How Customers Use Google Reviews To Choose Service Providers

People use search engines daily to discover solutions to their most urgent requirements. At any second of the day, millions conduct a Google search for various things like:

• Where can we get the birthday cakes from? 

• Which restaurant is our best choice to find late at night?

• Is there any trustable eye care centre that my family can visit?

Finding local service providers online is essential. However, merely being noticed won't earn you money. 

When finding a local service provider, what matters to consumers is the emotional connection, reputation, and visibility - everything! 

And that’s what Google Reviews give to your business.

But you might say, “I have many reviews on my google business profile .” 

Yes, having more reviews adds value to your business, but the question is, are these reviews offering enough value and information to the readers? Are they powerful enough to convince them to make a purchase decision? how many google reviews can impact purchase decisions?

Well, yes, the quantity and quality of your Google reviews matter too!

Just like above, we have listed a few pointers that you as a business should know: how do customer experiences shape the way they use Google reviews to make their decision? 

Importance of Reviews In Making A Choice

In the past, service providers used to rely on word-of-mouth and recommendations from friends to create referrals and get new business. 

Nevertheless, now, online reviews are king.

For the past decade, ReviewInc has surveyed U.S. consumers on their decision-making processes. Each year, customers continue to rank online reviews from sites like Google, Facebook, Yelp, and industry-specific websites as an essential aspect.

A poll conducted in 2022 revealed that 43% of consumers preferred reviews to internet marketing, Yellow Pages, the company's website, and other sources. 

Reviews continue to be a critical factor in customers' decisions.

How Do Customers Use Google Reviews To Choose Service Providers?

#1. Customers Consider Online Reviews As Social Proof

Online reviews provide social proof to potential clients, instilling trust in the company.

Buyers are unlikely to believe all you say about your company! And why not? You are more likely to purchase something if it is recommended by someone you know and trust, rather than through personal recommendations or advertising. 

Good reviews from customers let potential new customers know that they can trust your brand, products, or services.

Data supports this. 

Up to 84% of buyers said that reviews influenced their purchasing decisions. Furthermore, half of them develop an opinion about your service after examining one to six reviews. 

#2. Online Reviews Help Customers Establish Trust For The Brand

Online business reviews are beneficial for many reasons - one of which is that they help potential customers overcome any hesitations they may have. 

Brand trust is crucial for any business, and online reviews can help. Potential clients are inclined to trust your brand if they hear that others have had favourable experiences with it. 

Reviews help boost brand trust and increase customers' likelihood of buying from you..

Anyone can make statements about how incredible their product or service is. 

But it does not mean those assertions are real. Companies demonstrate their competence and authority by offering evidence of success through internet reviews.

Good reviews are an excellent approach to verifying your claims. Most people trust web reviews more than industry promises. However, if there is no third-party evidence to back up a claim, consumers are less likely to believe it.

Customers value online reviews and testimonials because they help them create trust. This is especially true for e-commerce sales because customers can only ask the store staff for product details after purchasing. 

#3. Positive Reviews Make The Decision-Making Process Quick For Customers

Do you know that a positive review immediately impacts the buying choices of your goal market? And what happens when your google business listing is a ghost town? 

Buyers find it hard to trust! 

Yes! One study determined that having even five reviews will increase a product's possibility of selling by 270% over having none.

So, put on your work shoes and get back to collecting more Google reviews! 

Customers often pick items or offerings with extra favorable web reviews when evaluating them with different options. 

Reviews help the authority and knowledge of your brand. Brands show up to be extra reliable the more well-known they are. Conversely, buyers feel a more significant change when there are no reviews, reducing their purchase propensity.

When reading reviews, customers believe the author has already used the product or service under consideration. A positive rating of your company shows a prospective client that you are a legitimate authority in your profession. 

They are more likely to believe you when you have effectively assisted others in overcoming obstacles and achieving favorable results (or just assisted them in falling in love with your goods).

#4. Customer Co-Relate Good Reviews About Services With Higher Authority And Expertise

Why is Apple a brand famous? Because more than the ads of Apple, the words of people using Apple matter. And that’s why people don’t mind paying more and buying products from Apple. 

This is because, subconsciously, people consider that if something has positive customer feedback, the product or service business has higher authority.

Also, Google aims to provide searchers with as trustworthy content as possible, and online client testimonials can help.

Therefore, when Google sees many positive brand evaluations on various third-party websites, it will likely result in your website having a higher ranking in search results.

These clear signals increase the likelihood that Google will rank your Google My Business listing and website higher.

#5. Customers Also Consider Star Ratings!

Consider the last time you purchased on Amazon, for example. 

Most likely, you looked at the product's overall rating as one of the first things which ultimately claimed to be your end decision to trust the brand and give it a try. 

Nevertheless, unfortunately, star ratings are so powerful that consumers continue to accept them even though 42% of Amazon evaluations are considered fraudulent. In other words, gathering, tracking, and managing client feedback must be vital for your digital marketing operations.

Now that you know how reviews affect buyers’ choices, it’s time to make changes to ensure that Google reviews do not become your foe.

Note - Monitor Your Review With the Help of Moderators

No matter if you are a small business or a large enterprise, it’s essential to monitor the reviews. It may sometimes happen that even one negative review can start a chain of negative reviews from other customers, and the situation will get out of control and thus tarnish your business name.

Now moderation can be done in three ways: Employee, algorithm, and community.

• Employee: You can keep a dedicated community manager to manage your Google reviews. Their task is to instantly remove inappropriate or negative reviews that can harm your brand. They also need to track new reviews, send review requests, and resolve queries.

They also need to interact with happy customers by replying to reviews. If you cannot afford a community manager, it's good to review them yourself weekly or at least monthly. 

• Community moderation: Google already provides this feature. Any Google users who feel that the review is out of line can flag it, and Google will manually see it. 

• Algorithm: Google also has an algorithm that moderates the review. However, it can be too limiting. You can also get online reputation management software that tracks what people are saying about your brand not only on Google accounts but also on other social media sites.

Key Takeaways :

Online reviews are a crucial part of the modern business ecosystem. Many people think it is more critical with products. Not true. It serves local businesses more and helps them strengthen their local SEO and improve the  local search ranking.

Managing your online reputation is crucial. Therefore, Reviews can help you streamline the feedback process, boost a company's reputation, and always provide you with the best customer service possible.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Why Are Reviews Found Online So Important? 

Online reviews are essential for customers because they establish brand confidence, give social proof, and authenticate expertise. In addition, businesses value them because they influence customer purchasing behavior, confirm institutional legitimacy, and display client trust. So, as a business owner, your aim should be to get reviews on your Google My Business account.

2. Which online review sites are the best? 

Online review sites like Google Maps App, Angi, Facebook, Yelp, the Better Business Bureau, and Trustpilot are among the most reliable. However, ensure that you follow the review policy of platforms if you are signing up.

3. Can 5-STAR Reviews Help Your Business?

Yes, it does. People want information, and the more you accommodate their needs, the more likely you will get their business.

A study discovered that 22 percent of potential clients flip away if they see a reviews section filled with negative reviews where people share their negative experiences.. They have more poor opinions and can lose up to 70 percent of customers. So, yes, a number of reviews that talk positively about your brand matter! So try to get those coveted high-rated customer reviews.

4. Can fake reviews destroy my small business’s online reputation?

Yes. If your review section is filled with fake reviews or bot reviews, no one will believe that you are a real business. Your first step here should be to find a way to delete google reviews that contain fake reviews. Simply visit the fake customer review, and on the top right, click on the report the review. Google will see the further process. If you can’t get Google to delete fake reviews, then simply leave a review response to make other customers alert. Attach the screenshots of proof if possible.

5. How to increase the possibility of getting a Google business review?

Although you cannot force someone to leave a review on your business profile, there are a few tips that can surely help in the majority of circumstances. They are as follows:

• Complete the profile. Imagine this, there is business information, your business name is wrong, there is no phone number to contact, the business location is wrong, the website link doesn’t work, and there are literally no images of your business, do you think customers would even leave a review?
• Secondly, share the Google review link as soon as the customer avails of your service or buys the product. This increases the chances of them leaving a review. You can then send a review link through SMS, website pop-up, email, etc. with instructions on how to leave a review.