Why your business needs online reviews.

It doesn’t matter what type of business you’re operating, online or offline, reviews will help it to thrive. There are a number of reasons why online reviews are so essential to customers. The foremost of which being trust. We’re going to look at why businesses need reviews and some hints and tips about them that will make the process easier!

The beauty of sites like Yelp, Glassdoor, TripAdvisor, Facebook and Google Reviews is that they assure the customer that you’re a legitimate business that will give them what they want. These online reviews are so important that they can mean life or death for a business. Statistics don’t lie, and consumers are likely to spend 31% more at a business with positive reviews. On the other hand, 22% of customers won’t buy from a company with negative reviews.

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No online reviews at all?

Another vital thing for a business owner to consider is that the prospects for a business with zero reviews can be as grim as they are for those with negative reviews. With the rise of smartphones and connectivity, customers are much more aware of the importance of Google-before-you-buy. This is especially important for smaller businesses, where your brand name is likely less-established.

If a customer Googles your business and finds no reviews it suggests that either you’re a new business, and they’ll be a trial-customer, or that people simply don’t care about your business.

Honesty is everything

Don’t, however, be tempted to start leaving fake positive reviews for yourself or deleting all negative reviews that come your way. An establishment that has a huge number of positive reviews and absolutely no negative (or even middling) ones is likely to lead the customer to assume that you’ve been deleting comments. Customers are savvy these days! If you’re met with negative reviews, your best course of action is to

1. Step up, address the issue and ensure that it doesn’t happen again.
2. Respond to the negative review quickly and professionally to assure your other customers that you’re taking steps to tackle the issue.

Finally, don’t fall into the trap of buying fake reviews to bolster your business’ online reputation. Customers will likely be put off by numerous reviews, posted very close together, and using similar words and language. That sort of thing is easier to spot than a lot of people think!

So, how do I get more reviews?

With buying them out of the question, what you need is a tool that makes it easier for your customers to leave reviews. The easier a task is, the more likely a person is to do it. If you make leaving reviews a breeze, then very little stands in the way of your customers leaving them.

RevFee’s revolutionary review system is an example of a company making something so simple that customers find themselves with very little reason not to use it. Visit the RevFee ‘How it Works’ page to find out just how simple it is to get your customers to leave you reviews. Then you can start reaping the benefits of a strong online review profile!