Why Online Reviews Are So Important
A positive reputation is one of the most powerful marketing assets a business has to convince new customers to contact them. The social proof contained within reviews and star ratings helps consumers short cut their research and make decisions faster and with greater confidence than ever before.
The growing quantity of online reviews and review sites covering more industries and services, provides huge benefits to both consumers and the businesses that fully embrace reputation marketing.
Key ‘Takeaways’ from the 2017 Survey are:
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97% of consumers read online reviews for local businesses in 2017, with 12% looking for a local business online every day
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85% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations
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Positive reviews make 73% of consumers trust a local business more
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49% of consumers need at least a four-star rating before they choose to use a business
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Responding to reviews is more important than ever, with 30% naming this as key when judging local businesses
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68% of consumers left a local business review when asked – with 74% having been asked for their feedback
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79% of consumers have read a fake review in the last year, but a worrying 84% can’t always spot them
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Yelp & Facebook are local consumers’ most trusted review sites, followed by Google & BBB.org
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32% of consumers read local reviews on mobile apps this year (a growth of 14% from 2016)
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Consumers read an average of 7 reviews before trusting a business – up from 6 last year
