Why Online Reviews Matter to Your Business and How to Respond to Them

88% of consumers trust online reviews more than recommendations from their own family and friends. Yes, really! This makes online reviews a huge marketing opportunity for businesses.

Getting positive, complimentary reviews left about your business online will help you drive more leads towards your company.

When your audience looks up landscaping services or outdoor contractors, they’ll always read the reviews to see what kind of company you are before hiring you. They want to know everything about your services and what your previous clients thought of your skills.

To make them feel comfortable about investing in your talented landscaping abilities, highlight and promote your positive reviews on your website and your Google Business Profile.

By encouraging your happy clients to leave reviews, you’ll be showing your potential clients why you’re the right company to work with.

This is only one of the reasons why reviews are essential to your business. There are a lot of benefits to online reviews! Today we’re going to show you why having reviews matter to your company and how you can respond to them to get the most out of each one.

Why do online reviews matter?

Reviews are a vital part of your online presence! Without them, your audience won’t know how outstanding your landscaping services are.

Here are five reasons why reviews matter to your company and why you should start gathering reviews right away if you currently have none.

1. Reviews improve your SEO

SEO (search engine optimization) is crucial if you want to push your business to the top of the search engine results page. Reviews are a key ingredient in helping you improve your SEO.

But how do reviews help enhance your SEO?

Google is constantly scanning the web, looking for the most relevant and reliable businesses to suggest to its users.

Having a list of positive reviews on your website and your Google Business Profile will show Google that you’re a reliable business to send to its users. Having reviews on your website also keeps your content relevant, fresh, and enriched with keywords.

Because reviews are usually related to the client’s area, getting a review-rich Google Business Profile will also help improve your local SEO. This tells Google you’re the right business to promote to any local searchers.

2. Reviews enhance your public credibility and trust

Your clients are going to trust you a whole lot more if you have plenty of reviews on your website, social media, and Google Business Profile. But, to enhance your credibility and trust, your reviews have to be 100% authentic and legit.

Deleting or hiding bad reviews or creating fictional reviews for your company can come across as untrustworthy, which might encourage your audience to work with your competitors instead.

62% of consumers have zero tolerance for fraudulent reviews, so make sure all your reviews are honest and authentic!

Improving your trust and credibility will encourage potential clients to work with you. They might even recommend you to their friends and family looking for landscaping companies too.

3. Reviews affect your audience’s purchase decisions

86% of people hesitate to do business with a company if it has negative online reviews. This is because they presume your services are unreliable if you have negative reviews on your profile.

However, if you have no negative reviews at all or no reviews in general, your audience will become suspicious of what you’re offering. They’ll wonder if you’re an authentic business, and they might even leave your website to find landscaping services elsewhere.

So when you’re getting reviews, ensure that you keep your negative reviews there too. Negative reviews prove that you’re an authentic company because not everybody is perfect, and we all make mistakes.

Having negative reviews also gives you a chance to show off your customer service talents by responding to reviews and ensuring your customers get the help they need.

4. Reviews help you improve

Nobody is perfect! By getting reviews of your landscaping services, you’ll be able to get helpful feedback that will accelerate your company’s growth and provide you with golden insight into how you can improve.

Feedback, negative and positive, will show you what you’re doing wrong and what you need to improve. By taking all the feedback from reviews on board, you’ll be able to show your audience that you value their opinion and are eager to learn and grow because of it.

This will show them that you’re a brand that respects and relies on its customers. This will also give you a closer connection to the people you’re working with.

5. Reviews (and your responses) show your company cares

Nobody wants to work with a company that’s only in it for themselves. They want to work with somebody who gives them all the attention they need to complete their garden, pool, or hardscaping project.

By highlighting reviews on your website, social media, and Google Business Profile, you’ll be demonstrating to your potential clients that you’re genuinely a company that cares about their needs.

The more a potential client sees you interact and respond to reviews, the more comfortable they’ll feel about working with you in the future.

But what are the best practices for responding to reviews? How do you prove to your audience that you’re the right choice for all their landscaping needs?

How should you respond to online reviews?

Responding to reviews is just as crucial as getting reviews in the first place. You should respond to every review you get to show your clients and your audience that you appreciate the reviews they give you.

53.3% of people expect businesses to respond to reviews, and 97% of those who read online reviews also read your responses which means the answers you give to negative and positive reviews are incredibly important.

Here are three things you should consider when responding to reviews – both negative and positive.

1. Address any issues calmly

If you receive a negative review, don’t delete it, respond angrily, or act hostile towards the client. They have a genuine problem or concern, and if you want to continue to receive their support in the future, you should always respond to them calmly.

Address them, ask them how you can help, and be as pleasant as possible so they feel comfortable talking to you. The problem they had might only be minor and easily fixable by you or your team.

So, don’t panic if you get a bad review. Just address any issues you come across with a level head.

2. Try to resolve problems – turn a negative into a positive

Once you’ve figured out your client’s problem, take the time out to give them your full attention. Ask them how you can fix the issue and do your best to turn their problems into a solution.

By taking the time to listen to your client and figure out what’s wrong, you’ll be able to switch that negative review into a positive one.

Not only will your client be happier but future potential clients will notice your brilliant customer service skills. They’ll feel more comfortable choosing you as their landscaper of choice.

3. Thank your customers for their support

Remember always to thank your customers for their support regardless of whether or not the review they left was positive or negative.

By showing them you’re grateful for their feedback, they’ll feel more connected with your brand. They may even consider working with you again in the future.

We hope our guide on why reviews matter to your business has helped you understand the importance of reviews and feedback.

If you have any questions regarding how to respond to reviews or even how to get more reviews for your business, our team would be happy to help.

We’re specialists in helping landscaping companies and outdoor contractors accelerate their business online.

Get in touch with our team today if you want to start improving your online business!