Reviews are Important!
Imagine you’re in a buying situation and you’re choosing between two brands. One brand has no reviews and the other is flooded with positive consumer reviews. Which one are you more likely to choose? The second one, right? That’s the power of testimonials.
Google reviews are an important part of your online reputation as they can impact how people view your business, whether they decide to do business with you or go elsewhere.
According to a recent study done by forbes.com 90% of people are much more likely to trust a recommended brand, even if the recommendation is from strangers.
Why Google Reviews Matter For Your Business
If you’re like most business owners, you understand the importance of online reviews. Consumer trust is essential to your success, and online reviews are one of the best ways to build that trust. But did you know that Google Reviews can have a direct impact on your bottom line?
How Google reviews impact your business?
1) Google Reviews Can Help You Build Trust And Reputation
Google reviews help build your brand’s or businesses’ reputation online. Customers are more likely to trust businesses with positive reviews than ones with no reviews at all.
Google reviews can also be a valuable tool for your customer service reputation. You can use positive reviews to showcase your excellent customer service, and you can use negative reviews to improve your customer service. Instead of deleting google reviews, responding to even the most negative review shows that you care about your customers and are willing to actually listen to and learn from customer feedback.
In today’s world, there’s so much information (and misinformation) out there, so it can be hard for consumers to know who to trust. But reviews from real people can go a long way in building that trust. So if you want to build trust with your potential customers, try to get more Google reviews.
2) Search Rankings
Google uses each google review as a ranking factor in their search algorithm. This means that businesses with positive google business reviews will rank higher in search results than those without any reviews. If you want to improve your search rankings, you need to start collecting more Google Reviews that are high in number and in quality.
3) Google Reviews Can Improve Your Local SEO
Local SEO is all about helping consumers find your business when they’re searching for products or services in your area. And one of the key ranking factors for local SEO is online reviews.
Google My Business (GMB) is a local SEO platform that helps businesses manage their online presence, including their review ratings. GMB is a key part of local SEO, and businesses with positive reviews on GMB are more likely to show up in local search results. In addition, customers can leave “questions and answers” on GMB, which can give potential customers more information about your business, and as we mentioned earlier, helps people see how much you care about your customers and your customer service skills.
4) Google Reviews Can Boost Your Click-Through Rates
Studies have shown that listings with higher ratings tend to get more clicks, even if they’re not in the top spot. What I mean is: Google reviews can have a direct impact on your click-through rate (CTR).
CTR is the percentage of people who see your listing in search results and then click on it instead of other websites/ listings on the SERPs. A higher CTR means that more people are interested in your business and you’re more likely to have higher conversion rates.
Google reviews can increase your CTR by up to 30% due to the trust it creates.
5) Google Reviews Bring More Conversions
Google reviews can also lead to more conversions or sales. This is because positive reviews build trust with potential customers and make them more likely to do business with you. In fact, one study found that businesses with positive reviews saw a 20% increase in conversions! So if you want to improve your conversion rates, you need to start collecting each positive Google business review that you can.
6) Google Reviews Can Help You Win More Customers
Nowadays more and more people are turning to the internet to do research and look at reviews before making a purchase. In fact, a recent study by webfx.com revealed that 63% of consumers research a company’s website before making a purchase, and nearly 90% of consumers say they trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations (podium.com.au).
7) Google Reviews Can Improve Your Customer Retention Rates
It’s not enough to just win new customers. You also need to keep the customers you have, and online reviews can help with that too! In fact, a study by BrightLocal found that 68% of consumers are more likely to use a business again if it has positive reviews. So if you want to improve your customer retention rates, make sure you have plenty of positive Google reviews.
Have we convinced you of the importance of testimonials? Not only are they a vital tool to help you win the trust of consumers, but they also help to make your brand more relatable and prove you can deliver on the sales promises you are making. Make sure that you are utilising the amazing words left for you by your customers on many different platforms, and watch your business grow!
