How important would you say are customer reviews for a business?
Personally, I have a TON of clients that I've never asked to leave me a review and I'm almost positive that you do too. But that's not OK and we should change that!
Getting reviews from former customers is and always will be beneficial for your business. That said, I am currently working on building my reviews on various platforms and I sincerely hope that you are too!
The thing is, customers today are VERY sensitive to reviews. Not only do these recommendations help people make a purchasing decision, they also help generate even more unique content on pages, which can easily affect your rankings in a positive way.
So, without any further ado, here's why you should start asking your clients to leave you a review, starting TODAY!
Good reviews help consumers make (more) purchasing decisions
Most people will read your reviews before making a purchase
Be honest: How many times have you bought a service without reading at least a few reviews before making your purchase?
If you wouldn't spend your money on something you're unsure is worth it, you can be sure your clients won't either. Although having good reviews does not guarantee you'll close every single sale, you can be sure customer reviews are nonetheless, crucial!
Consumers tend to trust online reviews just as much as a friend's recommendation
Why do people read customer reviews, anyway? Because word of mouth is so POWERFUL and reviews are the next best thing after a friend's recommendation.
Seeing that other people recommend a product or a service will help a consumer build trust around your brand. Recommendations are what drive your business and asking your clients to leave you an honest review will act as a natural endorsement for your next leads.
Consumers are likely to spend more on a business with 5 star reviews
If positive reviews help consumers trust a brand more, they'll likely spend more money on that business.
Online reviews increases your number of sales, but you'll be happy to learn that great recommendations will also encourage users to bargain less. Of course, you'll still have to prove to your clients that your services are worth it, but a few great reviews will make for a great incentive.
Consumer reviews impact your local SEO
Asking your clients to leave you a review comes with another great advantage. As already mentioned, consumer reviews can help generate unique content on your pages and that can easily boost your rankings.
Reviews are a form of user generated content and, although they can't be optimized for SEO, they are definitely taken into consideration by the search engines.
First, reviews are a source of fresh content (which Google loves!) and second, customer recommendations can help your website rank for some amazing long tail keywords. In other words, real customer reviews are a great way to integrate certain phrases for your on site SEO!
Of course, in order for customer reviews to “work”, you'll have to respect Google's guidelines as you outline your strategy:
- Reviews on your site must be generated by your website – never copy recommendations from your competitors!
- You must publish both the good and the bad reviews – you may think bad reviews will hurt your SEO, but Google is definitely aware no one is perfect;
- All reviews must be genuine, independent and unpaid – seriously, don't try to anger the Internet giant.
Once you have your strategy in place – you can either ask your clients directly to leave a recommendation or encourage them to fill a form on your website – you should be able to build more trust around your brand and even gain more confidence as an entrepreneur!
All in all, customer reviews are great because they increase conversions, boost consumer trust and they help you attract more organic traffic to your website. So, next time you close a sale with a customer, make sure to ask them to leave you a review after you deliver their project!
