The Power of Online Reviews: What the Latest Data Means for Your Business

Online reviews have become an integral part of the decision-making process for consumers. With the latest data from Bright Local offering valuable insights, now is the time for small businesses to fine-tune their review strategies. Here's a breakdown of the key findings and how you can use them to grow your business.

When consumers research local businesses, they no longer rely solely on traditional review platforms—they're expanding their search to include social media and informal channels. Understanding these trends will help your business stay visible in multiple places and give potential customers more opportunities to find you.

While slightly fewer consumers are reading reviews as frequently as they once did, over 70% still check them regularly or always before making a decision. This reinforces the importance of having a strong and consistent online review presence.

Google remains the leading platform for online reviews, recovering from a slight dip in 2024 to once again dominate consumer preferences. This highlights the importance of optimising your Google Business Profile (GBP) and encouraging reviews there, but it also emphasises the value of diversification.

Over 75% of consumers watch video content when researching local businesses, and more than a third prefer videos posted directly by the business over those shared by influencers or social media reviewers. This indicates that video content is a crucial part of the decision-making journey. By showcasing your products and services through video, you can engage customers who are already close to making a decision.

While 27% of consumers rely on just one review platform when deciding whether to use a business, the majority (40%) check at least two. Although fewer consumers are checking multiple sources compared to previous years, a significant 74% still review two or more platforms. For your business, this means ensuring reviews are available across multiple trusted sites, including Google, Facebook, and industry-specific platforms.

Trust is a major factor in the review process. Consumers continue to place high value on reviews that describe positive experiences, but there’s been a 16% drop in those who rely solely on glowing feedback. Instead, consumers are increasingly focusing on objective details, supported by long-form reviews and accompanying photos or videos.

This trend underlines the importance of encouraging customers to provide detailed and comprehensive feedback, rather than just focusing on star ratings.

What consumers perceive as a high rating or recent review can vary, but the importance of recency is undeniable. 20% of consumers prefer reviews written within the past two weeks, though many are now willing to consider feedback up to a year old. Maintaining a steady flow of recent reviews will ensure your business stays relevant and trustworthy.

Review responses play a vital role in building consumer trust. Responding to feedback—both positive and negative—demonstrates that your business values its customers and is committed to improvement. Consumers are far more likely to choose a business that responds to all types of feedback, rather than ignoring it altogether.

Ignoring reviews altogether risks turning potential customers away. Responding to reviews, even if they are critical, shows your commitment to customer satisfaction and transparency.

A massive 96% of consumers are open to writing a review, and more consumers are now leaving feedback for both positive and negative experiences compared to 2024. As people seek well-rounded insights, businesses should focus on encouraging honest and balanced reviews.

Getting customers to leave a review often requires a well-timed ask. The ideal window for requesting feedback is either on the day or as a rule generally 3 days to a week after their interaction with your business, depending on your industry and the type of product or service provided. Make the process easy and convenient—whether via email, SMS, or in-person follow-ups.

There are plenty of ways in which you can ask your customers to share their feedback with you, from at the point of sale or experience to in the days and weeks afterwards.

Unsurprisingly, in this day and age, email remains the top format in which consumers are most likely to respond. In fact, the percentage of consumers who said they’d be most likely to leave a review when asked by email has increased from 32% to 40%. Despite busy inboxes, email is clearly the most effective way to get in front of your customers.

The second method in which consumers are most likely to write a review is if you simply ask them in person (27%). That doesn’t necessarily mean making them do it on the spot! But even so, many people still clearly feel a sense of obligation when they are asked by a person who has been involved in their customer experience. This is a great opportunity to reinforce to them how important that feedback is to your business and team.

It’s worth noting that there are also increases for other methods that follow the point of sale, such as via text message or even over the phone. These methods suggest that catching consumers at the right time is key, and also reinforces our findings that, when asked, most consumers are willing to write reviews.

While it can be difficult to know the right time to follow up with your customers, the good news is that it can be done with automated review responses via email and text to save you from needing to do each prompt individually.

Collect, monitor, and respond to reviews with ease. Reach out for a free demo of our AutoPilot Reputation Management tool.  (Learn more about our AI AutoPilot Solution)

The latest statistics highlight a shift in how consumers engage with reviews. To thrive in this environment, businesses should:

• Diversify their review presence across multiple platforms.
• Create engaging video content to support decision-making.
• Always keep asking for reviews in person and also leveraging tools.
• Encourage comprehensive, honest reviews.  Where applicable ask for videos, photos.
• Respond to all feedback to demonstrate customer care.

By doing so, you’ll not only improve your online visibility but also build trust with new and returning customers, ensuring long-term success.

Read the full article here - https://www.brightlocal.com/research/local-consumer-review-survey/