Reviews hold key importance in the online business world. After the C-19 pandemic, there has been a drastic shift in the online business world from physical businesses. Every business has an online identity, more of an online shop or an online office. This shift has rejuvenated the way of working. The online identity is meant to be maintained and here comes the role of reviews.
1- Reviews offer credibility
Reviews are of much significance in all kinds of businesses either local or larger enterprises.
Reviews give credibility to your business. They generate a feeling of trust amongst the consumers who are willing to buy the products or services of that particular business.
Studies show that 85% of the consumers trust the reviews and make their purchase after going through the reviews to that specific service or product. Without reviews, your business does not hold credibility. Consumers before buying a product always go through the reviews first and make their purchase.
2– Review help you get found online
Reviews increase the visibility of your online business. Consumers find it easy to notice your brand’s presence online. More the reviews, more people would be able to know about your product and service, the quality you provide, what number of satisfied customers you have, all of these things count when it comes to local businesses.
Google acquires review ratings from different online websites i.e. Citylocal pro, Yelp, Facebook etc. and in return forms the symmetry of the search listings. According to Search Engine Optimization experts, nothing gets noticed and indexed online more than reviews and keywords. The same goes while marketing your brand on yelp. Consumers land straight to yelp to review the brand. Yelp records the stats of your reviews and ratings. Reviews help increase visibility on different social media sites where you are running your business like Facebook and Instagram.
3- Apps use review data:
Different apps collect the review statistics from different sites and use them to display ads. Google’s algorithm works the same way and so does Facebook. The more reviews your business has the more traffic you’ll be able to acquire and thus more chances of conversion.
One thing I would like to mention here is, don’t buy fake reviews. They might help you for that time but they have no benefits in the longer run.
4- Reviews help people make their purchase decisions
For Instance, you wanted to buy a trimmer from an online store but you are confused and have a series of questions in your head.
Will it be worth the money I spend?
How good will the quality be?
Will I receive the parcel on time?
What if the product I receive is not the one I ordered?
What if the Facebook page for instance, from whom you are going to make a purchase is operated by the real business owner, or is it just a scam?
Reviews on your online entities are the answer to all these questions. The consumer finally takes out time to read some reviews and make a purchase decision whether positive or negative, but the reviews help that potential customer to reach out to you to buy the product.
5- Vital role in marketing your brand
In the online marketplace where there are no physical shops or counters, people rely so much on reviews. Reviews help you market yourself online. It facilitates word-of-mouth marketing for your brand.
A consumer purchases something from you and tells his friend about the quality and durability of the product. Likely, there is a chance that if the friend likes the product and has an interest in it, he will probably order the same product from the same seller, because they have seen the product physically and have no doubt about it.
6- Social proof
Reviews and ratings are social proof to the consumers out there. By going through the reviews a shopper can shortcut their research and would be happy to purchase products from you with confidence. Five-star ratings add a sense of authenticity to your business and help new customers build trust in your brand. Moreover, reviews stand out to be the easiest problem-solving piece of text that consumers leave about your business. A person searching for something having a series of questions in his mind will read the reviews and get the answers to all the questions he/she has.
Bottom line, if you’ve not started working on the reviews for your business, it’s high time to shift your attention towards it if you want your business to be successful in today’s steady modern marketplaces. Also, don’t panic about negative reviews. Everyone has their own opinion and is free to post anything online within the community guidelines.
Take the high road and the world is yours!
