WHAT ARE ONLINE REVIEWS?

Online reviews are recommendations left by customers regarding a business or service they used. These reviews are typically tied to a star rating.

Some reviews can be left on websites directly; most, however, are left on online review sites. They help potential customers filter through businesses based off of the overall satisfaction of past customers who have used the product or service.

WHY DO THEY MATTER?

According to a recent survey, approximately 88% of potential customers read reviews to determine the quality of a business, and 72% say that positive reviews help them to trust a business more.

Reviews also play a role in search rankings when users are searching for a service or product. Studies have also shown that customers will pay more for the same services from a company they believe is reputable versus one that is unknown or less reputable.

WHY DO REVIEWS NEED TO BE RESPONDED TO?

When your brand is being talked about online—whether that talk is good or bad—you have an opportunity to take control of the situation.

  • If it is a positive review, you can thank the customer for their business and further build trust with them.
  • If it is a negative review, you will want to do your best to salvage the customer’s experience.

WHAT DOES 5 FOLD DO TO RESPOND TO REVIEWS?

  • We respond to positive reviews on your behalf.
  • We have set up a system that will send all reviews to you for review, so that you can respond to negative reviews.

REVIEW SITES

Here are the three primary review sites for our clients:

  • Google
  • Facebook
  • Yelp
There are many other review sites that we monitor, but most of them don't have the traffic or visibility of those big three.

If you have dozens of reviews on one site, and very few on another, it's not a sign that anything is wrong. Customers are going to leave reviews on whatever site works best for them; you may find that they prefer social media networks like Facebook and Google over specialized sites relevant to companies in your industry. All in all, reviews are reviews. 

If you do have a choice about where you can direct your customers to leave you reviews, you may want to direct them to Google. Good reviews on Google help with your SEO, allowing prospective customers to find your website with greater ease.