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Five stars! Would recommend!
Can't hate this enough! One star!
Sound familiar? Anyone with internet access has read at least a few online reviews.
What about your businesses? Do you know what comes up in an online search for your company or products? How are online reviews shaping your reputation?
By understanding how business review sites work, you can find the best reviews website for your company. Keep reading to find out more.
Companies don't sell commodities, they sell relationships. If your company doesn't have a relationship with your customers, you won't get very far.
Good online reviews help potential patrons feel like they can trust your business.
A 2018 study found that 88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as a personal recommendation. In addition, 72% of consumers stated positive reviews help build their trust in a business or product. Stats like these are alerting business owners to the impact of online reviews.
If you own a business, it's being reviewed (whether you like it or not). In order to reach your full potential, you need to understand how company review sites operate.
The best reviews website for your business depends on business size, type, and needs. Some of the most popular business review sites include Google, Yelp, Trip Advisor, The Better Business Bureau (BBB), and Facebook.
Keep reading to find out more about these top company review sites.
There's a reason the phrase "look it up in the dictionary" is now "Google it." Google holds over 92% of the search engine market share. It's the most popular search engine by far.
It's no wonder the google reviews website sees a lot of traffic as well. Here's the low down on google reviews.
Google offers a My Business option for, you've guessed it, businesses.
Through Google My Business (GMB), businesses can see their reviews. If someone is searching for restaurants and your diner pops up on their search, reviews will show up as well.
Google provides a short URL specific to your business. You can send a Google reviews link to customers to request a review.
Businesses can choose to create a short name on GMB. Short names are a great way to increase brand recognition on social media, business cards, and search engines.
Google business reviews can boost your local ranking in an online search. Based on how often reviewers rate your business, the quality of reviews, and how many reviews your business has.
Yelp is among the top company review sites for good reason. This review site has 53 million unique users each month.
Yelp was designed to help consumers find the right local businesses. Yelp also has tools to help businesses interact with potential customers.
Recommendation software weeds out low-reliability ratings. Business owners can set their own preferences to which reviews are filtered out.
Reviewers log on to Yelp with the intent to buy. 92% of consumers made a purchase after reading Yelp reviews.
Yelp users view the site as a review platform. Yelp offers the ability to make reservations and purchases online. Your business can post your location and contact info to show up on Yelp as well.
The Yelp app was on 30 Million devices in the 4th Quarter of 2020.
Unlike Google, most consumers have already decided to spend when they search on Yelp. This means you're more likely to have a ready-to-spend consumer reading your company's Yelp reviews.
Trip Advisor is the biggest travel site in the online world. Each month, Trip Advisor reaches 350 million unique users. If you've not searched for your business on Trip Advisor, it may be a great time to check it out.
According to their site, Trip Advisor uses a business ranking system based on recency, quality, and popularity.
Businesses can search Trip Advisor to see if someone has left a review about their company. If so, they can claim their business. If their business isn't represented on Trip Advisor, they can set up a free account.
Trip Advisor's free services include adding pictures to sites, managing reviews, Trip Advisor apps, buttons, and widgets for social media, and a sticker for window or desk display.
Paid tools on this site include additional management tools called business advantage, sponsored placements for company ads, and the instant booking option.
In 2020, Trip Advisor, along with PETA, stopped selling tickets to close animal encounter excursions. These activities include close-up wildlife encounters, swim with dolphin experiences, and elephant rides.
Commonly known as the BBB, the Better Business Bureau was established in 1912. The BBB is a nonprofit organization that aims to advance consumer trust in local businesses.
Businesses have the option to gain a BBB accreditation. This allows the Better Business Bureau to vet the company and assign it a grade (or rating) on their website. A BBB rating is based on the company's customer interactions and overall integrity in their business practices.
The BBB makes sure all comments are valid by allowing business owners to confirm or deny interactions before they are posted. Each review is scrubbed for inappropriate content and profanity.
Third-party comments are not allowed on the BBB website. You won't find reviews in which the consumer was paid to write a positive review, either.
An A+ rating carries weight as most consumers consider it a good review website. However, some smaller businesses find the lack of site traffic doesn't make an accreditation worth the investment.
In 2020, Facebook reached over 2 billion active users each month. Each Facebook business page has ratings and review features. This is automatically turned on when the page is established.
Viewers can rate and review a business by clicking a button on the business page. Business owners can turn this option off of their pages, blocking further reviews and ratings.
Businesses can pay to boost ads or events to increase their exposure. Boosting posts or events increases their exposure to your customers' friends and even their friends.
Most Facebook ads won't have much traffic unless they are boosted.
Facebook ads can be highly specified. As business owners, you have a unique opportunity to reach the exact audience you desire.
72% of consumers review businesses when asked to do so. This statistic tells business owners their customers need to be asked. Many businesses ask their customers to leave a review through confirmation emails.
Others offer incentives to review their company by following steps on their receipts. Asking your customers for reviews is a great way to get increased review traffic. This will help boost your visibility on sites like Trip Advisor and Yelp.
There's nothing wrong with asking your customers to review your business. Some companies use this practice to filter out bad reviews.
For example, Mr. Jones opens an email receipt after staying at a hotel. The email asks him to take a survey. But first, a window pops up asking if he enjoyed his stay.
The Jones family did not enjoy this hotel, so he clicks "no". Mr. Jones is thanked for his input and goes about his merry way. No further questions.
If you're asked to click "like" or "dislike" before you review a business, that business may be review gating. They are weeding out any negative feedback to keep reviews glowing and ratings high.
Many sites do not allow review gating, but it's a difficult practice to monitor. Review gating is not considered an honest practice among businesses.
Negative reviews aren't all bad. While nobody likes to read unfavorable things about their business, some negative comments make the site seem real and relatable. When consumers see all glowing reviews, they become suspicious and may think the business is review gating or writing their own reviews.
Reviews that give constructive criticism offer companies the ability to respond. Great responses to positive and negative reviews show a company's great communication, engagement, and authenticity.
This, in turn, affects their trust in the business. The best reviews websites offer good and bad business reviews. A good review website should offer businesses the ability to respond to and resolve negative feedback.
The world of online reviews can make anyone's head spin. Ignoring reviews can lead to negative consequences for your online reputation.
With so many sites showing negative and good business reviews, how can you keep up with all of it? By hiring good help. Some online reputation management companies, such as True Review, offer a free demo.
Take control of your business by managing your online reviews. True Review helps businesses manage their online reputation. They know how to find the best reviews website for your business.
TrueReview would love to partner with your business to harness the power of online reviews. Fill out the contact form and we'll get in touch with you as soon as possible.
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