How important are online reviews? According to one survey, a full 87% of potential customers won’t consider a business with poor online reviews. While that statistic makes it clear that bad reviews can be toxic to the online success of a business, simply avoiding those types of reviews isn’t enough for a business to flourish on the Internet. To accomplish that goal, businesses should strive to attract positive reviews on a regular basis. We’re going to use the rest of this blog post to explain why that’s a worthwhile goal, as well as what businesses, especially in Omaha, can do to accomplish it.
Online Reviews Are Crucial for Local Businesses in Omaha
Almost everyone who is looking for a local business in Omaha is going to read reviews. Only 8% of consumers don’t look at reviews when they’re searching for a business online. The popularity of online reviews among consumers makes them one of the primary ways people gauge small businesses. When someone is evaluating a business, the majority are going to read between one and six reviews. That behavior is why it’s important for businesses to have more than one review online.
Another reason that Omaha businesses should make it a priority to regularly get online reviews is 69% of people don’t find reviews that are from more than three months ago relevant. So while there are some things that businesses can do once online and then move on to other tasks, online reviews don’t fall into that category.
What Businesses Can Do to Get More Reviews
The biggest mistake that a business can make is trying to take shortcuts that involve fake reviews. Not only are consumers smart enough to pick out these kinds of reviews, but review platforms will punish any business they detect engaging in this type of behavior.
Instead of taking shortcuts, the best thing an Omaha business can do is make it a priority to remind their happy customers to leave a review. Whether it’s by including a link on a receipt or sending a follow-up email a few days after someone makes a purchase, reminders are a very simple but effective way to bring in new reviews on a consistent basis.
Call Big Red SEO for Help with All Your Online Marketing Needs: (402) 522-6468
There’s no question that online reviews are important for Omaha businesses that want to use the Internet to bring in more customers. However, it’s important to remember that online reviews are just one component of a larger online marketing strategy. Without the other necessary components in place, a business is going to have a hard time achieving the results they want.
At Big Red SEO, we specialize in helping businesses launch an online marketing strategy or take their existing efforts to the next level. By working with our talented team, your business will have a website and online presence that’s fully optimized to attract new customers.
To discuss more about how we can help your business flourish online, please give our local Omaha office a call at (402) 522-6468.