3 Ways Your Online Reviews Can Build Trust and Grow Sales
It’s easy to see how some small business owners can be weary, flustered, and perhaps at times downright rattled when it comes to reading any online reviews of their enterprise. There’s a preconceived stereotype that most people who leave online reviews feel more inclined to go on the Internet and type up a bad experience they had, rather than the usual, excellent, five-star customer service they’re so accustomed to being treated to.
And yes, while it’s inevitable that somebody out there is going to virtually rant about how their order of children’s menu chicken strips were too crispy or complain about their riding lawn mower not being fast enough to cruise on the highway with, the fact of the matter is that online reviews are an essential component of effective digital marketing strategies.
Successful review management tactics do wonders for enhancing your brand’s online presence and customer relations.
A few of the benefits businesses can expect to inherit through professional review management services include:
- An increase in Google My Business ranking
- Generating more reviews while reducing negative reviews
- Displaying reviews on your website to boost credibility
- Higher website traffic numbers and more
Aside from these advantages, knowing how to appropriately harness, manage, and respond to online reviews is what allows a business to install a sense of trust in both prospects and customers alike. It’s also a way to not only increase your online visibility, but potentially help your company reach higher sales figures.
To dive deeper into the benefits of proficient review management, here are three ways your online reviews will help your business build trust and grow sales.
1) The More Online Reviews, the Better Your Credibility
The power of a positive review goes further than feeling good about your business and giving yourself a pat on the back. Statistics show that the more positive online reviews your business can accumulate, the more likely people will be to utilize your services or spend money on your product!
Here are a few statistics that emphasize how positive reviews translate into sales:
- Customers are willing to spend an estimated 31% more on a business that boasts a variety of positive reviews.
- 92% of B2B buyers are more likely to make a purchase after reading a positive review.
- 72% of consumers report trusting local businesses more if they have a high number of positive reviews.
It’s human nature to tend to trust something that more people have validated through their own experiences. If your business is able to steadily convince customers to share their feedback, accumulate more positive reviews, and respond to all reviews accordingly, the more trust you’re building for your brand, which inevitably leads to more business.
2) Climbing Up Search Engine Rankings
If you’re not aware of it yet, it truly does matter where your website ranks on search engine results. The first five businesses or websites that appear on the first page of any given search engine results are estimated to account for over 67% of all the clicks, and that percentage starts to dwindle when you get past the first page of search results.
It should be of no surprise that the more positive online reviews your business has, the higher your website will rank in organic search results. This is where setting up a Google My Business page comes in handy. Because over 90% of all search engine traffic goes through Google, having a professionally-optimized Google My Business listing will help boost your overall Google Page rankings, which in turn establishes more credibility for your website and brand.
The more Google reviews your Google My Business listing accumulates, the more Google will take your website into account for boosting your search engine rankings, as Google reviews account for nearly 10% of Google’s overall algorithm for establishing search engine rankings.
3) Transparency Equals Trust
The bottom line when it comes down to how online reviews translate toward customers is that the more transparent a business comes across, the more willing they are to trust them. Part of that transparency requires following up on all reviews, both positive and negative. As previously alluded to, it’s inevitable that your business will receive a negative online review, but it’s how you manage that negative review that will draw online attention as well.
When you respond to any review, positive or negative, it shows that specific reviewer and anybody else reading that review that your company cares. In regards to replying to negative online reviews, the goal isn’t necessarily to defend your company’s intentions or reputation, it’s to try and solve that individual problem by being as accommodating and comprehending as possible.
Studies have shown that 35% of people state that coming across one negative review isn’t enough to dissuade them from purchasing a product or enlisting a company’s services. If negative reviews are managed and responded to in a timely, professional, and compassionate manner, public transparency helps establish your brand as honest, affectionate, and responsible.
Get the Professional Online Review Management Your Business Needs
Online review management can be a tedious, time-consuming task that usually requires an extra, objective pair of eyes that aren’t as close or attached to your brand as you most likely are. If you’re eager to establish more trust with your business and in turn watch your sales grow, Triton Commerce is here to help! Our Review Management services will do wonders for increasing your online presence, limiting and responding to negative reviews, as well as building more trust for your company than your competitors.
Contact Triton Commerce today to get your business started on a free Digital Marketing Blueprint and help you achieve all your digital branding goals!