Are Reviews Important?
So, you’ve seen an abundance of reviews on your competitors’ websites, and yours doesn’t have any just yet. Should you add some? To help you decide, in this article we’re going to look at just how important online reviews are. First, let’s look at the research.
The evidence
All of the latest research published online suggests that reviews aren’t just important – they’re vital.
According to Brightlocal’s 2022 Local Consumer Review Survey:
- 77% of online consumers ‘always’ or ‘regularly’ read reviews when they’re deciding which business to go with – up from 60% in 2020.
- 67% would be likely to leave a review if they had a positive experience, but only 40% would if they had a negative experience.
- 89% of respondents said they’d either be ‘highly’ or ‘fairly’ likely to use a business if it responded to reviews from customers.
- Only 3% would consider using a company with a two-star rating or lower, down from 14% the previous year.
What does this tell us? Reviews matter a great deal to customers – and these findings suggest that their importance is increasing with each passing year.
In short, there’s never been a better time to add reviews to your site. They give visitors a great deal more confidence in your business and its offerings and are likely to lead to more conversions. They can even help your website rank higher on search engines, making it easier for you to get noticed.
Ecommerce businesses
When users are buying online from a company they’re new to, trust is everything. You might be offering great deals or free delivery, but so are thousands of your competitors. What’s going to set you apart from them and convince people that you’re worth buying from?
Though reviews certainly aren’t a panacea, they can go a long way towards building trust in your brand. If first-time visitors to your site spot a five-star Trustpilot rating or dozens of glowing Google reviews, they’re much more likely to send their hard-earned cash your way.
Service businesses
It’s a similar story for service businesses. Landscapers, plumbers, graphic designers, marketers, you name it, reviews can help your company go from strength to strength. People may not be buying goods directly through your site, but they’ll want to know they can trust you before even submitting a contact form or picking up the phone. If they don’t feel they can, they’ll take their business elsewhere.
If you’re able to implement reviews or case studies onto your site, people’s doubts about your credentials, skill level, and legitimacy will begin to fade away. Pair those reviews with clearly-defined USPs, photographs of your work, and well-written content, and you should see more new leads coming in.
In summary
So then, should you add reviews to your website? If you can, we say go for it – the benefits certainly outweigh the risks, and customer reviews could be just what your site needs to really start generating leads and sales.
