Customer reviews are one of the most important aspects of your website, and they can make or break a sale. If you’ve ever been on Google or Amazon before, you know that customer reviews often play a big role in deciding if someone should buy something. This is because they build trust among consumers who may not know much about your product.
Reviews help build social proof which convinces people to purchase an item online when there’s little chance for personal interaction with the seller.
Here are our 5 reasons why you should have reviews posted on your website – NOW!
1. Build Trust
With the amount of brands all jostling for attention online, it can be hard for a customer to know who they can trust. Having genuine reviews in place on your website is a huge reassurance for a visitor to see.
Reviews build trust in a brand and can help sway customers into making purchases that they might not otherwise have considered.
This happens for two reasons: firstly because it’s harder to ignore all the praise coming from third parties who are already happy with what you offer; secondly because people tend to follow trends so finding out how many other people love your product will encourage them to do so too! When someone sees four or five stars next to your company name on Google, Yelp, Amazonor Trustpilot, this has more impact than if they saw just one review by themselves – there is strength in numbers after all!
2. Social Proof
Some people won’t buy something unless they see that other people have bought it and had a good experience with it as well. With social proof, you build up credibility for your company which shows potential customers that making a purchase with you is a good decision.
Credibility
A social proof review that shows your company in a positive light will convince customers to give the product or service another chance after having had doubts about it before, so no matter how many bad customer experiences they’ve heard about, seeing social proof might help them see there are also plenty of people who have had great experiences and decided to come back for more. Just like if someone sees their friend getting something new and using it every day, they want what they have too because everyone else seems to love it; social proofs show potential customers that other people really do use whatever you offer on a daily basis. This can be very persuasive since this means each purchase benefits not only the person who is buying, but also everyone else who uses it.
Customers are social creatures
For this reason, social proof makes customers feel safe in their decision to buy by giving them a basis of evidence that they’re making the right choice instead of just guessing or relying on word-of-mouth advice from friends and family. This can be important when considering spending money online since users cannot see you face to face so social proof helps validate your company reputation even more than if someone were talking about how much they loved something over coffee with their friend. Social proof provides peace of mind for potential customers because seeing other people use what you offer gives an extra layer of security knowing that many others have found success using the same product or service as them.
3. Rank Higher in Search Engines
You might be wondering how reviews help your website to rank higher in the search engines. Having reviews in place increases a visitor’s dwell time, meaning your bounce rate will be lower. One study found that customer reviews are 11 times more effective at reducing bounce rate than on-site search, so having them on your website is crucial for improving your SEO. On top of the dwell time factor, there’s also social proof to consider.
One reason why review platforms like Yelp and Google My Business have become so popular with consumers is because they provide users with some level of social proof. Many people will use these sites to further validate their online research before making a purchase decision or choosing where to dine out. Seeing what others think about certain establishments can give visitors peace of mind when it comes to spending money somewhere new – which means you those positive reviews showing up first in search engine results.
Even if you’re not thinking about your SEO, having reviews on your website is still a great idea because they help to build trust with customers and improve conversions. First of all, customer reviews can be used as social proof which increases confidence for new visitors considering doing business with you. Secondly, online shoppers are conditioned to seek out product ratings and review scores before making any purchase decisions – so don’t miss the opportunity to convert these web browsers into actual buyers by showing off what others have said!
It’s extremely important that companies take advantage of their opportunities in order to produce positive experiences for current and future customers alike. That means taking steps like adding consumer-generated content (CGC) throughout your website, to increase time on site and user engagement.
4. Grow Brand Awareness
Simply having reviews in place will help to grow brand awareness. They are a genuine and effective way to promote your business. Having reviews on your website is like a badge of authenticity that they will immediately associate with your brand. Customers are more likely to make a purchase if they know that other people have had positive experiences with your brand.
One of the main reasons why reviews are important is because they help to build your brand. They show that other people have had positive experiences with you and it increases trust, which in turn will increase conversions. As well as this, if a customer sees that you’re offering them real value through your services or products, then naturally they will want to be associated with you by using your branded product themselves or choosing your service over a competitor’s.
As mentioned earlier, reviews also help to build trust because it shows that other people have had positive experiences with your brand, which builds brand loyalty and encourages customers to return for more of what you can offer them in the future. Depending on how many reviews you receive, this could mean several different purchases from each customer or word-of-mouth referrals turning into potential sales down the road. By having online reviews readily available for all their customers to see, brands are putting themselves out there as an industry leader within their respective fields.
Showcase Expertise
Another way that product/service related companies can utilize review content is by showcasing expertise through displaying information about quality products or services they offer along with giving examples of where they’ve been featured. This way, it’s brand building through association and an opportunity for the business to showcase their place in the industry.
By offering real value with your products or services, potential customers are more likely to choose you over a competitor when searching online because they know that what you have is better than what someone else has to offer them.
5. Keep visitors on your website
A big mistake some businesses make is linking away from their website, or not featuring the reviews at all. This leaves the visitor with the decision between carrying on with no proof you are genuine, or taking the extra step to Google your business. One major benefit of having your reviews on your website is that your visitors can instantly access them.
Not only do reviews help visitors stay, but they also play an important role in how customers make their buying decisions. Customers are more likely to purchase from businesses that have lots of positive reviews. This is because it shows other people feel confident about working with this business too, so if someone else trusts them then why not me?
This shows that reviews help attract new customers and keep loyal ones.
One of the most important reasons to feature customer reviews is because it helps with conversions (increased sales). If they’re already on your site, then you might as well make use of them! The majority of consumers say positive online reviews are just as influential as personal recommendations. This means if someone has made a purchase from another website which features their own review, there is greater chance they will buy again or recommend this business to family members or friends due to these third party feelings being involved in both cases. Many businesses have found success through using data collected by reviewing websites such Amazon and Google – these sites provide feedback for products, where people are more likely to purchase off the most popular choices.
Wanting your customers to take action is crucial if you want them to complete a desired outcome for your business. By providing reviews on your website, this will encourage visitors into becoming buyers – which then leads them back onto the path of potential return clients or even brand advocates (which can be huge in terms of growing sales). Keep customers on your website
Even when they’ve finished their purchase and left satisfied with their new products, it doesn’t mean that customer has stopped caring about what other people think. If someone makes an opinionated review about one of your products or services after sale completion, how would you prefer to receive feedback? Would you rather have a comment from an unhappy customer, or someone who purchased and has been completely satisfied with their purchase?
Most businesses feel the latter is better for their brand image. Reviews are also beneficial long term because they help you learn what went wrong so that you can avoid future issues which might impact your business’s overall performance in terms of sales and customer service. This means reviews will keep customers on your website longer as they’ve now become part of the process to maintain the quality of your products or services offered. Keep visitors on your website by displaying those customer testimonials which provide trustworthiness – it makes people believe there are other people out there like them who think this way about working with you too! Make these visible where they will be noticed, and your customers will feel more likely to buy.
Next Steps...
If you’d like to learn more about how you can use and display reviews on your website please get in touch with us today. You may also be interested in understanding how to collect more reviews from your happy customers. These are both things that we’re able to help you with.
