Online Reviews: How Do They Affect Your Online Reputation And Ranking?

You surely know this when looking for a new favorite restaurant, you first read through the reviews and opinions of other guests. Therefore, good and authentic online reviews are the be-all and end-all to positively stand out from the competition, and ensure that your online imagine is positive and trustworthy.

Every business should have a well-maintained website as well as a Google My Business page where reviews can be seen by users. It is important to fill it out completely and to optimize it regularly.

The more reviews your company has, the more it stands out in the search. However, this is not an advantage if they are increasingly negative reviews. So it is not always a matter of priority how many reviews your company has, but rather whether they are positive or negative, because this influences the purchase decision of potential customers. After all, you want to convince your potential customers with authentic reviews that promise quality and are trustworthy.

The right way to deal with bad online reviews is crucial

You’ve received a bad review? Don’t bury your head in the sand now. The magic word is review management. It’s important that you answer all reviews factually — especially the negative ones. Treating the disgruntled customer courteously and meeting them at eye level can go a long way. Most of the time, dissatisfied rather than satisfied customers are motivated to write complaints with hope of reclamation.

Often, bad comments also spread faster than positive ones and are consequently read more often by users. But if they see that your company accepts the reviews as constructive criticism and you make an effort to satisfy the customer, this can leave a positive impression, and not negatively influence the purchase decision.

Try to respond to negative comments with a positive brand image by responding in a professional and friendly manner.

How to get your customers to leave reviews

The more reviews you have and continue to get, the more the search engine pushes your website up the search rankings. Also, because you will have more traffic on your website as a result of the good reviews will attract more users. All of this together pushes your ranking up. But how do you get your customers to leave reviews? There are several ways.

For instance, you can reach many customers quickly, easily and cheaply by sending an e-mail with a link to your customers, asking them how satisfied they were with their last purchase and with your service. You get free feedback and increase your ranking at the same time. Try to convince your customers even more by meeting them on a personal level instead of sending an obviously standardized message. This way they feel they are being treated individually.

Thank you pages after an order can also include call-to-actions for customer satisfaction ratings. Here, offers like “Rate now and get 10%” can entice and motivate users to leave a Google review again. If you already have some reviews, you can also directly thank customers who have already left reviews for you.

Online reviews ensure a better ranking and more customer proximity

Online reviews are immensely important for your business as well as your website. New, interested users can orientate themselves by the ratings and enthusiastic or disappointed customers can speak publicly. This reduces the distance between customers and the company and, by implementing the feedback, you can improve customer satisfaction at the same time. A better position in search engine rankings will also lead to an increase in your sales figures and that you will have higher visibility for new potential customers to check out your brand.