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For local marketers and digital agency owners, learning how to monitor reviews online is a pivotal skill. More than ever, a brand’s reputation rests on the opinions cast on platforms across the web. Of course, we all know the importance of garnering new reviews. But beyond the surface, what are the elements that make up trusted reviews?
What Are the Main Pillars of Trusted Online Reviews and How Does It Benefit Your Clients
Creating a review strategy for a business client might not be as straightforward as it appears. So do you focus on getting a high volume of reviews, or is positivity more important? Let’s look closer at the factors that really matter.
Positivity
It goes without saying that customers are more likely to buy from a business with positive reviews. So star ratings most certainly matter, but how much? According to BrightLocal’s Local Consumer Review Survey 2023, 58% of consumers would feel positive about buying from a local business with a high star rating. And 69% would feel positive after seeing reviews describing a positive customer experience.
Need
Star ratings are crucial – and occasional negative feedback is inevitable. Yet these occasional unhappy customers can be of service, as the way a business deals with negative responses provides valuable information to consumers looking at that business.
Responsiveness
When assessing a business, responsiveness is a high priority for consumers. When a company is willing to respond to feedback – good or bad – it reveals an active, engaged brand. In fact, the same survey found that as many as 88% of consumers are likely to shop with a business that responds to reviews.
Benefit
Fortunately, today agencies working with business clients have a far easier time staying responsive than in the past. For full details, check out our post on how to automate review monitoring and why it matters.
Authenticity
Authenticity is a key aspect of doing business online. Naturally, consumers need to trust a company to buy from them. And with the rise in fake reviews, demonstrating authenticity must be integrated into any review strategy.
Action Necessary
Protecting your clients from fake reviews requires the ongoing monitoring of the leading platforms. Using our Review Management Tool you can track feedback from Google, Yelp and others, and respond quickly to each customer. And if, for example, you receive notifications of a flood of inauthentic negative reviews, you should reach out to the relevant platform as soon as possible.
Recency
According to data from PowerReviews, 38% of consumers will not buy a product if the latest reviews are over three months old. A lack of up-to-date reviews tends to stand out as a warning sign to potential customers, raising questions about the sudden fall-off in interest.
Strategy
So, how can you ensure consistency and recency? Because responding to reviews demonstrates an engaged business and boosts customer confidence, you must first ensure your business clients have an outreach strategy that includes requesting customer responses.
Platform Diversity
Whether it’s Google, Yelp, Judy’s Book, Brownbook or others, consumers use a range of review-based platforms. Making sure businesses have active, responsive listings on these priority platforms increases the likelihood of customers leaving feedback.
Approach
And if tracking and managing profiles across these many sites sounds challenging, you might like to try our local SEO and business listings software for the easiest way to stay on top of your client’s local presence.
Try Our Review Management Tool Today
At Advice Local, we help agencies and local marketers monitor and manage client reviews from our leading dashboard solution. When you want the best in listing management and review monitoring, try our tool today. Call (214) 310-1356 or request a demo now.