Why are Online Reviews so Important?

Online reviews are a vital part of our modern economy.

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Without them, we have no way to distinguish between good and bad businesses, and we’re often forced to rely on word of mouth from friends and neighbors—an imperfect solution at best. In fact, reviews aren’t just useful for consumers; the contemporary business landscape is so competitive that reviews serve as an essential tool for businesses themselves.Reviews can help small businesses establish an online presence, build a reputation among consumers, and grow their customer base—which is why it’s so important that every business claims its listings on relevant review sites like GoogleMy Business (GMB), TripAdvisor, Yelp, Facebook, Better Business Bureau (BBB), OpenTable…the list goes on!

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Digital Proof Drives Purchases

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As a business owner, you may think that you’re the best in your industry and that customers would be crazy not to trust your word. However, it turns out that consumers trust online reviews almost as much as personal recommendations from friends and family.

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Reviews are even more important than social media for building trust with potential customers. According to Trustpilot's 2019 Trust Barometer Report, online reviews are the third most trusted source of information about a business (behind personal recommendations from friends/family and expert websites). It also found that 80% of consumers read reviews before making a purchase and 83% say positive reviews make them trust a business more.

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In fact, 50% will not purchase from businesses with less than three stars on their review sites. Add up all those lost sales due to negative reviews or no rating at all—and then multiply by every other company competing for your target audience’s dollars—and you'll see how critical it is to get good feedback on review sites like Yelp!

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Visibility and SEO Benefits

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There are many benefits to online reviews, but one of the most important is that they help build trust with your customers. Reviews are also a great way to increase your SEO and visibility, which will allow you to reach more customers.

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Online reviews can lead to increased brand awareness in two ways: through direct links from review sites and search engine optimization (SEO). Direct links from review sites like Yelp can drive traffic directly back to your business website. If you consistently get good reviews on these sites, then you'll likely see an increase in organic search traffic as well -- people who search for products or services similar yours will see the good reviews come up first when they begin typing in terms of keywords related to what they're looking for.

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Increase your Business Confidence

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Reviews can help you look more trustworthy.

Online reviews can do a lot to help you look more trustworthy. The fact that you're asking for people's opinions is a good sign to your customers and clients, even if they don't leave a review themselves. If they see that other people have left recommendations, it makes them feel like they're in good hands with someone who cares about their experience and will be responsive if anything goes wrong.

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Reviews help you stand out from your competition.

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A positive review can also make your business stand out from the crowd—and not just because of its glowing tone, but because of its sheer volume as well! If people are talking about how great your company or product is on social media or elsewhere online, this could lead some potential customers down the path toward checking out what all the fuss is about; while they may not trust every single one of those reviews (or any single one at all), having multiple sources recommend something gives them an impression that there must be something worth checking out here if everyone seems so excited about it!

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Get the Conversation Started

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Reviews are a great way to get the conversation started with your customers. They’re an opportunity for you to learn more about their experiences and what they need, which means that reviews can help you provide better service in the future.

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Reviews also help your business stand out from the competition. When customers search for information about businesses like yours, they’ll be able to see how other people have rated you—and if those ratings are high enough, it might convince them that yours is a good choice too!

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Increasingly Essential to Decision Making

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Online reviews have become an essential part of the decision-making process for consumers. According to research conducted by BrightLocal*, approximately 90% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations, and a majority of shoppers will take into account the opinions in these reviews when making their final purchase decision.

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In fact, according to this same study, 77% of consumers use social media or review sites to find information about local businesses before visiting them in person. This means that negative reviews can have a significant impact on your business’s bottom line: if you look at any given product or service category across industries, there are usually more than 1 million options available (think hotels, restaurants and cars). If someone is going to make a purchase with only one thing on their mind—to avoid mistakes like those made by other customers—it’s helpful if they can read about what went right or wrong with past experiences!

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Have a Clear Impact on Sales

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Online reviews can have a direct impact on your sales, but they also have indirect benefits. For a start, they help you understand what customers want and how they feel about the quality of your products and services.

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Reviews are also a powerful way to get to know your customers—and their expectations. This is invaluable if you're trying to attract new business; knowing what people like about you will naturally lead directly to improving your service offerings.

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If someone has taken the time to write an online review it's because they value their experience at your business highly enough that they want others who might be looking for similar things (in price point or style) where ever possible understand how awesome it was for them personally!

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Give You An Open Line to Consumers

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• You Can Respond to Reviews

• You Can Ask for Reviews

• You Can Ask for Feedback

• You Can Ask for Ideas and Help

• You Can Ask for Suggestions

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Reviews are important for marketers and can help you optimize your presence online.

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Reviews are important for marketers, who can use them to optimize their presence online. They're also important for consumers, because they provide valuable information about products and services that help you make informed decisions.

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They're also important for businesses and the economy, because they give consumers the power to influence brands in ways that impact every company on Earth — from Apple to Zara.

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For society as a whole, reviews have made us more informed citizens by giving us access to new ideas and perspectives outside our own bubbles of self-imposed ignorance; this has led directly not only to greater tolerance but also better understanding between people of different backgrounds. And if we want our world free of conflict then it's vital we all work together towards common goals such as these, which benefit everyone involved:

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Conclusion

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We hope you've found this article helpful. If you're serious about getting more reviews, be sure to check out our ThreadLink products. Each one provides an easy way to capture user-generated content, while also making it fun and interesting for your customers to leave their own feedback. ThreadLink products provide businesses with a convenient way to request reviews.

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When it comes down to it, all that matters is whether you’re satisfied with your product and whether your customers are happy with it. If so, then it’s worth getting those reviews out into the world so others can benefit from them.

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