How much time do you put into your online reputation management? Do you know how your business is received across review sites or are you more of a ‘bury head in the sand’ type? At Search Consult we know how important local reviews are to businesses but in 2021, it’s now more integral than ever to keep on top of how your business is perceived. In this blog we’re going to explore the benefits of proactive online reputation management and how your reviews can help boost visibility and build trust with your customers.
• All or Nothing
Reviews are often driven by emotion, so it’s no surprise that a 2020 Yelp study showed that more people leave 1 or 5 star reviews than they do 2, 3 or 4 stars. Platforms such as Yelp, Facebook or Google My Business are often the first port of call for customers wanting to shout about their experience (good or bad) so it’s vital that businesses have a review program. Unfortunately it’s against the rules to only collect and showcase those glowing 5 star reviews, but if you ensure that all of your customers are prompted to rate your organisation, great service will lead to higher stars.
• Customer Detectives
Consumers are getting a lot more savvy when it comes to digging out fake ‘news’ and this is the same for business reviews. A BrightLocal study in 2020 found that 79% of consumers trust online reviews as much as word of mouth recommendations from family or friends. The average consumer is now an armchair detective, they can suss out suspicious patterns in reviews and they can tell when a less than favourable review is a result of a bad day. A full house of 5 star reviews that appear in a short time frame will raise eyebrows, especially if the sentiment is echoed across the board. 2021 is not the time to consider anything untoward with your online reviews, instead it’s time to open the doors to all of your customers and get an honest picture of your reputation.
What is classed as a fake review? Reviews left by the business owners, employees, vendors, former employees and anyone compensated for leaving a positive review. Platforms are getting better at fishing these out, so it’s definitely not worth the risk!
• The Covid Impact
It might come as a surprise to hear that during the height of Covid-19, the amount of reviews left for businesses actually dropped. Even though more shoppers than ever were buying online, it was the in-person experiences that really drove the bulk of reviews to the main platforms. As well as places not being open for business, the emergence of Covid led to a lot of confusion amongst customers about safety procedures, opening times and restrictions. Google paused it’s review platform at the start of the pandemic to prevent negative reviews being left due to this confusion. As businesses struggled to adapt to seemingly ever-changing protocols, this removed the fear of customers leaving a bad review for limited services.
Today, a celebrity led advertising campaign by Google is pushing consumers back towards local businesses and towards their review platform. Yelp has also followed suit by encouraging shoppers to review the safety features of businesses as shoppers return to shops and establishments. It’s never been more important to ensure that your customers can find an honest snapshot of how you’re doing as a business.
It’s more important than ever for small businesses to implement a reviews program and to ensure they’re offering the best possible experience for the customer. Reviews are also believed to be a key local SEO ranking factor, so can you afford to miss out? Get in touch with the Search Consult team to find out more.
