Before the internet was around (I know, hard to imagine) businesses relied on literal word of mouth to increase their reputation, drive custom and grow. But along came the world wide web to change everything. 

The world is now connected, and reviews are king. They’re one of a business's most powerful marketing assets, and neglecting them could lead to failure.

Here are five reasons why you need reviews in order for your business to be a success.

People shop around - make sure they choose you

How often do you search for a product or service without shopping around a little? Never. And neither do your potential customers. The internet has made it easy for people to research and compare before they part with their cash. And one of the most influential tools in the decision-making process is reviews.

The annual customer review survey by Bright Local found that 84% of people trust online reviews as much as a personal recommendation, and after reading positive reviews about a business, 54% of people will visit the website. So if you don’t have many reviews, you’re probably losing customers to competitors that do.

Boost your search rankings

Search engines like Google use a complex algorithm to determine which businesses and services appear first when a keyword is entered. Whilst the factors which determine the ranking are not disclosed, it’s widely believed that reviews play a big part. 

So the more reviews you have, the better your search engine optimization and the higher you’ll appear above your competitors.

Earn loyalty and repeat business

It’s all well and good to receive custom and complete a transaction, but if your customer didn’t feel valued and appreciated, the likelihood of them returning is low.  

When you reach out to ask how you did in the form of a review, you’re making your customers feel appreciated by giving them a voice. It creates a relationship which in turn will drive repeat business.

Become better

If you’re not actively asking for feedback on how your service was, then how will you ever know if you’re doing something wrong? Sure, the occasional disgruntled customer will post a scathing review off of their own back, but most dissatisfied customers won’t. 

By asking for reviews, you get the opportunity to correct the things you're not quite getting right to ensure a better experience for future customers. And you’ll also get the chance to work out the issues with those disgruntled customers before they post a damaging social media post. Win win!

Free marketing

Lots of businesses use elaborate marketing campaigns to get their brand and service into the public domain and generate new custom. They can work wonders, but they can also cost thousands of dollars. Reviews offer a free, yet highly effective form of marketing for your business.

So now you know how important reviews are to a business, but how do you obtain them? It’s easy if you use a service like Review-ify.

Review-ify allows you to personalize a customized email template to request reviews individually, or open the gates and conveniently send bulk requests to your imported contacts.