When 85% of all consumers search for your business online before making a purchase, your Google listing needs to showcase your positive reviews, company information, promotions, inventory, products, and more.

Google reviews are a valuable asset that your business should be using. If there’s any doubt about their value, here are four key reasons why the feedback you receive from Google Reviews is important.

Reviews Matter to Your Online Reputation

The importance of online reviews cannot be denied. In fact, they can make or break your business if not managed correctly. Roughly 88% of consumers will determine if your business is reliable by reading reviews. If your business has poor online reviews, you may not even get the chance to showcase your products or services.

Another statistic that proves your online reputation is important to attract those consumers: 94% of customers will not do business with company due to a negative review.

Google Reviews May Matter the Most

The number of Google Reviews online is far greater than the number of reviews on sites like Yelp, TripAdvisor, and Facebook. This should come as no surprise since Google itself attracts roughly 90% of all search traffic. A bonus note: Google Reviews may also be friendlier than reviews on other online review platforms.

Research from Northwestern University suggests that restaurant ratings on Google Maps average  0.7 stars higher than those on Yelp. The trend is great news for businesses that are properly managing reviews through Google My Business since Google review count and review scores factor into local search ranking.

Google Reviews Boost Your Local Search Ranking

If your business has a physical location and/or makes face-to-face transactions with customers, listen up. Reviews your business receives appear next to your listing in Google Maps and Search and help your business stand out in local search results on Google. This benefit is key to local small and medium businesses that meet face-to-face with customers.

Nearly 46% of searches on Google are local. The search results that Google delivers are based on a combination of factors like the relevance, distance, and prominence of your business in relation to the search criteria. In plain English, if a potential customer does a search for “X product (or service) near me” and your business sells that product or service and is located nearby, thanks to great Google Reviews you’ll show up higher in those search results.

Google Reviews – Your “Zero-click” Search Advantage

Zero-click? What in the world is that? Thanks to Google’s relentless innovation, sometimes when a user performs a Google search, they are presented with all the information they need and therefore don’t click on the search links. Fun fact, over 50% of all Google searches don’t result in a click.

Instead of clicking on any of the sites on the results page, a person searching for your business will see your Google Review information quickly presented. Google Reviews provide you the opportunity to grow your brand awareness and appear within those “zero-click” results.

Online reviews have a significant influence on your customers’ decision-making and Google is by far the largest online reputation platform. If you’re not managing your Google Reviews, you’re missing a great opportunity to build trust with potential customers, gain awareness for your brand, and gain feedback on your services.

Car Dealer Now specializes in consumer engagement solutions for businesses, including online reputation management and optimization of Google My Business listings.

Want to know what Car Dealer Now can do for your Google My Business listing? Click here.

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