Why Do Five-Star Google Reviews Matter For Your Business?

Think of a situation where you are looking for a product to buy. 

What is the first thing you would look for? Reviews of the product!

The same is the case for almost 80% of consumers out there. 

That said, reviews are essential for a business more than you think. In the digital age, the power of word of mouth has amplified by 100x. 

If a business doesn't have enough five-star reviews, more negative reviews than positive words, or the review section is empty, it’s challenging to establish trust! No matter how great its products are, the company or business will get left behind. On the contrary, a company winning the game of word-of-mouth marketing can win everything.

Decision-making has become a public endeavor, and positive Google reviews help attract sales and revenue. Online reviews help build trust among potential customers. 

Stay with us to discover why customer reviews, mainly 5-star Google reviews, are critical and crucial to your business profile's growth online. 

Let’s Start With A Question - Is No Review A Bad Sign? 

Local small businesses must be aware of reviews and reputation marketing, which is also a critical part of local SEO. 

Reviews on your business profile and the local listing will guide your target audience. Customer feedback on Google Maps app and Google My Business profile help people make informed choices about where to go. 

Furthermore, Google Search emphasizes word of mouth, and its ranking algorithm factors positive reviews. A lack of reviews has a similar impact as negative reviews. 

Just think of it - consumers spend most of their time on smartphones, and the first thing they do is Google Search for local business information. The same is especially true when they hear your business name from someone.

Not a single business today is unaware of the power of social proof. 

The first impression is gone with little or no information on your Google account. The customer experience is different from expected, and they will switch to a competitor with more star ratings.

Yelp is a famous online review site that receives 26,830 new reviews per minute. That's a crazy figure. 

People generally make two assumptions with no reviews on your Google My Business account. 

• The business is brand new, and I might get a wrong service/product

• There are no testimonials, meaning no happy customers. They must hide something, or previous customers may have had a negative experience.

To conclude, modern marketing works differently, and its foundation is strengthened with more Google reviews.

Reflection Of Online Reviews On Your Company

Reviews on GMB profiles of business owners are critical, no matter if it's positive or negative. Reviews reflect on search engines, and they help consumers decide whether they should go ahead with their choice. 

Both negative and positive reviews can have some kind of effect on your business’s online reputation. 

By implementing all suggested changes, negative reviews assist your company in expanding. They teach a lot of things about the stuff they can do better. 

That said, negative reviews reflect on your business's performance and make essential changes to perform better. Some satisfied customers may defend you on the business listing if you have defamatory or fake reviews on your Google My Business account. 

Alternatively, you can take such reviews as an opportunity to showcase your commitment to your business by handling them professionally and honestly. 

However, we have noticed that many businesses have a strict review policy that prohibits review responses that talk negatively about the brand. This can quickly backfire because all five-star reviews are even more suspicious than having no reviews! 

How 5-Star Reviews Help Your Business? 

A study suggests that almost 88% of consumers trust online reviews and value past consumers' reviews as much as personal recommendations of their family and friends. You are missing out on many potential consumers with no online reviews on local search rankings. Customers are always after information; the more they get through Google's business profile and the reviews, the more likely they convert. 

The same study also found that 70% of consumers turn away from a business if they see more negative reviews. It is determined that social proof and word of mouth for local businesses have been the key to a business's success ever since dawn. The hype of online shopping exists because of reviews.

Though exceptions lie for every case, and typical consumer reviews are not understandable or thorough, they significantly impact the target audience. 5-Star reviews affect sales and, eventually, the growth of your business. 

Why Collect 5-Star Reviews From Your Customers?

Still looking for some convincing reasons to collect five-star Google business reviews? Let us take you over some of the full-proof reasons behind it to understand why online reviews matter. 

#1. Considerable Increase In Click-Through Rates

Have you ever felt that your business is invisible online? 

Do you need more visitors on your social media profiles or other similar online space? This indicates that the click-through rate is low for your business. 

Implement Google Review collection strategy and plan ways to establish trust in GMB. This will eventually increase your organic traffic and capture more CTRs.

A study shows that businesses with overall ratings between 3-5 stars generate more business. Consumers are more likely to opt for businesses that have more positive reviews.

#2. Higher Ranking On SERP

Search rankings are the hot cake for all businesses at the moment. 

In the digital age, business owners know the importance of ranking on the first page of SERP. A Google business profile with good five-star reviews increases its chances of appearing at the top of search results.

Online reviews are the fifth top factor the algorithm decides for ranking businesses on local search engines. The business location also plays a key role here in getting relevant traffic. 

#3. Helps Build Trust With Potential Customers

Bright Local conducted a survey and found that, on average, a consumer reads 10 reviews before buying from a business.

It also found that 57% of consumers only opt for business offerings that have more than 4-star ratings. 

#4. It helps Spot Any Underlying Problem

Do you think that everything is fine with your business? 

This is because people believe only so until their business receives a negative review.

Negative reviews work positively as they help spot underlying issues when business owners think there are none. Go through all negative reviews received. Do you find several reviews pointing to the same problem? This way, you can get to the pain point to work on it. 

Keep in mind that consumers read your response to the negative review. Hence, you should post replies full of integrity and professionalism. Handle them well to attract prospects.

Think collecting reviews is easy? Well, there is a lot of math behind collecting reviews, and consumers often need to leave reviews for businesses. We list two of the most common reasons why it is difficult for a company to get its consumers to review. 

Reasons Why Customers Won't Leave A Review 

Two of the primary reasons why consumers are often skeptical about leaving a review, even when guided about how to leave a review. 

#1. Exhaustion Due To The Review

Can you remember the name of a business that didn't provide a review request after you purchased from them? 

Not really, right? Though some may recall one or two company names, only a few. This is because more businesses are collecting customer reviews by sharing Google review links. 

Leaving an endless number of reviews for every business has led to fatigue. Happy and loyal customers certainly do so, but since so many companies ask for the same, they want to refrain from posting reviews. 

#2. Customers think, "It is not important to me."

Collecting reviews and the stars are essential for every business and you. However, consumers have different thoughts. Some typical consumers are so busy with their lives that they need more time to review your business online. 

With such customers, how can you collect reviews? Are you thinking the same? We share tips to help you accumulate reviews and convince your consumers to post them. 

What Are Some Of The Useful Hacks To Get 5-Star Reviews? 

#1. Ask In The Correct Manner 

Not asking for a review is much better than demanding to click to write a review! Some businesses take different initiatives, such as making a pre-made review template, using popups, or even dialing customers’ phone numbers to get them to write a review. 

If, by any chance, a consumer refuses to add a review for your business, subtly, you can ask, "Can you please let us know the reason?". This line adds commitment in a more profound sense, and 99% of consumers will leave a review for your business. 

#2. Law of Reciprocity 

If you give your consumers a compelling reason to write a review, they will likely do it for you. When you do something nice for them, they will do it too. 

#3. Timing is Critical 

If you are too late asking for a review, your customer will not be interested. You should be prompt in asking them for a review and be quick. After interacting with your business, ask them to leave a review. 

For offline sales, ask them for a review just when they are there, whereas for online sales, reach out a day or two after they have received the parcel. Take advantage of this opportunity. 

Conclusion 

Reviews are nowadays a crucial part of a business. Online reviews play an important role in Search engine optimization ranking.

Not only for product-based but the same is also, but same is also true for service-based organizations as well. Both positive and negative reviews are essential to make a company appear legitimate in everyone's eyes. Though more five-star reviews drive sales, more negative reviews are deal breakers.