Business Reviews: How to Get Customers and Manage Your Online Reputation

The modern-day consumers are buying differently. It doesn’t matter whether you have an online business or an offline enterprise. Most people will now do their research online about a business, product, or service before purchasing. Business reviews refers to what the consumers are saying. Take for instance a hotel. Before booking, many would visit TripAdvisor to check out the number of reviews for the hotel and find out what they are saying. It is an offline business naturally, but still, the consumers are using the internet to find out about it. A high number of poor reviews mean the business may have to suffer. On the other hand, it will do well if the consumers are sharing happy stories.

This is why reviews matter for the business owners. Online reputation management has become very important in today’s digital world. It is crucial for business success. SERM or Search Engine Reputation Management can analyze the reviews for business and ensure that the business is doing well on the internet.

Why Are Reviews Important For a Business?

Reviews are important for a business for various reasons. Reviews enhance the visibility of the business and influence sales. They will tell your potential customers what others who have used your product or service feel about the business. Positive reviews will tell the good points while negative reviews will tell them what the users didn’t like. But they all help. Of course, with a high number of positive stories, they are more likely to become paying customers.

Reviews work well because customers want proof that your service or product is indeed good. It does not matter what you yourself say about your business. Customer reviews are the social proof that what you are offering will work. So, every enterprise should strive to get reviews, whether it is a large or small business. Share the reviews on popular websites, on your own website as client testimonials, and also on social media.

Reviews will establish your business as a force in the niche. They can also increase traffic to your website because many potential customers will want to know more about you and your offerings. This can lead to more sales.

• Role of business reviews in attracting customers – The unknown can be intimidating. Consumers are always trying to find good places to buy. The search results are always throwing up new businesses. But they are not 100% sure. This is why they will often search the internet to find out what people are saying. A high number of positive reviews will improve your social credibility. It will leave positive impressions. Good reviews will make them feel comfortable. They are more likely to trust your business. On the other hand, accumulation of negative reviews over time can give the business a bad reputation, which will surely influence sales negatively.
• How many people trust a business more after reading positive online reviews? – According to this report, 90% of potential customers feel that reviews influence purchase decision much more than a sales pitch. You don’t need a lot of reviews to influence decisions in your favor. You can start with just a few and then let it grow as the business grows. It is also okay to have a few negative reviews because potential customers looking at a business with a 100% positive feedback may feel that the reviews are all fakes.
• How online reviews impact search engine rankings – Reviews help with SEO as well. It will not be immediate but the more positive reviews you receive, the more it is going to help your website achieve a better rank. The search engine robots are always crawling through the web to find useful content for the people. When Google finds quality content, it ranks the page well. Small business SEO reviews is an important factor for local search. Pages with reviews where a keyword is mentioned and/or the city name achieve a higher rank in Google. This is why it is so important that you post on business review websites both for Search Engine Reputation Management or SERM and SEO.

How to Get Reviews for Your Business

How to get Google reviews for business? It is easy. Just follow these steps as you should be able to do this.

1. Open up Google Maps
2. Create your Google Business Profile
3. Create a shortcut for the Google review link and publish the link on your website. The link should be easy to find.
4. You can also create a Google reviews page on the website. Make it easily accessible from the navigation menu. They will find it easier to post the business reviews.
5. Ask for reviews in person when you interact with your clients.
6. Ask for Google reviews on social media.
7. Respond quickly to the reviews you get. Thank them for the positive feedbacks. This will help you build positive relationships. Address the negative comments and explain how you have rectified the situation.

• Encouraging customers to leave reviews – Always encourage your customers to post their reviews. This shows trust and is a great relationship-building exercise. Essentially, you are telling them, “I trust you to say whatever you think about me, whether it is good or bad”. This shows that you are open to criticism. You can even offer them incentives when you ask for business reviews like a discount on a future purchase, for example.
• Buy business reviews – You can even buy Google reviews for your business. There are many websites like UseViral, SidesMedia, SeekSocially, TrustedSocial, and others where you can get reviews for your business easily. You can post articles and write business reviews on business news websites. You can write to get forum backlinks as well, which will serve two purposes. It will get you a positive review and also improve your search engine rank.

Where to Leave Reviews for Business

Many customers are asking where I can leave reviews for a business. Think like them and you will find business reviews sites. Here are a few you can consider –

• Yelp
• Amazon
• Reddit
• Quora
• Glassdoor
• Harvard Business Review
• Yahoo business reviews
• Google local business reviews

You must also post them on your Facebook business page, which will help you in using social media to build your reputation.

How to Manage Your Online Reputation

Your online profile can be a curse or a blessing. It is important to ensure that your business reputation is clean. Search yourself to find out what they are saying. Regularly monitor your online presence. Look closely at your social media page and also the online websites and forums.

• How to respond to reviews as a business – Make sure that you respond to every review. Be absolutely transparent. Also, ensure that you respond to negative reviews in the right way. Every business will get some negative comments because you cannot please them all. Analyze whether there is any truth in the comment. Acknowledge and address the customer’s concerns. Be very courteous and professional. This will help you immensely in managing the online reviews. Respond in a timely manner.

Take proactive steps to manage your online reputation. See what they are saying, respond quickly, and post the reviews and testimonials you are getting. According to a MarketWatch study, businesses need to post at least 20 reviews to make an impact.