In this digital era of instant information dissemination, having a bad online reputation could be the nemesis of any business. If left untreated, it could kill your brand’s credibility and chase away prospects. Here are 4 cardinal reasons on why online reviews are important for your business and ours too.
1. Changing customer purchase behaviour
Gone are the days when buyers would hop from store to store in search of a product. Today’s consumers rely heavily on search engines, social media and other online mediums to arrive at a purchase decision. According to a recent study, 61% of customers read online reviews before making a purchase decision. This paradigm shift in the buying process makes online reviews a critical factor that has the power to make or break a sale.
2. Online reviews bring trust and credibility
Buyers are more interested in knowing what other customers have to say about your business, than what you say about your business. That explains why online reviews bring credibility and trust to your business and stimulate consumers to choose your brand over others. Here’s another statistics that proves the point- according to a recent study by BrightLocal, 88% of consumers say that they trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.
3. It your SEO booster
If your competitors business is receiving more online reviews than yours, wake yourself up, as Google considers a business with current reviews as one that consumers can trust. In search engine terms it means greater visibility and better ranking on the search engine result pages. That precisely is the reason why business should try to gain more reviews online and especially on Google+ as it directly connects to the Google search results.
4. It’s breeding ground for positive or negative growth
Here’s the fact- reviews breed more reviews! This is especially true about negative reviews. One bad review that sounds genuine is all that’s required to bring down a brands credibility, especially among prospective buyers. While it is true that no brand would receive only five stars and 100% positive reviews (only manipulated or paid reviews get that), what is to be noted is never to leave any negative reviews unattended. This could haunt your business for years, often unknown like a stealth attack.
