Online Reputation Monitoring Highlights Modern ‘Word Of Mouth’

Online review activity is being watched and researched more than ever. A growing number of businesses are making building reviews online a business initiative where it did not exist before.

Below are the results of various research studies and surveys gathered from multiple sources to help provide a snap shot of the digital landscape and how reviews online fit into the mix.

Consider - Organic Search Drives the Value of Online Reviews & Vice Versa

- 97% of consumers go online to find a local business or local services.**
- 93% of online experiences begin with a search engine (SEJ, 2016)
- 81% of shoppers conduct research online before buying.**
- Studies show between 70-80% of people research a company online BEFORE visiting a small business or making a purchase with them.**
- 80% of small businesses do not invest in content marketing, and experts warn that they are missing a key marketing opportunity (Clutch.co, 2018) (Reviews are content)

More than 7 out of 10 consumers say they have spent more money to do business with a company delivering great service. Reviews matter. **
Google drives 96% of mobile search traffic, followed by Yahoo at 2% and Bing at 1%. Google Search is also one of the most popular mobile apps in the U.S. (NetMarketShare, 2018)
46% of all searches on Google have local intent (Google, 2018)
59% of marketers say inbound produces the highest quality leads for their sales team. (HubSpot State of Inbound, 2019) “Inbound” often means blogs, reviews, etc.

Online Reviews are Harmful When Ignored

- A Harvard Business School study found a one-star rating decrease can reduce revenues by nearly 10%. It literally pays you to stay on top of all the posted reviews about your business.
- 52% of consumers disqualify a business without “enough stars.” *Local Search Association (LSA)
- 39% of businesses don’t recognize their online reputations “strongly influence” consumer decision-making* – a competitive opportunity for you!

Focusing On Online Reviews – An Important Piece Of The Puzzle

66% of consumers said they perform research every time or almost every time before buying a product or service*
Over 70% of households use the internet as their go-to source when purchasing local products & services.
Positive online reviews are the most important purchase consideration vs. other types of information or sources in a consumer decision*

Consumer Approach to Examining Reviews *

Most recent reviews
Most critical reviews
Favorable reviews

30%
21%
21%

Number of stars
Total review count
Other information

18%
8%
2%

Consumer Willingness to Change a Negative Review: *

Consumers are more often motivated to leave a review based on a positive rather than negative experience, by a factor of more than 2 to 1*

Yes, but it would depend on the response from the business
Yes, I would change it
No, I would not change the review
Other

58%
31%
10%
1%

Minimum Number of Stars Required by Consumers to contact a Business:*

I don’t have a minimum
2 Stars
5 Stars
3 Stars

16%
1%
3%
11%

5 Stars 16%
4 Stars 35%
Above 4 Stars 17%

16%
35%
17%

Small Business Review Acquisition Tactics* – Note 50% do not develop Reviews

I verbally ask my customers to review me
I ask my customers in email to review me
I offer contests or prizes as incentives for reviews

19%
19%
12%

I don’t ask customers for reviews
We don’t have any online reviews

28%
22%

Over half of consumers surveyed say good online reviews make them more likely to choose a local business.
70% of customers trust a business with 6 to 10 reviews.

72% of consumers say they trust good online reviews.

Anonymous posters are trusted as much as personal recommendations.

Looking forward, the need for good online reviews isn’t going away. (6 – 10 reviews is just the minimum)

Good online reviews are added by your satisfied customers – you produce them every day.

Reviews of your business are posted on search sites like Google, Facebook, Local Business Directories, Yelp and other review websites…you can leverage them!

When they consumers see companies with positive reviews, instant trust & credibility will make your phone ring.

Search Engines and Directory Sites want to deliver the best search outcomes for user.

Companies with dozens of glowing reviews are favored over companies with few or no reviews.

* Research/Survey done by The Local Search Association (LSA) – a not-for-profit industry association of media companies, agencies and technology providers who help businesses market to local consumers.

** Blue Corna Blog Post – an inbound web marketing, analytics and optimization company.