Online reviews are written opinions about businesses, services, or products. They’re a way for customers to share their experiences with others so they can make informed buying decisions. According to Statista, 42% of consumers trust online product reviews as much as personal recommendations when making purchasing decisions. In other words, online reviews can have a major impact on your business.
However, there are many different types of online reviews. To ensure yours has the biggest impact on your business and followers, you must understand what each type is and how you can get them on your business or services.
This article explains the different types of online reviews available and how each one can help you build your business and brand.
What Is An Online Review?
When people write a review about a product or service online, they’re creating an online review. Online reviews are an excellent way to build your business and brand by helping your customers share their opinions with others. There are several types of reviews, including consumer-written reviews, company ratings and reviews, verified reviews, video reviews, influencer reviews, forum reviews, and more.
Increasing Dependence On Online Reviews
Although reviews have always been important, their importance has grown as technology has advanced. Today, customers expect to read reviews before they make a purchase. The more they find positive online reviews, the more likely they are to make a purchase. There are a few reasons for this. First, online reviews are unbiased.
They aren’t published by a company that may have financial ties to the business, like an advertisement. Instead, they’re written by customers who have already used the product or service and want to share their thoughts and feelings with others. If you want proof of the importance of online reviews, just look at how online reviews have changed in the past decade.
Types Of Reviews
Consumer-Written Reviews
Consumers-written reviews are just what they sound like – written by customers who have used the product or service. These types of reviews are typically found on retail websites like Amazon, Alibaba, and Shopify. Customers often leave reviews after purchasing products or after receiving a service.
A good rule of thumb when leaving a review is to offer helpful information and not just a glowing review. For example, if you purchased a camera lens, you might describe your experience with the company or lens, as well as your thoughts on how it performed for you.
Company Ratings And Reviews
Company ratings and reviews are an excellent way for customers to express their satisfaction (or lack thereof) with a business. Ratings and reviews are often found on the main page of a business’ website, where they’re displayed prominently.
Company ratings and reviews are a good way to determine which businesses to purchase from and which to avoid. They’re also excellent for boosting your own business’ reputation. All you have to do is ask your customers to leave ratings and reviews about their experiences with your business.
Verified Reviews
Verified reviews are reviews that are backed up by facts, figures, or data. A good example of a verified review reveals the percentage of people who were satisfied with a product or service. With verified reviews, you can be sure that they’re accurate and true to the facts.
Verified reviews are often used in the medical and health industries. For example, a diet plan might have verified reviews rating its effectiveness. While diet and health reviews don’t apply to every type of business, they’re a valuable resource for any industry where statistics and data can be used.
Fake Reviews
Fake reviews are reviews that are published but are false. They’re published either to benefit the author or another person such as a competitor. Fake reviews are becoming a major problem in the online review industry.
One of the signs of a fake review is when the reviewer doesn’t provide any information about their identity or just writes negative comments about the product which are not consistent with other reviews. After doing a little bit of research on the reviewer, you can try to reach out to them directly. If you have their email address, you can send them a message asking them to verify the review.
Companies like ReviewMeta have even developed software to help detect fake reviews. If you notice suspicious activity on your review page, you can contact the review platform. They’ll be able to help you identify and remove any fake reviews.
Video Reviews
Video reviews are exactly what they sound like – reviews recorded and filmed by customers. These types of reviews are a great way to engage your followers and customers while giving them a first-person look into your business.
If you’re considering adding video reviews to your business or services, you should be sure to follow any applicable regulations for your industry. For example, you can’t film reviews inside a medical facility unless you’re a patient or a doctor.
Influencer Reviews
Most people who read reviews are looking for honest and authentic feedback from customers who have used the product or service. If you can find an influencer who has experience with the product or service you offer, you can ask them to leave a review for you. There are several ways to find influencers who are interested in reviewing your product or service.
Some methods include searching forums, social media networks, and review websites. When you find an influencer who would be interested in reviewing your product or service, reach out to them and let them know you’d like a review. Remember that you’ll need to compensate them for their time and effort in exchange for their review.
Forum Reviews
Forum reviews are reviews that are posted in online forums related to your business and industry. A good example of a forum review is someone posting a review on a dieting forum about a particular diet plan.
If you can find forums related to your business, you can ask forum members to post reviews for you. Be sure to follow the rules of each forum you plan to post in, so you don’t get banned and your posts don’t get deleted.
How To Track Reviews
Google Search Console
If you want to track reviews and what your customers are saying about your business, Google Search Console is a must. This is a free service that is offered to all businesses with a Google My Business account. This will allow you to track reviews, find out what your customers are saying and analyze your online presence.
Google Search Console will let you know how many people are visiting your page, how many are clicking on your site, how many are clicking through to your site, and many other metrics. You can also find out what your customers are saying about your business online. This is a great tool for businesses and something easy to set up.
Google Search Console lets you know when someone has left a review for your business on Reliable Reviews, Google, Yelp, or another site. This will allow you to respond and engage with the customers, letting them know that you are listening. Additionally, you can use this data to analyze how your business is doing online and where improvements could be made.
Internet Monitoring
If you want to track reviews beyond what is being tracked for you by Google Search Console, you can use an internet monitoring tool that will track online chatter about your business. Tools like Social Mention, Mention, Track Social, and Talkwalker will allow you to track reviews from across the internet and give you valuable insights into what your customers are saying about your business.
This will allow you to track the positive reviews as well as the negative ones, allowing you to respond accordingly. Internet monitoring tools can be a bit pricey, but they are extremely valuable for any business. They are easy to set up and will give you a complete overview of what people are saying about your business online.
Of course, you can also use these tools to track your competitors and see what people are saying about them. This can be a useful way of learning how to better your business against the competition.
Final Thoughts
Online reviews are writing opinions about businesses, services, or products. They’re an excellent way to build your business and brand by helping your customers share their opinions with others. There are several types of reviews, including consumer-written reviews, company ratings and reviews, verified reviews, video reviews, influencer reviews, forum and blog reviews, and more.
The bottom line is that, whatever type of review your business gets, make sure to utilize these reviews for the benefit of your operations. In the current market where reviews play a vital part in ranking products, make sure to be one of those who benefit.
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