Today’s customers are more aware, knowledgeable and willing to research businesses before handing over their money that’s why your business website needs customer review page.

If you are yet to catch the memo, here it is: customers today say word-of-mouth and reviews play a significant role in whether they buy from a particular business or not.

Yes, you read that right. Back then, a neighbour’s good word was enough to ultimately convince new buyers to try out a new product/service.

Now, however, customers not only rely on word-of-mouth, but they also look up businesses on the internet or browse through their various social media accounts to read other users’ reviews.

A Pew Research report showed that 86% of people said they read reviews online before buying a product.

Related: Creative Ways to Get Customer Reviews for Your Business

What exactly do we mean by “Customer Review”?

Without having a proper idea on what customer feedback is, you can’t take full advantage of it.

Customer feedback is the reviews and information customers provide based off their experience using your product/services.

Customers’ impressions on your business are essential as they give you an idea on areas that might need improvements, as well as provide a reliable reference for potential buyers.

Customer feedback can be collected in more than one way, including survey polls, feedback forms, and social media platforms.

Good businesses listen to the voice of their customers and use it to better their businesses.

How Customer Reviews Affect your Small Business

Of course, with the ease of access to the internet, everyone with an internet connection and a mobile device can be connected to millions of people.

A useful review will go a long way from the keyboard of one happy customer into the lives of a million others. Here are some statistics based on research from BrightLocal

• Customer trust increases by a whopping 73% after reading customer reviews.
• Of the total number of customers searching for services and products online, 86% read online reviews first.
• 91% of these customers will take the words of reviewers to heart.
• 57% of customers go for products/services which have at least a 4-star rating.
• Customers prefer to read at least ten reviews before moving forward with a brand or business.
• Customers between the ages 18-34 are more likely to leave reviews, with their statistics at 80%.
• 41% of customers over the age of 55 will leave customer reviews.

7 Reasons your business website needs customer review page

Still not convinced? Here are seven reasons why your small business needs customer feedback.

Helps you measure customer satisfaction

Customer satisfaction plays an essential role in your customer’s overall experience with your business. Don’t forget that a happy customer is a loyal customer.

Your customer satisfaction is linked to significant parts of your business, including higher revenue and increased market shares.

Therefore, you should spare nothing in making sure that your customers are as satisfied as possible (or at least as your product/service promises).

With some strategically crafted questions, you can quickly get a fair estimate of how your customers rate your business.

For example, ask customers to rate their experiences on scales of 0-10, with 0 being extremely poor and 10 being the best.

Helps improve your business

Of course, once you have collected your customers’ feedback and reviews, the next step is to put their recommendations into action. At the start of your business, you based your product off of research on your target market’s preferences.

Now, you have landed the customers, and the only way to go is up. The tips and recommendations that your customers give will go a long way in improving your products and services.

After all, they are the ones making use of your business offerings, and they know all its perks and disadvantages.

Take for example when a woman complained about the quality of a P&G Bounce Dryer Bar case, the company issued a letter of thanks and adjusted the case’s quality.

Improves search engine ranking

The better your business is doing, the higher you will be ranked on search engines like Google. With your reviews to back you up, these search engines know that you are a credible business with a lot to offer your customers.

However, to maintain your high rankings on these search engines, you must also keep up a steady in-flow of reviews. This means that your strategy for getting customer feedback must be proactive.

Learn more about how to boost your search engine ranking

Nudges potential customers to convert

Like the research above shows, 91% of customers will trust the words of a reviewer as if it were a word of mouth referral. Take advantage of these numbers and make sure that your reviews accurately portray your business.

Customer reviews are supposed to be unbiased, and visitors are more likely to trust them. Your potential market sees these reviews as more honest that your biased blog posts or descriptions about your products/services.

Builds a better relationship with clients

Asking for client feedback and acting on some of their recommendations proves that you care about their opinions and experience. They begin to feel more involved in the growth of your business, especially if you are a new or small business.

Listening to your clients’ voice helps foster a stronger relationship with them. As they experience the positivity of your business, they will act as the best kind of ambassadors, giving word of mouth referrals.

Remember that people appreciate if you ask them their opinions on your service.

Learn how to nurture warm connections with your customers

Helps improve customer retention

Everything you do in your business is aimed at satisfying your customers, keeping them happy, and ensuring customer loyalty. A satisfied customer will keep coming back for your product/service.

By taking regular satisfaction surveys, you can quickly determine how your customers feel about your business. If they are unsatisfied with specific areas, you can work to improve on those areas immediately.

When a customer detects a problem and then sees it has been fixed the next time they patronise your business, there is a more meaningful sense of loyalty.

Related: How to understand your target audience

Provides valuable insights into what customers like & dislike about your product

Business requires some crafty strategising and important decision-making. With your customer feedback, you can get data to assist in making these business decisions.

For example, with their reliable sources, you can properly allocate money to areas that need it, and get higher returns on your investments. Or, you might need to stop production for a while and channel more resources towards brand promotion.

The key is learning to translate customer feedback into valuable data for your business.

If you wish to stay on top of your business, you must place your customers’ opinions on a high level of importance. They are the ones your business was created for in the first place, and are the ones benefiting or losing from the experience.

Use customer feedback to improve your business profits and develop your products.