Reviews: Why Your Business Should Want More Reviews

Reviews will help you connect with your customers

You’re having a conversation with each customer when you respond to a review. While it’s easy responding to positive reviews, it’s important to respond to the negative ones as well. Responding to a customer’s positive review adds to their positive experience. It will also potentially convert them into a repeat customer. Responding to a negative review tactfully can help smooth over the situation and show you are willing to go the extra mile to maintain your reputation.

Your business’s online reputation can be shaped by reviews

There is a conversation happening about your business between potential and current customers online. A big mistake you can make is not being involved in shaping this conversation. Monitoring and responding to those reviews tactfully can help your business develop a positive online reputation.

Reviews provide valuable feedback for your business 

Both positive and negative reviews provide feedback about your business. Positive reviews show what you are doing right and what customers are attracted to your business. While it’s easy to take negative reviews to heart, view it as constructive criticism. Every review contains feedback so ask yourself “What can I learn from each review?”

Search engines love reviews

Customer reviews help Google understand your business better. What do you sell? What kind of company are you? What kind of customers do you have? All of these questions are seen by search engines and teach them more about your business. More reviews mean more information. More information ultimately helps you rank higher in search engines.

Reviews help generate sales

Customers trust a business that has online reviews. The opinions of past customers help shape your business’s credibility and reliability. If those reviews are positive and you tactfully respond to the (hopefully) few negative ones, it can make a potential customer more confident in their purchasing decision. Consider these statistics:

• Just 53% of people would consider using a business with fewer than 4 stars. (Bright Local)
• The average consumer spends 13 minutes and 45 seconds reading reviews before making a decision. (Bright Local)
• The purchase likelihood for a product with five reviews is 270% greater than a product with 0 reviews. (Bright Local)