The power of online reviews

Living in a time where everyone has access to the internet, maintaining a positive online reputation can be a crucial factor for your business’ success. Buyers have the power to alter your image by simply writing a review. This can also affect your conversion rate; positive testimonials can do wonders for your company, whilst negative reviews can deeply decrease your sales.

It’s becoming increasingly evident that customer reviews are extremely important for any business. They are crucial in gaining new customers and generating more sales. Indeed, were you aware that 88% of shoppers trust reviews as much as personal recommendations? Also, did you know that over 90% of consumers will read online reviews before deciding which business to purchase from?

Gain social proof

Social Proof occurs when humans copy the actions of others to assume the right decision. If an individual is unsure of how to behave, they will look to others for clues surrounding the appropriate behaviour.

One of psychologist Asch's conformity experiments was the elevator test carried out in 1962. These trials showed that a group of people, in any situation, could change how an individual behaved if the group decided to act in a certain way. So, reinforcing the idea of conformity and copying the actions of others.

This psychological effect can also be used for good. With online reviews, potential customers will check this feedback to decide whether to purchase from a company. By viewing multimedia reviews, with videos, images, text and even voice recording, consumers can gain a real insight into the product or service they are interested in. Also, the more people who like the product or service and write a review about it, the more weight it will have. Thus, the more willing a potential buyer will be to do business with that company. 

Build trust and credibility

In this day and age, consumers are sceptical about traditional advertising. Once, this form of promotion would capture the audience's attention, driving them to buy from a company. However, today, shoppers are aware of this strategy and are less inclined to believe everything an advert says. Instead, they want real proof that a product or service will satisfy their personal needs.

Online reviews are the closest thing to personal recommendations, and most buyers will use this resource when shopping. Consequently, gaining online reviews can help solidify your company’s credibility and trustworthiness.

Increase online visibility

Many e-commerce businesses are aware that it’s getting increasingly difficult to become visible online and rank high on a SERP. Thankfully, online reviews can help you achieve this goal. In what way, you ask? Well, first of all, Google sees customer reviews as fresh content.

Each review you acquire represents another unique piece of user-generated content which increases the number of potential keyword variations. Through this, Google will get a clearer idea of who you are and what you do, and thus position you highly in relevant SERPs.

In fact, the Google Quality Rater guidelines state that content is one of the most important ranking considerations when assessing a website’s quality.

Google trusts reviews as they are third party content. By seeing positive feedback, the search engine will understand that what you offer is high quality and valuable to users. Google's goal is to give the best possible experience to its users, and the more information it has, the better and more accurate results it can show.

Take advantage of online reviews

The more positive reviews you have, the better, no matter if you’re promoting your product or service on a third-party platform or your own website.

Customer reviews are extremely powerful. You gain social proof, become more visible and trustworthy and, in time, you’ll also rank higher on relevant SERPs. Every business can benefit from online reviews, so make sure to take advantage of this type of user-generated content.

Psydro is the world’s first social review platform. We power the most immersive and authentic customer feedback for any business in the UK with a website or Facebook page, helping them improve conversion rates, increase revenue, and grow their customer base.

What differentiates us from other review platforms is the way we help you commercialise your reviews to generate profit, our social elements, and our pricing structure. If interested, book a demo with our team today so we can answer any questions you may have and showcase how you can start selling through your customers’ voices from only £5pcm.

If you want to contribute to the Chamber blog, contact us on hannah@brightonchamber.co.uk