How important are reviews and what is the impact on your web marketing?
There are many marketing benefits to be gained from many positive reviews. (These are defined by Google as reviews with 3 ½ stars out of 5.)
- Positive reviews make it easier for buyers to select you over your competition
- Add keyword-rich content when you post it on your site
- They can generate referrals from one client to another
- They add credibility to your website
- They give you the opportunity to address negative reviews before they start to tarnish your reputation.
- Your paid search ads (Google AdWords) will display the bright orange stars to viewers on search results pages. This has a huge influence on click-through rates because the ads practically jump off the pages.
- Your natural (organic) list can also display stars, making lower ranking results stand out.
- Provide improved search engine rankings.
- Fill the internet with positive reviews
- Become one of the most influential and trusted service providers in your community.
For your business to start seeing some of these benefits, you will need a minimum of 30 reviews in the preceding 12-month period. And you’ll need to ensure at least 30 reviews in any future 12-month period.
Make it easy for your customers to post reviews
Just send them an email with links to your review sites. This way, your customer is already at their computer, ready to write a review right when they receive their request. The link saves them from having to search for your business review page.
Most business owners struggle to get customers to leave feedback. The good news is that it’s now easier than ever to get ahead of the competition.
But it starts and ends with you… website operators who fully understand value find a way to get it. And, if you do, getting reviews is pretty easy.
Don’t be tempted to encourage your customers to leave reviews
Google says this can be construed as a “bribe.” Here’s what Google’s Matt McGee has to say:
“Reviews are only valuable when they are honest and unbiased. Even if you mean well, a conflict of interest can undermine trust in a review. For example, don’t offer or accept money or products to write positive reviews of a business, or write negative reviews about a competitor.
Please also do not post reviews on behalf of others or misrepresent your identity or affiliation with the place you are reviewing.”
The benefits of an aggressive Google Reviews process for website operators are enormous. Failure in this field will be increasingly costly in the coming months and years.
Your competition is only just beginning to catch up, so you still have a chance to gain a substantial advantage in earning the trust of more new customers than ever before.
90% of customers say that purchasing decisions are influenced by online reviews. “According to a new survey by Dimensional Research, an overwhelming 90 percent of respondents who recalled reading online reviews said positive online reviews influenced purchase decisions, while 86 percent said purchase decisions were influenced by negative online reviews.
If you ignore these facts, you do so at great risk.
Consumer opinions are gaining in importance at overwhelming proportions, so now is the time to act.