In the world of local SEO, reviews are an incredibly important ranking factor. Google has stated that they use online reviews as a major part of their ranking algorithm for local businesses. Not only do online reviews impact your local rankings, but they also serve as social proof for your potential customers, helping them to decide whether or not to choose your business over your competitors.
Customers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. In fact, 84% of people trust online reviews as much as a personal recommendation, and 90% say their buying decisions are influenced by positive reviews.
This statistic is especially true when it comes to local service businesses. HomeAdvisor research found that 89% of homeowners circle back to read reviews before making a final decision on which contractor to hire—and those numbers climb to 97% for major projects.
If you’re not actively working to get more online reviews for your business, you’re likely losing out on new customers and revenue. But how do you get more reviews? In this blog post, we’ll explore a few strategies that you can use to get more online reviews for your local service business.
1. Make it easy for customers to leave reviews
Word-of-mouth marketing has always been one of the most effective ways to attract new customers and grow a business. After all, 92% of people say they trust referrals from friends and family above all other forms of advertising.
Online reviews have simply taken word-of-mouth marketing to the next level by making it easier than ever for customers to leave feedback that potential customers can find this feedback before making a purchase decision. A stellar online review can help you attract new customers, while a negative review can dissuade people from doing business with you. That’s why it’s so important to actively manage your online reputation and encourage customers to leave feedback—good or bad.
The first step in getting more online reviews is to make it easy for your customers to leave them. If it’s difficult or time-consuming to leave a review, most people aren’t going to bother.
Make sure that your Google My Business listing is claimed and up-to-date, and that you have a link to its reviews prominently displayed on your website. If relevant, you should also include links to review sites like Yelp, Angie’s List and even Facebook reviews on your website and in any email communications that you send out (more on that later).
2. Provide excellent customer service
This is probably pretty obvious but if you want happy customers who are willing to leave positive reviews, you need to provide excellent customer service. This means going above and beyond for your customers and doing everything possible to exceed their expectations.
In addition to providing great customer service, you should also proactively reach out to customers who had a bad experience and try to make things right. This shows other potential customers that you’re committed to providing a great experience for everyone who does business with you. It is worth noting that customers are more likely to leave reviews immediately after an interaction with a business. By reaching out to customers directly after a sale you can both catch negative experiences and request reviews from those who had a positive experience.
3. Understand what motivates reviewers
People don’t generally leave online reviews just because they had a good experience; there needs to be some sort of incentive. Encourage people into leaving positive reviews by offering them a discount on their next purchase, or enter them into a drawing for a prize if they leave a review within a certain timeframe. Whatever incentive you choose, make sure it’s something that will motivate people to actually leave a review.
Conclusion
Online reviews are essential for local service businesses wanting to rank well in search results and attract new customers. By making it easy for customers to leave reviews and providing excellent customer service, you can encourage more people to leave positive reviews that will boost your business’s bottom line.
And while most business owners may know the power of attracting online reviews, sometimes the day to day work of running the business can get in the way. LJA Reviews can help you generate and responded to customer reviews without adding any additional work to your team’s plate.
