The online world has taken over and many savvy potential clients spend a lot of time researching a business online before committing to making a purchase or signing up for a service. One of the first things that people notice about a service or business is what other people have to say about it – good reviews equal more custom but a bad review could spell disaster if it isn’t dealt with properly.
Online reviews give your business the upper hand in many ways and in this article, we are going to look at five of the top ways your business will benefit from having online reviews.
If you have ever purchased anything online, especially on websites such as Amazon or eBay, you will likely have skipped to the reviews before parting with any of your hard-earned cash. This goes for your customers too.
The internet offers your potential customers an unbelievably wide range of choices, so why should they buy from you? In short, a website that shows online reviews is much more likely to push the customer from browsing into buying. The customer will want to have a good idea of the quality of the product or service you are offering, its effectiveness and its value for money amongst other factors. Online reviews can provide this information from impartial people who have already experienced what you have to offer thus creating a higher level of trust.
Anyone who is anyone in the online world these days puts at least a little focus on SEO and online reviews can help with your SEO strategy. When it comes to making your business known locally, your online reviews can make you much more visible in ‘near me’ searches. These important potential clients will be quickly exposed to your business in what would usually be a sea of other choices.
It is believed that as many as 90% of generic searches auto-direct the user to local options so making online reviews a priority can greatly increase your local traffic. Whilst there are many SEO strategies and approaches, not all business owners are aware of this one, so it can put you in an advantageous position.
You might think that a negative review will put a permanent bad mark on your business but it may surprise you to learn that there is a silver lining. The insight you can gain from a negative review can help you to improve your business in the long-run.
Moreover, you now have the opportunity to fix the issues raised by the customer, demonstrating to other potential customers that, whilst mistakes are inevitable in any business, you value your customers enough to address them promptly and effectively. You can do this by offering an apology and acknowledging their problem and then go on to offer a solution. A great way of showing that every one of your customers is important is to find a solution that is unique for them rather than a one-size-fits-all fix. This can build a great deal of trust among your clientele.
Similarly to the way that a negative review can deliver quality feedback, all reviews give you the chance to monitor how your business is performing and gauge customer satisfaction.
In turn, this will allow you to develop new strategies where old ones weren’t working and place emphasis on products, services and strategies that _are_ working. It can be easy to fall into the trap of routine, especially if your business is performing well but continuing to monitor and engage with your customer’s thoughts will allow you to always be on the ball.
It is no secret that when a product or service receives rave reviews, more and more people want a piece of the action. If potential customers visiting your business profiles see many positive reviews, they are more likely to bite the bullet and place an order with you. This customer may then go on to leave you a great review which creates a snowball effect – the more good reviews you get, the more sales you make.
We are interested to hear your thoughts as well. Have you found online reviews useful for your business, why or why not? Leave a comment below.
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