How To Get More Out Of Your Reviews Strategy

Leveraging acomprehensive reviews strategy can result in a deeper understanding of how your brand appears online (and help boost your click-through rates across the web). But while monitoring and responding to customer feedback is a great first step, how do you know if your reviews strategy is a solid one?

The first step is to ensure you have a deep understanding of how your brand appears online. And while understanding your ratings for individual locations is important, that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Here are three ways you can leverage reviews to improve your business.

1. Read Your Reviews Closely

Most reviews contain more than just a rating — they include your customers' unfiltered experience with your brand. Understanding theprecise content of your reviews can provide insight into the things contributing to both positive and negative customer experiences.

These insights can help you make better business decisions, which in turn can help positively impact your ratings over time. By monitoring and understanding your reviews, you will get a sense of what you're doing right, and what you could work on to provide a better experience for your customers. Begin by tracking your keywords, and evaluate how often they appear in positive and negative reviews.

2. Keep an Eye on Your Competition

Understanding the average ratings of others in your industry can give you better context around your own ratings — and can help you understand what customers look for when choosing between you and your competition. Average ratings can vary by industry and geography, so even if your locations all have the same rating, this can help you see if some are underperforming or over-performing within their local markets.

3. Monitor Your Trends Over Time

Monitoring keyword trends in your reviews can help identify potential issues — or areas of excellence — that customers are aware of before you are. Watch for trends in your own ratings as well as in your competitors' ratings. This will keep you informed on trends in your broader market, and can help you adapt more quickly to new complaints or praise.

When 85% of consumers say they trust reviews as much as they trust recommendations from family and friends, having a comprehensive reviews strategy is critical. With a stronger understanding of the keywords customers are using to talk about you, the trends in your reviews, and how your competitors' reviews compare to your own, you will take more away from customer feedback — and ultimately improve your business.