Online Star Rating Reviews Matter

Businesses Need Good Reviews

If you thought that the online star reviews of your business were a bit of a gimmick – think again!

Before many businesses had an online presence, reviews of your businesses were few and far between. There were limited places that a satisfied customer, or more important a dissatisfied customer could place a review that would make it seen by more than just a few people.

Now that most business have some kind of online presence, reviews of your business is only a click away for your customers. And the audience can be huge.

How Customers Review Businesses

There are various ways in which your customers can review your business.

• Past customers can leave an online star rating on your own website
• The can leave a review on one of the many review sites like Google, Trip Advisor, Trust Pilot and many more
• They can tell their social contacts about their experience on their own or other social media pages
• And they often chat to friends, family and neighbours about you through word of mouth

Let's have a look at these review methods in a bit more detail.

Online Star Ratings

You may or may not be one of these people who leave ratings for businesses with which you have had interaction.

The fact is that millions of people do leave such ratings. Even a customers who doesn’t usually leave ratings, will often be motivated to leave one for your business, Especially if they received an outstandingly good or a disastrously poor level of service.

One of the first thing many people do before they buy from you is check you out online. A quick search on their phone or laptop will soon reveal how your past customers felt about your service or business in general.

If you think this is not too important think again. It is one of the most powerful tools your customers have to praise you or tell the world how terrible your business is.

Online Review Sites

Reviews are so important that some people have made a business by making it simple, quick and easy to review services, goods and businesses.

With Amazon being one of the largest online retailers, it is well placed as one of the most popular review sites too. More than 6 million households check Angie’s List reviews to find the best local service providers. Trustpilot has more than 1 million reviews posted each month according to Wikipedia.

There are many more dedicated review sites that your customers have easy access to tell the world their experiences when shopping with you.

Social Media

Social media might not be the first place that customers go to review your business. However your business can soon get a reputation, good or bad, depending on what people say about you on their or your social media.

Hopefully your own social media presence has a good number of follows, likes and visits. A few poor reviews or complaints, justified in your eyes or not, can go a long way to stopping your business growth in its tracks.

Word Of Mouth

Although there are all these new ways to review, recommend or slate a businesses, one of the most powerful is word of mouth.

A trusted friend suggesting to you that you should consider shopping with a business where they have had great service is like gold dust. A referral from a friend goes a long way. On the other hand a bad word of mouth review almost certainly means you have not only lost one customer but lost his or her entire network of friends.

Sort Out Your Review Strategy Now