Google recently replaced Google Places with Google+ Local. One of Google’s goals in making the change was to provide a platform where Google users could influence search results through their online reviews. Reviews are gaining importance in how search engines rank you. Through Penguin, Panda, and Venus, Google has put local in local search. One of the main goals of the February updates was to help search engines with “more locally relevant predictions.” One of the criteria that Google now considers in Search is the interaction between the user and the company. Online reviews seem to be one of the main components of the algorithm. This makes it important for your business to have many reviews on many sites.
Reviews are also becoming more and more important for the online user. Reviews on sites like Google+ Local, Yelp.com, and Citysearch have become increasingly important. People trust reviews. A Nielsen study published in 2009 underscored this. It found that 70% of respondents found online reviews useful and trustworthy. Only recommendations from friends ranked higher in the survey.
So now the question is, where do you get checked? There are thousands of places online where someone could review your business. Here are some factors to consider which are the best:
- Syndication: Some reviews are syndicated on the web. Sites that are often syndicated include Citysearch, Insider Pages, and Yahoo Local
- Ease of Review – Sites where many people already have login IDs are good places to look. People are often discouraged from checking out a site if they have to create a username and password. If they already have a username and password, that annoying step is unnecessary. The three sites listed above are good candidates, as is Google Maps.
- Vertical Sites – Vertical sites are committed to a specific industry. They are generally more trusted by search engines and can be a good source of traffic. Some industries supported by virtual sites include travel (Trip Advisor), restaurants (Open Table), and health care (HealthGrades). Obviously there are others. You can run your own search to find them.
There are other factors to consider. Depending on your location and the demographics of your customer base, certain sites may be more useful. Some sites are more popular in certain regions of the country. Some local newspapers may have thriving sites where they are located, but have little impact elsewhere. Some sites attract different users. For example, Angie’s list appears to urban reviewers who are concerned about the validity of reviews posted on the sites they visit. It is good practice to encourage reviews from multiple sources, as it is difficult to know which sites will be most used or trusted in the future.
Another thing to keep in mind is that some of your clients are already experts at reviewing local businesses. Encourage these users to use their favorite review sites. Customers who are already familiar with a site and have a login ID are more likely to complete a review. Also, some sites have developed trust systems. They assign more authority to reviewers who use the site regularly. Your business can benefit from a review from one of a site’s trusted reviewers.
How to get customers to give a review? Well…
1. Ask them for one. When someone tells you that you did a great job, thank them for it. Tell them how much you appreciate their business. Then politely ask them if they’d mind writing an online review.
2. If you have a Facebook page, ask your fans to review your business.
3. Send a note to your email list.
4. Ask them in a follow up email. Sending thank you emails is a good practice anyway. Including an online review request in a thank you email is a great way to capture a review while your great service is still fresh in your customers’ minds. Make it easy for them by including links to popular review sites where your customer may already be logged in.
5. Provide an incentive. Offering a small token of appreciation and entering online reviewers into sweepstakes are two ways to provide incentives. This is frowned upon by some sites, Yelp by one, but not others. Yelp is a popular site that is difficult to manage.
While it’s tempting to ask only the most satisfied customers, it’s good practice to ask all of your customers for reviews. You will get more reviews, which is what you are looking for. Positive reviews will eliminate negative ones. Most sites will allow a business owner to respond to a bad review, so you can prove your customer service credentials that way. Finally, there is less authenticity on sites that only have 5-star reviews. There is a temptation to post false positive reviews for your business. Many sites have figured out ways to spot a fake review. In fact, Yelp will significantly punish a business it suspects of doing this. In addition to questionable ethics, it is not a good practice to fake your reviews. Many review readers may spot something that is not authentic.
Be aware that there are dirty companies that will deliberately post an unflattering review about your company. They will then call you and tell you that they have a proven method for removing the bad review. They will continue to support your claim by saying that you will not have to pay until the review is removed. Remember this. The only one who can remove an unflattering review is the person who posted it. So if they successfully removed it, well, you get the picture. Successful entrepreneurs have better things to do than post harmful and false reviews about their competitors. It is a practice that you should not consider.
Customer reviews are becoming more and more frequent. As they link to social media accounts, people will see reviews written by their friends and connections. The strength of online reviews will be even more influential. This is the idea behind Google+ Local. Be prepared for this day by constantly requesting reviews now.