Customer Reviews are reviews of a product or service made by a customer who has purchased and used a product or service.
Client’s Reviews and evaluations are more accessible than ever, thanks to social media and internet review sites. Let us examine why and how customer evaluations and testimonials benefit customers and companies of all sizes.
“It takes humility to seek feedback. it takes wisdom to understand it, analyze it, and appropriately act on it.”
-Stephen Covey.
What Is Customer Reviews
Customer Reviews are written account of a customer's interaction with and comments on your business's products or services.
Customer Reviews are available on various websites, including Google Reviews, Amazon, Yelp, and social media.
Consumers evaluate customer reviews to determine how well your product performs and whether it is worth the price.
Anyone may submit a review online, and these evaluations may contain positive or harmful information about your business, as well as occasionally even false stuff.
Because they are placed on third-party websites and are written by actual users of your items, customers regard them as a credible source of information.
Indeed, buyers value internet evaluations so highly that they trust them as much as personal recommendations.
Sites for Customer Reviews
Numerous websites allow users to post Customer Reviews.
These include comprehensive customer review sites like Google Reviews, Facebook, and Yelp (any business can be evaluated on Yelp) and industry-specific customer review sites like Breeview.io, a site dedicated to software reviews.
Reviews on Google My Business (a.k.a. Google Reviews)
Google Reviews is the most widely utilised platform for Consumer Reviews at the moment. On a 5-star scale, all sorts of companies may be evaluated and rated.
How to Create a Google My Business Account
Anyone may build a Google My Business profile for their business to be found via Google search.
Businesses must complete a Google My Business profile to obtain Google Reviews (learn how to create and verify your Google My Business Account here).
Not only is it straightforward to create a Google My Business page for your business, but it's also straightforward for consumers to leave reviews for your product or service.
After you've created your profile, you'll want to create a link for consumers to submit reviews or rate you on a five-star scale.
Ascertain that you have a link to your reviews that customers can get via a Google search and a link that consumers can access using the Place ID Lookup tool.
Customers may leave reviews by simply searching for your company or location on Google Maps.
How to Leave a Google Review
If you are the reviewer and wish to post a Google review, all you need to do is enter your first and last names.
Google does not permit anonymous reviewers. Your name, as well as any other reviews or images you've submitted to Google Maps, are publicly visible. If you already have a Google account, Google My Business will connect to your "About Me" page.
Google requires this information from you for three reasons:
- It lends your review greater credibility to people who read it.
- When anything is connected to a person's personal information, they are generally less inclined to lie.
- It lends legitimacy to your evaluation.
How to Address Google Reviews
You may be wondering, "What if someone still decides to post a fictitious review on my business?" Or, "How do I reply to a favourable or unfavourable review? Google assists you in all of this.
Responding to reviews is a simple process. Locate the review to which you wish to react and click Respond. To do this, users must be logged into their Google accounts.
While you cannot delete negative reviews, Google will delete reviews that violate their User Contributed Content Policy. A review may be deleted for various reasons, including hate speech, false comments, spam, unlawful content, and a conflict of interest. If you see anything Google does not, you may flag the review, and Google will investigate and, if required, delete the information.
How to Optimise Your Google My Business Profile
Given the popularity and importance of Google Reviews for businesses of all sizes, you may be asking how to optimise your Google My Business profile. After all, reviews are just as critical for your business's growth as they are for customers' decision-making.
Here are some suggestions for improving your Google My Business profile to generate more favourable customer reviews and (hopefully) interactions:
- Complete your Google My Business profile thoroughly.
- Alternatively, customers can log in and "suggest" modifications. These can go live without notifying or updating you.
- Regularly go into your account to examine updates and ensure that nothing has been altered without your consent.
- Create a Google My Business page for your business.
These are similar to small adverts within your Google profile that inform people about the products or services you offer or provide if you provide services, including a booking button so visitors may easily arrange an appointment or meeting with you.
- Inquire Ethically About Customer Reviews.
- Do not ask a buddy to give you a very favourable review just to include it on your website. If an actual consumer discovers this, why would they continue to trust you?
- Engage with consumers and reviewers in the area under "Questions & Answers." Extend thanks for praises and reply intelligently to individuals who have had a negative experience. Make your consumers feel valued regardless of what they say about you.
- Permit reviewers to upload images and videos of your workplace, retail location, or restaurant. This gives their reviews a more personal touch. Additionally, this increases the credibility of their reviews.
Due to the popularity of Google Reviews among customers and the critical nature of ranking on Google for businesses, this is an incredibly effective and essential tool for any business.
Reviews on Yelp
Yelp is another primary consumer review site. As it may be used to leave reviews on virtually any type of company or service.
Similar to Google My Business Evaluations, consumers may post reviews and evaluate their experience on a 5-star scale.
One distinctive element of Yelp Reviews is that the website educates businesses on using both good and negative reviews and how to respond to them.
Your response to a review or rating may make or break your business, which is why Yelp's training is an added benefit.
How to Create a Yelp Business Profile
To begin creating a Yelp profile for your business, you must first claim it. This is an entirely free procedure that gives you control over any information that consumers and reviewers may see on Yelp. To begin, visit the Yelp Business Page.
Throughout the process, Yelp may contact you to verify that you are the business's legitimate owner. You certainly don't want anybody running your profile's material, do you?
Once you've established your profile and Yelp has approved it, you may edit critical profile information, add photographs, react privately or publicly to reviews, and monitor views and leads.
How to Write a Yelp Review
To become a Yelp reviewer, you must first establish a free account. To begin writing a review, use the search box to locate the business you wish to review and start writing.
Additionally, you cannot post anonymously on this site. Have you ever had a truly awful encounter with a business or product and then gone online to leave them a bad review?
Then did customer service amaze you by calling you promptly and resolving the issue Perhaps you felt compelled to write another review and withdraw your statement?
Not with Yelp!
You may locate your original review, click Update beneath it, and inform everyone on Yelp about how the business listened to you and assisted you in resolving your first issue. A Word of Advice Regarding Yelp Review Responses
It's simple to react to customer reviews on Yelp - navigate to the original remark and select Write a response.
Bear in mind, however, that creating a profile on a customer review site does not guarantee that every review will be a glowing endorsement of your firm, but if you receive a favourable review, congratulations!
However, regardless of whether you agree with what someone wrote, how you respond to criticism reveals a great deal about your company's beliefs and character.
Maintain a good attitude toward all reviewers — and request further specific input if necessary – regardless of how irritated you are that this review is accessible by potential consumers. Yelp, like many review sites, receives its share of false reviews.
The site has an automatic review filter as part of its Recommendation Software to eliminate incorrect information and spam.
Additionally, they analyse any suggestions submitted by other reviewers and Yelp users to guarantee the site contains only authentic material.
Check the next article on how to leave a review on Breeview.io
