Aside from an accurate address and contact information the most important thing about any business listing is the reviews. Online reviews are critical in the success of your business.

97 percent of shoppers say reviews influence buying decisions and 88 percent of buyers are influenced in their buying decision by reviews. This is huge! Your business can’t afford to have only one or two reviews - you need a steady stream of reviews to keep your business relevant and attract customers looking for a more recent experience.

Reviews aren’t an optional part of running a business. People are leaving you reviews right now whether you are aware of it or not. Making a strategy that prioritizes reviews is the only way to harness the power to grow your business. After all, the people most willing to leave a review unprompted are those with something to say and that usually isn’t a good thing for a business.

Here are a few reasons why reviews are such an important part of your online presence...

Local SEO

Local businesses that show up top of the local SEO pack have 47 or more Google reviews. This means that Google favors local businesses with more reviews! If you want your business to rank higher and appear more often in search results you will want to make sure you have a good amount of reviews. The average local business has 39 Google reviews but in this case the more the merrier. Quickly search for your business and your competition — how do you fare right now?

People Judge Your Business Based on Reviews

People make quick, snap decisions. One of the factors that plays into the snap decisions people will make about your business is your reviews. If someone sees you have a high star rating with 100 reviews they will see you in a favorable light. If you have 3 reviews with a three star rating they will probably pass on by. These first impressions are crucial when you are trying to bring new customers into your business.

It doesn’t always just impact immediate purchasing decisions, 93 percent of consumers use reviews to determine if a local business is good or bad. This decision sticks with people for a long time and can affect your business long-term when people have already made up their mind after seeing your reviews.

People Spend Where They Feel Confident

The fastest way for a consumer to gain confidence in a local business is to read about the experience of others. If they are positive and plentiful that confidence is bolstered. If there are only a few even one negative one can tip the scale in the other direction. Customers spend 31 percent more when a business has positive reviews and 57 percent of prospective customers will only consider a business if it has 4 or more stars. How is your competition doing? If they are outperforming you on reviews you will, without a doubt, see that reflected in your bottom line.

Social Proof

The more popular a business seems the more interested people are in shopping there. This concept is called social proof. People trust other people, especially lots of other people. If there is a line to get into a store people are instantly more interested. If a business has a big social following they automatically trust that they provide good products or services because of that following. This also holds true when it comes to reviews. If someone sees that you have a lot of good reviews they are more likely to choose your business over another with less social proof.

Final Thoughts

The importance of online reviews for a small business cannot be overstated. Businesses can live and die based on reviews and the perception of their business they give off. The good thing is that you aren’t entirely powerless! You can actively seek out reviews from happy customers to boost your numbers. Read this article for a few ways you can get more reviews for your business.