The Importance of Customer Reviews and How They Can Impact Your Business's Bottom Line

Why Customer Reviews Matter For Local SEO

If you want to understand the impact of client reviews on your local SEO in Santa Rosa, consider your own process for choosing a service or product. The rare person doesn't allow overwhelming praise from complete strangers to justify a purchase. Equally powerful is the negativity that dissatisfied patrons are eager to unleash. Although it is impossible to please everyone, you can reduce the effect of occasional dissatisfaction with your business by balancing it with positive reviews.



Do Customers' Reviews Affect Local SEO in Santa Rosa?

Yes! Studies find that over 80% of people trust positive reviews they read online. This trust inspires more visits to your site, thereby increasing your SEO ranking. Nearly the same percentage of people actively look for negative reviews of businesses, which they believe provide accurate assessments of their weaknesses. As much as 40% of potential new customers can be lost because of negative reviews. 

Reviews can also:

• Inspire clients to pay more for products or services
• Encourage a desire to wait for the availability of goods and services
• Promote an inaccurate representation of a business 

By Which Methods Should You Ask for Reviews?

Fortunately, there are numerous ways to ask for positive reviews, and you can choose one that suits your style or business type. These are some of the most effective ways to motivate your customers to provide feedback.

Through Your Website

If you have a web store, you can program your site to generate an experience survey that your clients can't miss. Alternatively, you can include a beautifully-designed enclosure in a purchase delivery box directing your clients to a place on your site where they can review your business. These methods are straightforward and ideal for anyone who has a large volume of clients or is timid about making face-to-face or other interpersonal requests.

Through One-On-One Interactions

Asking for feedback during a personal conversation, email, or phone call, is a great way to bond with your clients. This method is also particularly effective because it encourages thoughtful consideration that could leave you with valuable insights into how clients experience working with you. Directly asking for reviews requires you to pay attention to signs indicating a willingness to go the extra mile to help you. These include:

• Unsolicited praise of your product or service
• Expressions of genuine gratitude
• References to others who might be interested in working with you

Try saying something like this:

"Thank you! It really helps us to hear comments like that. Would you mind if I send you a link to where you could post a review on our website?"

Through Social Media Platforms

Engaging with customers on social media is an effective way to establish brand loyalty. Social media is also helpful for soliciting favorable reviews. Adding a review link to your posts will make rating your business effortless for anyone who follows you and reads your posts.

In Calls To Action

Adding multiple touch points throughout your website is a non-intrusive way to ask for reviews and improve your local SEO in Santa Rosa. Consider a call to action on your testimonials page that reads:

"Tell us about your experience working with us!" 

Adding review links for individual products on your website will also improve your search engine rankings by providing visitors with social proof of the benefits you can offer them. Buttons with the text "Tell Us Why You Love It" next to product images prompt loyal customers to add their feedback, which improves your ranking organically. 

When Should You Ask for Reviews?

It is critical to ask for reviews as soon as possible after a purchase or service completion. For example, if you have a web store, you can ask your customers to rate their experiences as soon as they complete their transactions by programming your site to generate a survey. Be sure to keep it brief, with no more than two or three questions and be sure to avoid making clients work too hard. Instead of asking them to compose an original statement explaining the highlights of shopping with you, do the bulk of the work for them by asking them to check off an option that corresponds to their degree of satisfaction. 

For example:

"Thank you for your order! We appreciate your business and would love to know about your experience shopping with us. We would be grateful if you could take a moment to rate us. We continually strive to improve, and your feedback helps us do that." 

If you are a service provider, such as a doctor, accountant, plumber, or restaurant owner, consider using a reputation management software program to encourage and coordinate client reviews. These programs send emails to actual clients, inviting them to rate their experiences, answer specific questions, take surveys, and disseminate reviews across the internet. You can also count on them to keep you organized and avoid missing opportunities. 

Client reviews are a significant aspect of your local SEO in Santa Rosa. Contact Fitz Designz to learn how the right digital marketing strategy can grow your business.