Google reviews play an important role in making your business look like a trustworthy source of information, both in the eyes of Google and your consumers. This is because Google places a higher value on websites that are trustworthy within their field.

Many potential shoppers and customers will choose whether or not to patron your business after reading reputable reviews online. While you might trust the opinion of your friend, trusting the unbiased opinion of a third party will encourage even more consumers to patron your business. Google is more likely to notice businesses with higher reviews, both in terms of volume, quality, and diversity.

It’s estimated that the first organic hit on the search engine page will receive around 32.5% of the traffic share. With quality reviews driving your business and your search rankings, this organic SEO will help bring your business to the top. Over 93% of purchases begin with an online search.

Recent statistics show that many people looking for a local service or product would prefer to see a business with 40 or more reviews. (57% of shoppers only need to see 11 or more reviews.) If you have 5 reviews and your competition has 36, who do you think will get the first call?

Reviews are becoming more and more influential in the purchasing decision process of consumers. When it comes to how many people read reviews before they will visit your website, the stats have skyrocketed over the last 3 or 4 years. The same is true for the number of shoppers (78%) who trust online reviews as much as they trust a referral from a good friend. 

1. Trust and first impressions - Reviews tell a story about the quality of our services or products and how people are treated when they do business with us. Online reviews have become a major influencer when it comes to building trust and making good first impressions.
2. Your reputation is on the line – Reviews can either help or hurt your business. Google does a good job of making sure reviews are authentic, so if you pad your reviews with fake or employee-written reviews, Google’s algorithm will penalize you by deleting ALL your reviews, whether they were real or fake.
3. Great reviews can help you achieve higher organic rankings – Google’s algorithm “rewards” companies that have a lot of good reviews by placing them on the first page of Google searches. This is good for businesses because it doesn’t cost you anything!
4. Customer Feedback - taking an honest look in the mirror – Google reviews can help show businesses where they may have issues, whether it’s hours they are open or a negative staff member.
5. More and more consumers are reading reviews before buying – When was the last time you bought something online before looking at a review? Or, looked up reviews of a restaurant you want to try? We’re inherently looking for other people to let us know that where we’re going is going to be a good experience.

More people are calling businesses directly from Google Local Listings – having all your relevant business information in one place is great for consumers, but only if the information is correct! Keep an eye on your Google listing and the information it holds to make sure your customers are being directed to the right place.