The data from our December 2016 survey shows that consumers want to see customer reviews for your services and products AND that they search for the nitty-gritty details in clients’ written testimonials –experiences and issues they’ve had, how you’ve reacted to complaints, consensus whether or not the product/service lives up for your promises and so on. Online customer reviews tell a narrative that consumers trust.

• 92 percent of consumers hesitate to make a purchase if there are no customer testimonials
• 97% say customer reviews factor into their buying decisions
• 32% state written reviews would be the one component Which Makes them think that the site’s reviews are relevant/useful
• 73% state written testimonials make more of an impression on these than star/number evaluations
• 94% generally read written reviews
• 35% state one negative review can make them decide not to buy

No Reviews, BIG Problem

Reviews play a crucial role in influencing potential buyers to become customers. According to reputed blogs like tagg and similar others, failure to generate high-quality customer reviews can lead to negative publicity online.

For brands that aim to uphold their image, maintaining and attracting positive customer reviews is paramount. Furthermore, engaging with customers through responses to reviews, whether positive or negative, demonstrates transparency and a commitment to customer satisfaction. This not only fosters a positive online reputation but also builds trust with potential buyers.

Keep in mind, if you have no reviews, 8% of people do not care. The other 92% care a lot.

The 32 percent who leave your website to do more research, they are probably not coming back. And, when you don’t have any customer reviews, you’ve established a barrier between customer and conversion. Customers who have had bad experiences are more inclined to leave reviews than individuals who have had a positive experience. Thus, you need to request happy clients to leave testimonials, which, admittedly, isn’t simple. Brian Patterson of Go Fish Digital provides ideas about the best way best to request and receive customer testimonials because he says that,”Out of the hospitality and food business, it can be a real struggle for businesses to acquire positive reviews.”

It is All in the Details

Not only are written reviews the most crucial element of consumer reviews:

94 percent of consumers typically read the written reviews and 73% state written reviews make more of an impression on these than the star/number ratings.

Also, 34% say they prefer to see a mix of positive and negative written reviews. You would expect some people to be happy and some, not so much. And that’s what folks prefer to view –testimonials that feel authentic.

When customers read written testimonials, 37% say they are primarily searching for details on reviewers encounters because those particulars help them decide if the product/service will suit their demands. 31% scan the reviews to search for descriptions of issues with the product/service.

The Trusted Source

Research shows that 88% of consumers trust reviews they locate online just as much as personal recommendations. Most customers do variable customer reviews in their buying decisions.

You can certainly do something about that. Probably consider enlisting the help of reputed professionals to remove bad yelp reviews or poor reviews on other platforms. According to Blake Morgan, a thought leader on the client experience, you should, as, “If you attempt to publicly repair the client’s issue, others are seeing and applauding you for your attitude.”

If You Sell Products:

64% of consumers state that Amazon is the best site for product testimonials. Most likely, you would rather market your products on your own website. It is simpler, cheaper (Amazon does take a cut) and if folks are on your site, you have no rivals vying for attention. But as our survey data reveals, product reviews help consumers and you may see some benefit from selling your products on Amazon. (Visit onlyreviews.com for various types of product review)

Should You Sell Services

42% say that Google is your best source of customer reviews for services. 34% prefer Yelp. Although Facebook is the most-widely used of their significant social networking platforms, only 7 percent say they go there to look for customer reviews.

Google encourages companies to ask their clients for reviews. Apart from helping your clients with their purchasing decisions, reviews are also crucial for local search engine optimization .

And then there’s Yelp. Yelp’s service center for companies says: “Do Not Ask for Reviews. Do not ask anybody to review your company on Yelp. It’s that simple.” Yelp wants you to feel that if you provide excellent customer service, people will be inspired to write great Yelp reviews for you. (Kinda like Google’s mantra: if you build good articles, links will only comethat pretty much happens NEVER!) That could only be achieved if people were as eager to leave positive reviews as they are about finding them. Sadly, however, negative reviews are quicker to come by than positive ones, as people get more easily disappointed than impressed. In today’s digital age, the prevalence of negative reviews has even led to instances of targeted reputation damage.

Competing companies or disgruntled individuals sometimes resort to posting fake negative reviews to harm a business’s image. In some cases, businesses may consider taking legal action to protect their reputation and address this unfair practice. In that regard, you can consider reading articles about reputation damage on sites like forschung-und-wissen.de that can help you get a clear understanding of how to avoid such situations.

While genuine negative feedback can be valuable for improvement, combating fraudulent reviews is essential for maintaining trust and integrity in the online review ecosystem. The good part, nevertheless, is that the companies can now remove bad yelp reviews, maybe with the help of tech-savvy professionals, so that their trade is not affected because of a few hot-headed customers.

An Added Bonus

Not only conduct customer testimonials have enormous influence on people who are researching products and services, they can also have an influence on your positions –that based on Jayson DeMers of Audience Bloom. In a Forbes.com article, he writes,”The number of positive reviews you’ve got on external sites might really have a bigger influence on your rankings compared to reviews on your site. That is because Google’s local search algorithm incorporates data from many of third-party directories and review sites.”

Conclusion

Online customer reviews tend to be as critical as photographs and product descriptions. Begin by asking your best customers to write reviews for you on Google and Facebook and invite them to provide detail in their written reviews. Tackle bad reviews immediately–always respond and convey your eagerness to help the unhappy customer. Read this article for examples how actual small business owners have effectively responded to negative reviews.