Google has really branched out since it was first founded over twenty years ago. Starting off as a way to locate websites in the early days of the web, it's now able to search for anything and everything that you can think of. It’s hard to imagine how we go without it nowadays.
For example, let’s say you’re looking for a fine restaurant to dine out at. In the pre-Google days, you might need to read reviews in the local paper, check the phone book for their number, and maybe even check a map if you’re unfamiliar with the address. Now, we get all this and much, much more in just a few clicks.
Hey, we’re not trying to shill Google here, we’re just explaining the facts. Google is the world’s largest and most influential search engine, and it’s able to draw in all kinds of information about the world around us. We depend on it so much, especially over the lockdowns and restrictions in recent years.
With everyone being connected 24/7, we can get what we're after so quickly and easily. This also means that businesses can get their products or services into the hands of others with the same amount of ease. The online market is arguably the most important one in today’s era of connectedness and business reviews are just one part of this, albeit an important one.
Getting to the top of Google’s results (with glowing reviews) is now a goal that many businesses want to achieve. It helps to fuel their success and, in turn, drive profit. Online reviews are tantamount to customers' decisions in parting with their hard-earned cash.
In fact, a survey on how they affect customers was completed by BrightLocal — a company that helps businesses to rank higher on online searches. BrightLocal’s 2020 survey found that 87% of consumers read online reviews for businesses before their visit. 34% of that number state that they almost always check reviews before visiting.
Another takeaway from BrightLocal’s survey shows that only 48% of consumers would consider using a business with less than a 4-star rating. Whilst 4-stars means generally good reviews, less than that could mean there’s room for improvement. 12% of people in the survey were so critical that they wouldn’t even use a business with less than 5-star reviews.
BrightLocal’s survey confirms that those shiny gold stars influence us most — they were noted as the top factor in our decision-making. Other factors included the legitimacy, recency, sentiment, and quantity of the reviews. People also noted whether or not businesses responded to reviews as well, with 20% of reviewers in the survey expecting a response from the owners within a business day.
But responding to bad reviews is also tricky as no one likes to hear negative feedback or confront their critics. Whilst some of them are generally unhelpful and people like to just complain, accepting them and staying professional is part of moving past them. Although, it’s difficult to know what to say when you see reviews like the ones here.
Responding to positive reviews is equally important — it shows the human side of the business that people can identify with more. Not to mention, it’s just polite to say thanks for a compliment as well. With customers leaving their reviews and potential customers seeing replies to them, it builds a great image for a business.
It can be a balancing act to manage both the good and bad reviews, but it’s proven to be a vital part of the business. Andrew Thomas, an entrepreneur and business consultant, has a theory that there is a secret ratio behind online reviews that can help a business to thrive.
Writing in Inc. magazine, he said: “It takes roughly 40 positive customer experiences to undo the damage of a single negative review. The ratio is derived from a combination of human behavior, math, and logic.”
“A customer who has a negative experience is highly likely to share that experience by leaving a bad review. A customer who has a positive experience, on the other hand, is unlikely to leave a good review. In my experience, only 1 in 10 happy customers leaves a good review.”
Andrew also knows the importance of star ratings. He said, “Your company or product rating (typically out of five stars) reflects an overall average of good and bad reviews. So, if your goal is to maintain an overall rating of 4-stars, you'll need four 5-star reviews to make up for every 1-star review.”
“Assuming that only 1 of every 10 happy customers leaves a positive 5-star review, and knowing that it takes four 5-star reviews to make up for each 1-star review, you can figure it takes 40 positive customer experiences to make up for a single bad review.”
