Ratings 101
Maximize your ratings to power revenue, reputation, and earning potential.
Online reviews are everywhere.
From Yelp to Google to Facebook and beyond, consumers are doing their research when it comes to where they spend their money.
Even online maps are connected to reviews (Yelp to Apple, Google to Android), so your ratings are front and center when searching for directions.
Formerly, positive reviews were nice, but not necessary. With the rise in social media and specifically tailored review sites, your ratings are crucial to your business.
Read on for the who, how, and why on online reviews, and how to make them work for you rather than against you.
Who can leave me reviews?
Anyone! Happy customers, angry customers, even customers from years ago — anyone with an internet connection can leave your business a review. Customers can even create a review page for you if you don’t have one already!
Have you team start asking for positive reviews when they know a customer had a good experience!
Where do these reviews end up?
There are three main sites where consumers leave reviews: Yelp, Google, and Facebook.
Yelp is the most visible review site. It’s connected to Apple Maps, shows up high in a Google search for your business, and is generally the first place people go when searching for reviews. Yelp requires a user create an account in order to leave a review.
Google is the next most prominent site. Google reviews are tied to Android Maps, show up very high in search engines, and are featured in the right-side info panels in a web search. All someone needs to leave a Google review is a Gmail address.
Facebook is less prominent as a review site, but gaining traction fast. While Yelp and Google seem to attract more negative feedback, Facebook reviews are generally positive. Anyone with a Facebook account can leave a Facebook review.
How do I protect my online reputation?
Every review site has the option for the business to respond. It’s crucial that you take advantage of this feature for both positive and negative feedback to make your customers heard and let them know their feedback is valuable.
Get your staff involved! Educate them on:
- Why online reviews are important
- Where online reviews show up and how they impact the business
- Asking for reviews from regulars and happy customers
- Using reviews as a learning tool to improve customer service
Don’t have time to manage this yourself? GoFanbase’s Reputation Team tracks your reputation sites to keep you informed of new reviews and create tailored responses for positive and negative reviews alike. Our team has assisted businesses in reaching out and turning around hundreds of negative reviews, creating powerful testimonials from potentially reputation-ruining situations. Email hello@gofanbase to find out more.
How does a good reputation translate into more revenue?
A one-star increase in your Yelp score can leads to a 5–9% increase in overall revenue (Huffington Post).
Basically, the more potential customers feel like they can trust you due to high ratings, the more they will choose to give their business to you. Even usual deal-breakers like shorter hours or higher prices are generally overshadowed by a stellar Yelp or Google score.
Convinced? Follow us on Medium to learn about more ways to increase your positive reviews!
