Think about it: Are you more likely to be interested in a product or service because it was promoted by a company through ads or direct marketing, or because it was recommended by a real live person?

This is the most basic value in a positive online review, but the full benefits run much deeper.

In one survey, a whopping 90 percent of shoppers reported that their buying decisions are influenced by online reviews. That shouldn’t come as any surprise. With the vast resources at our fingertips in the Age of the Internet, it would be irresponsible not to research a major (or even minor) purchase to see what types of experiences others have had.

There are numerous sites out there that aggregate reviews for businesses, with Yelp, Angie’s List and FourSquare ranking among the most prominent. Different platforms are better suited for different industries, but just about every company should be focusing on Google’s review system.

You might know it as Google Reviews, Google Places or Google Local — it’s all basically one in the same. This is Google’s built-in product/service review platform and it factors heavily into the way that the engine presents search results, especially locally. The reason for this is simple: Google is always striving to provide a satisfying and fulfilling experience for the user, and is aware of how frequently shoppers utilize reviews when browsing online. Companies with a high volume of user-submitted reviews will be prioritized in listings, sometimes ahead of more well established companies with stronger entrenched SEO.

And when you’ve got those positive reviews popping up at the top of a Google search, the conversion boost is immense.

How Do I Encourage Online Reviews?

This is no simple question. There’s obviously a fine line between inviting a customer to leave a positive review and getting spammy or pushy about it. Here are a few techniques we recommend:

Prompt at the checkout or thank you page.

If the person bought a product, leave a note on the final page after they check out with a link to your review platform of choice, letting them know how much you’d appreciate it if they shared their thoughts on the experience.

Follow up with an email.

Sending an email after the transaction to thank the customer for their purchase or to solicit feedback is a pretty common practice. Rather than the cookie-cutter “Thank for choosing us!” type message, consider including a link and asking them to leave a review.

Publicize other reviews.

Display user reviews on your site, with a link for shoppers to leave their own. This visually demonstrates not only that people can leave reviews, but that they might show up on your site. Hey, people love to see their names in print!

What To Do About Negative Online Reviews?

This, of course, is the flip side. As great as a glowing review can be for your brand’s reputation and your converting power, negative reviews can potentially turn interested prospects away. Try as you might to delight everyone, there will invariably be an unhappy customer who feels the need to share their dissatisfaction. In today’s world, it’s a reality that many businesses deal with, and it can be a real point of frustration for some (just ask a restaurant owner about their thoughts on Yelp).

For the most part, you can’t just go and delete a bad review. Here are some things you CAN do to mitigate the damage:

• Respond publicly to the comment. If they’re wrong, tactfully let them know why. If not, acknowledge and apologize. Try not to come off as aggressive, or passive-aggressive.
• Reach out to the reviewer. If contact info is listed, shoot them an email to address it personally. They might appreciate it so much they remove or edit their initial post.
• Flag a non-legitimate review. Earlier, we said you can’t delete bad reviews “for the most part.” However, if the review is totally off base, completely inaccurate, or contains offensive language, you might be able to get it pulled from the review site. Try flagging it if such an option is available, or contact the site’s support department.
• Embrace the occasional bad review. If you’ve got one or two negatives mixed in with a whole bunch of positives, it only reinforces transparency to the reader, showing that nothing is being hidden.

To learn more about how online reviews can boost your SEO, or to find ways to increase user feedback on your website, hit us up today.