Why Online Reviews Matter For Your Contracting Business & How to Get Them
If you own a home improvement business these days, online reviews are important. Potential customers are looking for them before they decide which contractor to hire, and if you don't have any, chances are they may never see your business and probably aren't going to choose your business to help them with their service needs.
In this blog post, we will discuss why online reviews matter so much for your business as well as ways your contracting business can get more customer testimonials.
Why Customer Testimonials Are Important
In the past, most people would ask friends or family for recommendations when they needed a contractor. While that is still done today, an increasing number of people are now turning to online reviews to find contractors.
A study by BrightLocal found that 84% of people trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. And another study found that 70% of customers will leave a review if they had a positive experience but only 7% will leave a review if they had a negative experience. This means that online reviews can be extremely important for your business.
Having More Reviews Improves Your Google My Business Listing
Online reviews can also help to improve your Google My Business listing. GMB is the free listing that appears when someone searches for your business on Google.
One of the factors that determines whether or not your GMB listing will appear in search results is the number of reviews you have as well as your rating. The more reviews you have, and the higher your rating, the more likely it is that your listing will appear in search results.
There is nothing more valuable than showing up on the Google map at the exact moment someone in your area is searching for your services. But without a lot of solid reviews, the likelihood of that happening is slim.
Customer Testimonials Improve Your Website's Conversion Rate
In addition to helping you get more customers, online reviews can also help improve your website's conversion rate.
When potential customers visit your website, they are looking for social proof that your business is reputable and that you can be trusted. Testimonials provide that social proof and can help increase the number of people who contact your business or fill out a form on your website.
Online Reviews On Yelp Matter Too
Although Google is the most popular search engine, it's not the only one people use. Yelp is also a popular website where people go to find local businesses.
Yelp can be especially important for contracting businesses because it's one of the first places potential customers will go to see what others have said about your business.
And like Google, the number of reviews you have as well as your rating will determine how visible your business is on Yelp.
How to Get More Online Reviews
Now that we've discussed why online reviews are so important, let's talk about how to improve your online reputation.
The best way to get online reviews is simply to ask your satisfied customers to leave one. You can do this by sending them an email or text message after you've completed a job. You'd be surprised at how many of your customers (that otherwise would not leave a review) will be happy to leave one if you simply ask them to.
Make it easy for them to leave a review by including a link to your Google My Business listing or Yelp page. You could even include instructions on how to leave a review. Maybe mention to them that will literally only take 2 minutes of their time and would help your business greatly.
You can also encourage customers to leave reviews by offering incentives. For example, you could offer a discount on their next service if they leave a review. Just be sure not to offer anything of value in exchange for a positive review as that would be against the terms of service of most online review sites.
Finally, make sure you are responding to all of your online reviews, both positive and negative. Thank your customers for their positive reviews and take the time to address any concerns raised in negative reviews.
Doing so will show potential customers that you care about your online reputation and are willing to take steps to improve it.
If you're not already taking advantage of online reviews, now is the time to start. Use the tips above to start getting more online reviews for your contracting business. Doing so will help you attract more customers and improve your bottom line.
