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The ease of using the internet has fundamentally altered how consumers purchase for nearly anything today. 90% of customers read at least one online review before choosing to visit a store. More significantly, 94% of online customers said that a bad review had made them decide not to go into a store.

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This implies that regardless of your business, having a good online reputation is directly reflective of your brand. It is time to improve your customer’s full experience and create a good online impression. Start by reading these 10 reasons why reviews are crucial to your online business success. 

#1 Social Proof Influences Buying

Thinking back on purchases that you have made in the past, there have probably been a few times where someone in front of you in line grabbed an item and you thought, “hm… I probably need that item too.” This is the physical representation of social proof. The main source of social proof today is internet reviews, which have come to directly affect sales.

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It happens in restaurants when people go to search a restaurant and they see in a review that the Canadian burger with steak cut fries was the best thing on the menu so they decide to have that at their meal later when they attend that restaurant. 

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Once customers have seen an online review (social proof), around 70% will go make a purchase.  

#2 They Make Your Business More Visible

Being well-known is a very prominent requirement when having a successful brand. Google, Bing, and Facebook are sites most consumers use to research potential purchases. These websites each use a different technique for indexing and displaying content. One thing is for certain, these sites all prefer fresh, unique information. Customer reviews may undoubtedly feed the content mill and keep your brand in favour of search engines.

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Online customer reviews provide you with a consistent flow of content that search engines highly value when determining which results to return.

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And it may seem obvious but remember, higher rankings make your website appear more authoritative to both search engines and users, which increases your business’s visibility.

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#3 Credibility

A constant stream of favourable evaluations can help your brand gain a lot of reputation and confidence.

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One of the more intriguing results of a recent study is how effective reviews are at creating the online presence of your business. Customers frequently mistrust companies with ratings below four stars. Although there is a slight disconnect, businesses with higher average ratings have a much higher likelihood of having views translate into traffic and revenue.

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You always have to make sure you are paying attention to the way a customer is talking about your brand. Eventually, having a really positive online reputation will assist you in generating more sales.

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#4 Reviews Continue Talking About You

Very positive and very negative reviews have a habit of swiftly getting around.

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It's simple to increase brand awareness by asking customers to review your business. People are more likely to leave positive feedback on review sites. Like Yelp, Facebook, FourSquare, and TripAdvisor, when they have positive things to say about a business.

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These are essential to your online reputation because Google uses the information from their websites to determine how to rank its own search results. Positivity can encourage more reviews, even on an individual level. As easy as a smile goes a long way.  

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#5 Important in Decision-Making

Increasing your online exposure is the goal of proactively building your brand and brand awareness. In today's tech-forward world, that includes supporting a variety of avenues for people to communicate about you. Online must come to mind first. And although social media is a fantastic tool, it is essential to your business’s visibility for consumers to be able to communicate about you on other review platforms.

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Nearly two-thirds of consumers believe that internet reviews are crucial for making decisions. They're more likely to consult Google, Yelp, and TripAdvisor than a newspaper or even their own friends and family when looking for the finest places to visit, dine, and shop. 

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When consumers see these reviews and then decide to make a purchase, it is directly related to reviews being your leverage into today’s vast marketplace.

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#6 Reviews Influence Sales

Both case studies and theory have their limitations. There are always exceptions to the rule, and reality doesn't always make sense. However, a growing corpus of benchmark data shows that reviews do in fact actually result in higher sales.

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Online reviews may clearly affect your bottom line. Positively perceived brands generate more purchases, but simply raising your star rating can increase your revenue. A study done by Harvard found that a one-star increase on Yelp.com results in a short-term increase in sales of 5% to 9%. One little star increase can make an impact and the higher stars increase, the higher chance your revenue has of increasing. 

#7 Gain Access to Consumers 

Consumers increasingly want businesses to reply to their comments rather than just publish evaluations. In fact, 52% of consumers expect you to respond to them. 

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These reviews provide you with an online space for being open and honest with customers. It allows you to praise or promote favourable reviews. More significantly, they also provide a means for you to respond to a negative review and demonstrate your concern and reconcile right then and there.  

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#8 Reviews Educate your Customers

Your customers are going to need to inquire about your business and have questions. 70% of consumers would still rather call and talk to a human being as opposed to conducting a Google search. 

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The more reviews you have on search engines and the more responses you provide to these reviews give those customers the answers they are looking for. Most businesses are too busy to answer the phones these days. This is why it is crucial to solicit feedback from your customers.

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Use your customers as your source of information for your prospective customers. It is an easy way to redirect traffic and educate your new and returning customers.   

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#9 Increase Customer Loyalty 

Positive online reviews can help build trust between customers and a brand. These reviews can show that the company’s products or services meet expectations, fulfill customers' needs and are true to their portrayal online.

You can also use review platforms to build or advertise customer loyalty programs. For example, an employee at a restaurant might respond to positive customer reviews on a third-party site. They can ask reviewers to sign up for their loyalty program to receive free appetizers and other promotional offers. 

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#10 Provide Free Marketing Content 

It’s as simple as using your reviews. Copy and paste them, screenshot them, or share them directly from an online reputation software. Marketing can get costly, save money by using your own reviews. Reviews are a great way to fill up your content calendar. 

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Showcase your reviews on your own website to entice consumers to stay put on your website. Share reviews in marketing emails to build trust with your campaign followers.

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Ultimately reviews are the leverage you have been looking for to scale your business. If you are not looking after your reviews, it might be time to start caring about your positive reviews and your negative reviews. Don’t be afraid to have a look. Online reputation management software can help ease this fear of reviews. Localyser can help. Reach out today to learn how easy Localyser makes managing restaurant reviews across multiple websites and more.