Table of Contents
- Why Reviews Matter For Local Businesses
- Reviews Impact Consumer Decisions
- The Impact of Customer Reviews on Building Trust and Reducing Buyer Hesitation
- Reviews Help You Identify Trends
- Using Customer Reviews as a Tool for Product Improvement and Enhanced Customer Satisfaction
- Reviews Reveal How You Stack Up Against Competitors
- How Positive Reviews and Star Ratings Influence Lead Generation and Competitive Advantage
- Related Reading
- 13 Best Practices To Get More Online Local Business Reviews
- 1. Get Feedback on Your Website Directly
- 2. Ask for Reviews via Email
- 3. Make In-Person Review Requests
- 4. Ask for Reviews via Text
- 5. Ask for Reviews on Social Media
- 6. Follow Up with Requests for Reviews
- 7. Ask for Reviews from Vendors
- 8. Follow Up with a Phone Call
- 9. Start a Conversation
- Approaching Customers for Reviews: Finding the Right Moment and Tone
- Best Practices to Keep in Mind
- 1. Timing Your Request: Strike While the Iron is Hot
- 2. Personalizing Your Request
- 3. Making It Easy
- 4. Incentivizing Reviews (Ethically)
- 8 Best Business Review Sites For Local Businesses
- 1. Google: The King of Local Business Reviews
- 2. Facebook: Where Marketing Meets Social Media
- 3. Yelp: The Original Review Site
- 4. Amazon: The E-Commerce Powerhouse
- 5. TripAdvisor: The Travel Review Site
- 6. Trustpilot: Customer Reviews for E-Commerce
- 7. Angi: Reviews for Home Services
- 8. G2 Crowd: Reviews for Business Software
- Understanding The Impact Of Reviews On Google Local Pack Rankings
- The SEO Benefits of Consistent Reviews for Local Search Visibility
- The Importance of Google Business Profile Reviews for Local Rankings
- Reviews and Google’s Search Quality Evaluators
- Related Reading
- 8 Mistakes To Avoid When Seeking Local Business Reviews
- 1. Ignoring Online Reviews Can Hurt Your Business
- 2. Focusing on the Wrong Review Sites Can Limit Your Visibility
- 3. Not Having Enough Reviews Can Undermine Your Credibility
- 4. Inconsistent NAP Information Can Hurt Your Local SEO
- 5. Neglecting Mobile Users Can Cost You Customers
- 6. Review Gating Can Lead to Biased Feedback
- 7. Failing to Respond to Negative Reviews Can Exacerbate Problems
- 8. Not Making Feedback Easy to Provide Can Cost You Valuable Insights
- Related Reading
- Build a Wall of Love for Free Today with Testimonial
Title
13 Best Practices To Get More Online Local Business Reviews
Date
Nov 13, 2024
Description
Boost your local business reputation with these 9 proven strategies for gaining more local business reviews and winning new customers!
Status
Current Column
Person
Writer
You’re searching for a restaurant online. After looking through the photos and menu, you check reviews. One of the top results has a couple dozen reviews, all of which are positive and recent. Another listing has a similar number of reviews, but many are harmful, and a few even have responses from the owner about how they’re “working on” the complaints. Which one are you more likely to visit? If you’re like most people, you’ll pick the first one that has good local business reviews. Knowing that 81% of people read online reviews before visiting a business is a relief and a mystery. You may ask yourself how to get more reviews if you’re a local business. This article will answer that question and provide best practices to help you get more online local business reviews through best customer feedback tools.
Testimonial software can help you achieve this goal by getting positive customer feedback and making it easy to share those reviews online.
Why Reviews Matter For Local Businesses
Understanding the importance of local business reviews is essential for any business owner hoping to gain a competitive edge. Reviews have the power to drive valuable leads to your business.
Considering that 88 percent of people trust reviews from consumers as much as they do friends and family, you must garner reviews to get new leads to turn into customers. In this post, we’ll discuss six reasons why business reviews matter.
Reviews Impact Consumer Decisions
The biggest reason to earn reviews in 2024 is that consumers read reviews. When users discover a new business, product, or service, they want to learn all they can about it. They rely on reviews to help them gain insight. People also rely on friends and family to make recommendations.
When friends and family don’t have experience with a product or service, they rely on other consumers for information about that product or service. Reviews are crucial for deciding whether someone buys your product or uses your service.
The Impact of Customer Reviews on Building Trust and Reducing Buyer Hesitation
People want to know the good and bad about buying from your company. By reading reviews, they can make an educated decision on whether to choose your business. Previous experiences matter to your audience. If you don’t have any reviews on your business page or social media pages, your audience will be hesitant to try your business.
They need affirmation about what it’s like to work with your business, so you must obtain reviews on your site. This is even more crucial if you offer products or services that are a little pricier.
People don’t want to invest the money unless they feel confident they won’t need to worry about their investment.
Reviews Help You Identify Trends
Reviews present an excellent opportunity to learn what is and isn’t working. When people leave reviews for your business, they often leave constructive criticism that can help you grow. You may find that people are saying the same thing about one of your products. Many people will leave similar constructive criticism regarding your product, whether it’s regarding:
- The material
- Colors
- Price
Using Customer Reviews as a Tool for Product Improvement and Enhanced Customer Satisfaction
This means that you can improve your products for the future. You’ll get collective insight into your products and how they work for your audience. If your product has a common problem, you can fix it to improve it. This will help you earn more conversions in the long run because your product will be better.
Reviews also give you great insight into how your audience perceives your products, allowing you to improve them.
Reviews Reveal How You Stack Up Against Competitors
When you’re selling your products and services, there are always going to be other businesses that offer the same products or services. You want to perform better than them, and reviews are a prime indicator of how you stack up against the competition. Reviews allow you to see how you stand compared to your competitors.
You can see if you have higher reviews or your competitors are outranking you. It’s a quick comparison guide that helps you focus on where you can improve your campaign. You want to have a better rating than your competitors.
How Positive Reviews and Star Ratings Influence Lead Generation and Competitive Advantage
Leads are more likely to choose the business with the higher star rating because they believe it’ll produce the best results for them. You want a higher star rating than your competitors to drive more leads to select your business. When people leave positive comments in their reviews, it helps drive new leads to pick your business.
In places like Google, they pull information from different reviews and highlight it in the Google My Business listing. This is something simple that significantly impacts driving leads to choose your business over a competitor’s.
Related Reading
13 Best Practices To Get More Online Local Business Reviews
1. Get Feedback on Your Website Directly
You can gather customer feedback in a few different ways on your website. One effective way is to have a dedicated page on your site for reviews or testimonials. You can easily do this with a tool like Testimonial.io. Another option is to use a web intercept, which prompts customers for feedback while on your site.
These are best used for reviews on products or services, not the business. You can have a feedback tab on your website where customers can quickly answer a two-question survey without interrupting their browsing journey.
2. Ask for Reviews via Email
Email allows you to craft a thoughtful, personalized message and include all the necessary information in one place.
Best practices for email review requests include:
- Attention-grabbing subject lines: Use subject lines that prompt action, such as:
- “We’d love your feedback, [Name]”
- “Share your thoughts and get 10% off your next order.”
- Concise messaging: Keep your email short and to the point. Customers are more likely to respond to an explicit, easy-to-read request.
- Include a CTA button or link: Include a clear call-to-action (CTA), like “Leave a Review,” with a direct link to the review page.
- Follow-up reminders: If a customer doesn’t respond to your initial email, send a friendly follow-up after a few days to gently remind them.
3. Make In-Person Review Requests
When asking in person, you can gauge a customer’s reaction immediately and build a personal connection, making it one of the most effective ways to secure reviews.
How to ask in person for reviews:
- Be direct and honest: After a positive interaction or sale, ask, "I’m glad you had a great experience with us today! We’d love it if you could leave a review about it."
- Provide clear instructions: Provide simple guidance on where they can leave the review, such as handing them a card with a link or sending a follow-up email with the details.
- Show enthusiasm: Your excitement about their feedback can encourage them to leave a review. For example, "Your opinion really matters to us, and it helps others know they can trust us too."
4. Ask for Reviews via Text
Text messages have a high open rate and can reach customers instantly, making them an efficient way to request reviews.
How to use text messaging for reviews:
- Keep it brief: Use concise and clear language. Example: “Hi [Name], thank you for shopping with us! We’d love your feedback. Leave a review here [link].”
- Personalization: Mention their purchase or service to make the message feel more personal.
- Timing matters: Send the text after the customer’s transaction or interaction with your brand.
5. Ask for Reviews on Social Media
Many customers spend significant time on social media, making it a convenient platform to ask for reviews.
How to ask for reviews on social media:
- Leverage your followers: Post a message asking for reviews, explaining how important their feedback is to your business.
- Use stories or posts: Instagram Stories, Facebook posts, and Twitter threads can include a direct link to a review page.
- Share positive reviews: Highlight existing positive reviews to inspire other customers to leave their feedback.
- Hashtags and mentions: Encourage customers to mention your business or use a specific hashtag when posting reviews.
6. Follow Up with Requests for Reviews
Customers may need to remember to leave a review, and a polite follow-up can remind them to take action.
How to effectively follow up:
- Friendly reminders: If the first request was ignored, send a second email or text message after a few days. “Hi [Name], we hope you’re enjoying [product/service]. If you have a moment, we’d love to hear your thoughts!”
- Polite and grateful tone: Always remain polite and express gratitude for their business, even if they haven’t left a review yet.
- Repeat timing: Follow up one more time if needed, but avoid overwhelming the customer with too many requests.
7. Ask for Reviews from Vendors
Reviews from vendors add credibility to your business and build stronger B2B relationships.
How to request vendor reviews:
- Send a thank-you message: After a successful collaboration, email the vendor asking if they’d be willing to leave a review about your partnership.
- Highlight the benefits of reviews: Explain how their review will help you attract more business and strengthen future collaborations.
- Provide clear instructions: Offer them simple steps to leave a review, whether on:
- Industry-specific review sites
8. Follow Up with a Phone Call
Calling all your customers isn’t usually necessary, but if your business is new and growing, it can be a fast way to secure loyal clients. A personal phone call to ask if they were happy with your products or services shows you care.
Remember that you’re asking for feedback, not a testimonial. Read the atmosphere before you decide to ask for a review.
9. Start a Conversation
The most obvious way to ask a customer for a review in person is to start a conversation while they’re at your business. In an ideal world, you’d have a happy customer who is already talking about how much they like your products or services, giving you the perfect opportunity to ask for a review. Unfortunately, you won’t always get that ideal chance. But you can still strike up a natural conversation.
Approaching Customers for Reviews: Finding the Right Moment and Tone
Asking if they’ve shopped there before or how long they’ve been using your products is an excellent segue into asking for a review. Similar to a phone call, read the room and don’t lead with asking for a review.
You don’t want to come off as ingenuine or pushy. Moving on is probably better if they don’t seem interested in chatting. You don’t want to risk creating a bad experience that leads to a negative review.
Best Practices to Keep in Mind
The approach you take when asking for reviews can significantly impact the number of responses and the quality of the feedback you receive. Below are detailed strategies for asking for reviews through various methods, including:
- Emails
- In-person requests
- Texts
- Even vendor outreach
Each method is suited to different situations, so understanding how to apply them effectively can help you build a loyal base of customers willing to provide reviews.
1. Timing Your Request: Strike While the Iron is Hot
The best time to ask for a review is right after a positive customer experience or interaction. Customers who are still excited about your product or service are more inclined to leave a positive review.
Tips for perfect timing:
- Immediately after purchase or service: Send an email or text message right after the transaction while the experience is fresh in their mind. If you’re a service provider, ask after a successful project or consultation.
- Follow-up after delivery: For products, consider sending a follow-up email a few days after delivery, giving customers enough time to use the product while it’s still fresh in their minds.
2. Personalizing Your Request
Personalized requests show customers that they are not just another sale to you. It makes them feel valued and that their specific opinion matters.
How to personalize your request:
- Use their name: Always address the customer by their first name. “Hi [Name], we’d love to hear your thoughts on your recent purchase.”
- Mention specific purchases: Reference the exact product or service they purchased. This makes your request more relevant and authentic.
- Acknowledge their feedback: Let them know their review will help your business improve or help other customers make informed decisions. Example: "Your feedback will help us enhance our service for customers like you."
3. Making It Easy
Why simplicity matters: Customers are likelier to leave a review if the process is quick and hassle-free. Reducing friction in the process can lead to more reviews.
Tips for making it easy:
- Direct links: Avoid making them search for where to leave feedback. Include a direct link to your review page in your:
- Emails
- Texts
- Website.
- Use review widgets: If your website asks for reviews, integrate a review widget that takes customers straight to the review form.
- Pre-filled forms: Use pre-filled fields to streamline the review process. For example, some platforms allow you to automatically include the product name, order number, or a quick rating system to simplify things.
4. Incentivizing Reviews (Ethically)
While you can’t pay for reviews or offer too much incentive (which can feel like bribery), small, ethical rewards can motivate customers to share their thoughts.
How to ethically offer incentives:
- Offer discounts: Provide a small discount on their next purchase for leaving a review, such as 10% off. Mention this in your email or during the transaction.
- Exclusive entry: Enter reviewers into a monthly prize draw or raffle. This encourages participation without making them feel that the review is paid.
- Freebies or small gifts: Offer a free small item or accessory with their next order if they leave a review. Make sure it’s a modest offer to avoid coming across as trying to "buy" their review.
8 Best Business Review Sites For Local Businesses
1. Google: The King of Local Business Reviews
Google is essential for local reviews, and the search engine’s ratings directly impact local SEO. Plus, Google lets you respond to reviews in the local business profile, allowing you to engage with customers to build relationships and foster community around your brand.
2. Facebook: Where Marketing Meets Social Media
Facebook is another powerful customer review site for local businesses. It has vast reach and social influence as the world’s largest social network. With a business page, you can collect reviews and respond to customer feedback to improve your online reputation.
3. Yelp: The Original Review Site
Yelp focuses on local discovery, too. When you look for a restaurant, coffee shop, mechanic, or any service-oriented business in your area, it is often one of the first places you turn. Being a community-driven platform, you can refer Yelp to the business review sites.
It’s a chance to showcase your offerings, respond to reviews, and build a loyal customer base in your area.
4. Amazon: The E-Commerce Powerhouse
Amazon, the top e-commerce platform, is more than just a marketplace for goods; it’s a powerful influencer of purchasing decisions. Its vast product review system is a goldmine of:
- Consumer feedback
- Shaping how shoppers research
- Compare
- Ultimately buy products
5. TripAdvisor: The Travel Review Site
TripAdvisor, a global platform for travel reviews, has become a crucial resource for travelers plotting their next adventure. It’s a treasure trove of information about first-hand experiences, all curated by fellow travelers.
6. Trustpilot: Customer Reviews for E-Commerce
Trustpilot stands out as a global platform where companies can gather honest feedback from real customers. It creates a transparent and reliable space for online business reviews and aims to build trust in the online marketplace. It helps people showcase their strengths and address customer concerns.
7. Angi: Reviews for Home Services
Angi, formerly Angie’s List, is a customer reviews website for homeowners who want reliable professionals for their home projects. It is a community of homeowners and service providers, connecting those seeking help with those who can provide it.
8. G2 Crowd: Reviews for Business Software
G2 Crowd is a platform designed to help businesses find the perfect software solutions for their needs. Think of it as a trusted advisor for software selection. It provides a vast collection of reviews and ratings from real software users, offering strengths and weaknesses of different products.
Understanding The Impact Of Reviews On Google Local Pack Rankings
Reviews impact how local businesses rank within Google’s local interfaces, such as:
- The Local Pack
- Local Finder
- Google Maps
Studies show that specific aspects of Google-based reviews correlate positively with improved local rankings, such as:
- The number
- Recency
- Overall rating
The SEO Benefits of Consistent Reviews for Local Search Visibility
A steady influx of recent reviews signals to Google that a business is active and relevant, which often helps boost its visibility in local search results. While the specific words in the reviews may not directly affect ranking, they can influence customer perceptions and choices.
The Importance of Google Business Profile Reviews for Local Rankings
Reviews on Google Business Profiles carry the most weight for local rankings, given their direct connection to Google’s system. It’s widely believed that Google may also consider reviews from other platforms like Yelp, though this connection isn’t officially confirmed.
If Google does indeed draw from third-party review sources, these reviews might signal business credibility, though likely to a lesser extent than Google’s reviews.
Reviews and Google’s Search Quality Evaluators
Google’s Search Quality Evaluators help ensure that search results are relevant. These people assess the quality of search results and help Google shape its understanding of quality signals. In their guidelines, Google instructs these reviewers to assess business reviews as indicators of reputation and trustworthiness.
While their evaluations don’t directly impact rankings, they help Google understand the importance of reviews within search results. For local businesses, maintaining a positive reputation across various reputable review platforms can enhance public perception and the trust that search engines place in your business.
Related Reading
8 Mistakes To Avoid When Seeking Local Business Reviews
1. Ignoring Online Reviews Can Hurt Your Business
Neglecting online reviews can severely harm your business reputation. Failing to encourage satisfied customers to leave positive reviews or not responding to feedback can lead to a negative perception among potential clients.
Managing your online reputation is crucial for attracting new customers and retaining existing ones.
2. Focusing on the Wrong Review Sites Can Limit Your Visibility
Not all review platforms carry the same weight. Concentrating efforts on less impactful sites instead of prioritizing major platforms can limit your visibility and effectiveness like:
- Yelp
Identify which review sites are most relevant to your business and focus on building a strong presence before expanding to others.
3. Not Having Enough Reviews Can Undermine Your Credibility
A low number of reviews can undermine the credibility of your business, making it appear less trustworthy. Aim for a substantial number of reviews (at least 30) to establish a credible average star rating.
This helps potential customers see a consistent pattern of excellence and increases your ranking on review sites.
4. Inconsistent NAP Information Can Hurt Your Local SEO
Inconsistent Name, Address, and Phone number (NAP) details across different platforms can confuse customers and search engines. Ensure your business information is uniform across all listings and profiles to maintain credibility and improve local SEO.
5. Neglecting Mobile Users Can Cost You Customers
With increasing consumers using mobile devices for searches, having a mobile-friendly website is essential. If your site isn’t optimized for mobile users, you risk losing potential customers with difficulty navigating or accessing information.
6. Review Gating Can Lead to Biased Feedback
Review gating involves filtering customers based on their satisfaction before asking for a review, which can lead to biased feedback. This practice is discouraged as it can result in negative repercussions from review platforms and misrepresent the true customer experience.
7. Failing to Respond to Negative Reviews Can Exacerbate Problems
Ignoring negative feedback can exacerbate the situation and damage your reputation further. It’s important to respond promptly and professionally to all reviews, especially negative ones, demonstrating that you value customer feedback and are willing to address concerns.
8. Not Making Feedback Easy to Provide Can Cost You Valuable Insights
If the process for leaving a review is complicated or unclear, customers may not bother to share their experiences. Simplifying the review process with clear instructions or direct links can encourage more customers to leave feedback.
Related Reading
- Capterra Alternatives
- Trustpilot Alternatives
- Review Management System
Build a Wall of Love for Free Today with Testimonial
Testimonial software helps businesses collect and showcase customer reviews and testimonials. This type of software allows you to easily display glowing reviews on your website, build trust with potential customers, and increase your conversion rates.
Testimonial is a type of testimonial software that makes it easy to collect and share reviews. With Testimonial, you can import existing reviews from third-party sites, send automated emails to customers to collect reviews and customize how these reviews are displayed on your website.
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